Determination of surface energy and wettability of wood resins

The surface energy components of the lipophilic extractives isolated from thermo-mechanical pulp fibers have been determined. The influence of the chemical composition of the resin droplets on the surface properties was investigated. Furthermore, the critical surface tensions, as defined by Zisman, were determined for layers of the different resins applied on a stainless-steel surface. The resins were found to be rather lipophilic, although extensive acid-base interactions with the surrounding media were detected. We further observed that surface active substances dissolved in the continuous aqueous phase show self-associating tendencies.