In materials science, surface energy quantifies the disruption of intermolecular bonds that occurs when a surface is created.

Surface energy can be defined as the excess energy present on the surface of a material compared to its volume, or as the work required to create a specific surface area. If the surface energy is high, there is a strong tendency to attract other molecules.

Liquids with high surface energy tend to contract stably, taking on a spherical shape (the shape with the smallest possible distance between surface molecules).

Liquids with low surface energy exhibit less shape cohesion and become more easily deliquescent.

If a liquid comes into contact with surfaces with higher surface energy, the attraction of the liquid molecules to the surface is stronger than their mutual bond. For this reason, liquids with low surface energy become deliquescent on surfaces with higher surface energy.