Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Fabricating High-viscosity Droplets using Microfluidic Capillary Device with Phase-inversion Co-flow Structure
Published on: April 17, 2018
Coalescence of low-viscosity fluids in air
1The James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Abstract:
An electrical method is used to study the early stages of coalescence of two low-viscosity drops. A drop of aqueous NaCl solution is suspended in air above a second drop of the same solution, which is grown until the drops touch. At that point a rapidly widening bridge forms between them. By measuring the resistance and capacitance of the system during this coalescence event, one can obtain information about the time dependence of the characteristic bridge radius and its characteristic height. At early times, a new asymptotic regime is observed that is inconsistent with previous theoretical predictions. The measurements at several drop radii and approach velocities are consistent with a model in which the two liquids coalesce with a slightly deformed interface.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Viscosity of Fluid
Viscosity
The SI unit of viscosity is...
Viscosity
Capillarity in Fluid
Surface tension is crucial to capillarity. It results from cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the liquid-air boundary, forming a skin that resists external forces. When the capillary tube...
Accelerating Fluids
The motion of the liquid within this infinitesimal cylinder is considered to obtain the pressure difference. Three vertical forces act on this liquid:
Vapor Pressure of Fluid
When a liquid is placed in a closed container with a small air space, and the space is evacuated, vapor molecules will...

