Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Measurement of Spatial Stability in Precision Grip
Published on: June 4, 2020
Direct measurement of the apparent slip length
Pierre Joseph1, Patrick Tabeling
1Laboratoire MMN, UMR CNRS-ESPCI 7083, 10 rue Vauquelin, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05, France. pierre.joseph@espci.fr
Abstract:
We measure velocity profiles in water flowing through thin microchannels, using particle image velocimetry combined with a nanopositioning system. From the velocity profiles, we determine the slip lengths in two cases: Smooth hydrophilic glass surfaces, and smooth hydrophobic glass surfaces, grafted with a monolayer of silane. The slip length is determined within (+/-100 nm) , i.e., five times more accurately than previous work. In all cases, we find that the slip length is below 100 nm.
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