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Surface Tension of Fluid

Surface tension is a fundamental property of fluids, occurring at the boundary between a liquid and a gas or between two immiscible liquids. This phenomenon arises from the cohesive forces between molecules at the fluid's surface, creating an effect similar to a stretched elastic membrane. Inside each fluid, molecules are equally attracted in all directions by neighboring molecules, but surface molecules experience a net inward force, resulting in surface tension.
Surface tension varies with...
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Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions
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Published on: February 17, 2019

Exploring the liquid-like layer on the ice surface.

M P Goertz1, X-Y Zhu, J E Houston

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|June 10, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers studied the ice surface's liquid-like layer (L-LL) using force microscopy. They discovered the L-LL exhibits viscoelastic properties, behaving like a frustrated capillary, offering new insights into ice surface physics.

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Area of Science:

  • Surface science
  • Condensed matter physics
  • Materials science

Background:

  • The surface of ice is known to possess a quasi-liquid or liquid-like layer (L-LL).
  • Understanding the properties of this L-LL is crucial for various phenomena, including friction, adhesion, and atmospheric ice formation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the adhesive and mechanical properties of the L-LL on ice.
  • To determine the thickness and viscoelastic behavior of the L-LL at sub-zero temperatures.

Main Methods:

  • Interfacial force microscopy with a spherical glass probe was employed.
  • Measurements were conducted at temperatures ranging from -10 to -30 degrees C.
  • A lateral-dither technique was used to probe the viscous response.

Main Results:

  • The L-LL thickness aligns with thermodynamic predictions.
  • Adhesive interactions suggest a
  • frustrated capillary
  • behavior, indicating viscoelasticity.
  • Viscous response was characterized as a function of temperature and separation.

Conclusions:

  • The liquid-like layer on ice exhibits viscoelastic properties.
  • The findings support a model where the L-LL behaves as a viscoelastic material, not purely liquid.
  • This research provides direct experimental evidence for the viscoelastic nature of the ice L-LL.