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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
Published on: September 30, 2014
Theory and experiment for soap-film bridge in an electric field
Derek E Moulton1, John A Pelesko
1University of Delaware, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Newark, DE 19716, USA. moulton@math.udel.edu
Abstract:
Surface tension and electrostatic forces dominate the behavior of many micro and nano scale systems. Understanding interactions between these forces may therefore be of great utility in a number of engineering systems. We investigate one such interaction by subjecting an elastic membrane suspended between two parallel rings to an axially symmetric electric field. A model is formulated and analyzed and the effect of the field is characterized. Experimentally, the system is investigated using a soap-film bridge and a high voltage power source. Experimental observations verify the validity of the theory, in predicting both membrane profile as well as critical device length at which stability is lost.
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