Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Electric Charges01:11

Electric Charges

18.6K
From lightning during thunderstorms to electronic devices, the phenomenon of electromagnetism is all around us. The electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It has been known to humanity in various forms for thousands of years. For example, the ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus recorded his experiments on static electricity using amber and fur in the sixth century BC.
The English physicist William Gilbert studied the phenomenon of static electricity in...
18.6K
Coulomb's Law01:30

Coulomb's Law

9.3K
Experiments with electric charges have shown that if two objects each have an electric charge, they exert an electric force on each other. The magnitude of the force is linearly proportional to the net charge on each object and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The direction of the force vector is along the imaginary line joining the two objects and is dictated by the signs of the charges involved.
Newton's third law applies to the Coulomb force — the...
9.3K
Electric Field of Parallel Conducting Plates01:16

Electric Field of Parallel Conducting Plates

2.2K
Gauss' law relates the electric flux through a closed surface to the net charge enclosed by that surface. Gauss's law can be applied to find the electric field and the charge enclosed in a region depending on its charge distribution.
Consider a cross-section of a thin, infinite conducting plate having a positive charge. For such a large thin plate, as the thickness of the plate tends to zero, the positive charges lie on the plate's two large faces. Without an external electric field, the...
2.2K
Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube01:18

Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube

3.1K
When very thin cylindrical tubes, called capillaries, are dipped in a liquid, the liquid rises or falls in the tube compared to the surrounding liquid. This phenomenon is called capillary action. Capillary action occurs due to the combination of two opposing forces: the cohesive forces of the liquid, which cause it to stick to itself and form a rounded shape, and the adhesive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, which cause the liquid to be attracted to the container walls.
3.1K
The Electrical Double Layer01:30

The Electrical Double Layer

224
In the region where two bulk phases meet, an intricate electric charge distribution arises due to charge transfer, ion adsorption, molecular orientation, and charge distortion. This complex distribution is commonly referred to as the electrical double layer.When a solid electrode interfaces with ions in an electrolyte solution, the speed of electron transfer dictates the rates of oxidation and reduction. The electrode acquires a charge through the escape of atoms into the solution as cations or...
224
Capillarity in Fluid01:19

Capillarity in Fluid

1.5K
Capillarity describes the movement of liquid in small spaces without external forces acting on it. The capillarity is driven by surface tension and adhesive interactions between the liquid and surrounding solid surfaces. This effect is often seen in narrow tubes, porous materials, and fine particles.
Surface tension is crucial to capillarity. It results from cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the liquid-air boundary, forming a skin that resists external forces. When the capillary tube...
1.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Spatiotemporal dynamics of self-organized branching in pancreas-derived organoids.

Nature communications·2022
Same author

VASP localization to lipid bilayers induces polymerization driven actin bundle formation.

Molecular biology of the cell·2022
Same author

Reversible and spatiotemporal control of colloidal structure formation.

Nature communications·2021
Same author

Mechanical plasticity of collagen directs branch elongation in human mammary gland organoids.

Nature communications·2021
Same author

Intra-bundle contractions enable extensile properties of active actin networks.

Scientific reports·2021
Same author

The dynamics of actin network turnover is self-organized by a growth-depletion feedback.

Scientific reports·2020

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 28, 2026

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures
20:38

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

Published on: July 29, 2008

10.8K

Electric-field-induced capillary attraction between like-charged particles at liquid interfaces.

M G Nikolaides1, A R Bausch, M F Hsu

  • 1Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

Nature
|November 26, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Charged colloidal particles at interfaces can attract each other due to capillary forces. These forces arise from interface deformations caused by the particles' own electrostatic fields, enabling controllable particle ordering.

More Related Videos

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
10:03

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids

Published on: September 30, 2014

27.9K
Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions
08:41

Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions

Published on: September 7, 2018

7.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 28, 2026

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures
20:38

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

Published on: July 29, 2008

10.8K
The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
10:03

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids

Published on: September 30, 2014

27.9K
Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions
08:41

Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions

Published on: September 7, 2018

7.9K

Area of Science:

  • Colloid and Interface Science
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Electrostatics

Background:

  • Charged particles at interfaces are typically stabilized by repulsive Coulomb interactions.
  • Nonpolar phases at interfaces lead to dipolar repulsion, potentially causing ordering under confinement.
  • Observed particle ordering without confinement suggests attractive interactions exist.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively measure attractive interactions between colloidal particles at an oil-water interface.
  • To explain the origin of attractive interactions in the absence of area confinement.
  • To explore the controllability of these attractive interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative measurement of interparticle forces at the oil-water interface.
  • Analysis of interface shape distortions.
  • Modeling of electrostatic stresses and capillary forces.

Main Results:

  • Attractive interactions between like-charged colloidal particles at an oil-water interface were measured.
  • These attractions are explained by capillary forces originating from interface deformations.
  • Interface deformations are caused by electrostatic stresses from the particles' dipolar fields.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a quantitative explanation for attractive interactions between charged colloidal particles at interfaces.
  • Electrostatic stresses from dipolar fields induce interface deformations, leading to capillary attraction.
  • Interparticle attractions can be controlled by tuning the polarity of interfacial fluids.