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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 21, 2014
Dynamics of layering transitions in confined liquids
1Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. frieder.mugele@physik.uni-ulm.de
Abstract:
Multiple beam interferometry and video microscopy were used to investigate the layering transition of thin liquid films of 1-undecanol confined between atomically smooth mica surfaces. The expulsion of a molecularly thin lubricant layer was followed directly in two dimensions. Overall, the dynamics of the transition follows theoretical predictions based on two-dimensional hydrodynamics. Frequently, pockets of liquid remain trapped inside the contact area at the end of the transition. The trapped pockets undergo shape transformations to minimize elastic and interfacial energy.
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