Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Surface Active Agents

Surface Active Agents

Surfactants, named for their behavior at interfaces, positively adsorb at the interfaces of two phases, reducing interfacial tension. Their versatility as emulsifiers, detergents, and foaming agents stems from this ability. Surfactants, often termed amphiphiles, share the property of amphipathy, with molecules having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions. The hydrophilic part is called the head, and the hydrophobic part, including an elongated alkyl substituent, forms the tail.Surfactants...

Breathing

Breathing

The process of breathing, inhaling and exhaling, involves the coordinated movement of the chest wall, the lungs, and the muscles that move them. Two muscle groups with important roles in breathing are the diaphragm, located directly below the lungs, and the intercostal muscles, which lie between the ribs. When the diaphragm contracts, it moves downward, increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity and creating more room for the lungs to expand. When the intercostal muscles contract, the ribs...

Micelles

Micelles

Micelle formation is an intricate process that hinges on the properties of amphiphilic or amphipathic molecules and the conditions of the system in which they are found. Amphiphilic molecules, which have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts, play a critical role in this process.In aqueous environments, these molecules arrange themselves such that their hydrophilic heads are turned towards the water phase, while their hydrophobic tails are oriented away...

Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters

Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters

Enzymes like flippase, floppase, and scramblase transfer phospholipids from one layer to another in the membrane, thereby affecting membrane asymmetry.
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...

Mechanism of Filopodia Formation

Mechanism of Filopodia Formation

Filopodia are thin, actin-rich cellular protrusions that play an important role in many fundamental cellular functions. They vary in their occurrence, length, and positioning in different cell types, suggesting their diverse roles.
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...

Biofilms

Biofilms

Biofilms are complex communities of microorganisms encased in a self-produced extracellular polysaccharide matrix attached to surfaces. These microbial consortia can include single or multiple species, providing enhanced survival benefits by forming organized, multilayered structures.The formation of biofilms occurs through four key stages: attachment, colonization, development, and dispersal.During attachment, free-swimming planktonic cells adhere to a surface, often facilitated by...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Graded Quasiperiodic Metamaterials Perform Fractal Rainbow Trapping.

Physical review letters·2023

Same author

Erratum: Elastic Orbital Angular Momentum [Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 064301 (2022)].

Physical review letters·2022

Same author

Elastic Orbital Angular Momentum.

Physical review letters·2022

Same author

Numerical simulations of a falling film on the inner surface of a rotating cylinder.

Physical review. E·2020

Same author

Low-frequency wave-energy amplification in graded two-dimensional resonator arrays.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2019

Same author

Fluid-solid phase transition of n-alkane mixtures: Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy nuclear magnetic resonance.

Scientific reports·2019

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Rendering SiO2/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars

Rendering SiO₂/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars

Published on: February 11, 2020

On autophobing in surfactant-driven thin films.

R V Craster¹, O K Matar

¹Department of Mathematics and Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|February 21, 2007

Summary

Surfactant adsorption onto a substrate causes initially hydrophilic surfaces to become hydrophobic. This phenomenon drives droplet retraction and dewetting, aligning with experimental observations in thin film spreading.

More Related Videos

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Published on: June 3, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Rendering SiO2/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars

Rendering SiO₂/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars

Published on: February 11, 2020

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Published on: June 3, 2022

Area of Science:

Colloid and Surface Science
Fluid Dynamics
Materials Science

Background:

Experiments show aqueous droplet spreading on thin films is affected by surfactant concentration and film thickness.
Initially hydrophilic substrates become hydrophobic due to surfactant adsorption, causing droplet retraction.

Purpose of the Study:

To model the effect of cationic surfactants on wettability during droplet spreading.
To explain the observed droplet retraction and dewetting phenomena.

Main Methods:

Development of a mathematical model using lubrication theory.
Numerical simulation of droplet behavior on thin aqueous films.

Main Results:

The model demonstrates that surfactant adsorption renders the substrate hydrophobic.
Numerical results show this hydrophobicity drives droplet retraction and dewetting.
The findings are consistent with experimental trends.

Conclusions:

Surfactant adsorption is the key mechanism behind substrate hydrophobicity and subsequent droplet retraction.
The lubrication theory model accurately predicts the observed dynamic wetting behavior.