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Pattern formation arising from condensation of a homogeneous gas into a binary, phase-separating liquid
C M Pooley1, Anna C Balazs, J M Yeomans
1Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
Summary
Binary liquid drops exhibit novel tentacle-like structures during nucleated growth. This study reveals unique pattern formation driven by coupled phase separation and fluid dynamics, offering new insights into complex fluid systems.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Materials science
- Thermodynamics
Background:
- Studying the nucleated growth of binary, immiscible liquid drops in a gas.
- Investigating the coupling between liquid drop growth and phase separation.
- Exploring potential for novel pattern formation in such systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- Characterize thermodynamic properties using Ginzburg-Landau free energy density.
- Construct the equilibrium phase diagram.
- Analyze dynamical evolution using a lattice Boltzmann algorithm.
Main Methods:
- Ginzburg-Landau free energy density formulation.
- Phase diagram construction via free energy minimization.
- Lattice Boltzmann algorithm for hydrodynamic simulations.
Main Results:
- Observation of intriguing tentacle-like structures during nucleation and growth.
- Exploration of structure formation dependence on thermodynamic and transport properties.
- Development of scaling laws for domain growth in diffusion- and flow-limited regimes.
Conclusions:
- The interplay between density and concentration field ordering leads to novel physics.
- Tentacle-like structures represent a unique pattern formation mechanism.
- Scaling laws provide quantitative descriptions of domain growth dynamics.