Molecular configurations in the droplet detachment process of a complex liquid

We studied the microscopic polymer conformations in the droplet detachment process of an elastic semidilute polyelectrolytic xanthan solution by measuring the instantaneous birefringence. As in earlier studies, we observe the suppression of the finite time singularity of the pinch-off process and the occurrence of an elastic filament. Our microscopic measurements reveal that the relatively stiff xanthan molecules are already significantly prestretched to about 90% of their final extension at the moment the filament appears. At later stages of the detachment process, we find evidence of a concentration enhancement due to the elongational flow.