Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

AFM and Microrheology in the Zebrafish Embryo Yolk Cell
Published on: November 29, 2017
Suppression of complex fingerlike patterns at the interface between air and a viscous fluid by elastic membranes
D Pihler-Puzović1, P Illien, M Heil
1Manchester Centre for Nonlinear Dynamics and School of Mathematics, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Growth of complex dendritic fingers at the interface of air and a viscous fluid in the narrow gap between two parallel plates is an archetypical problem of pattern formation. We find a surprisingly effective means of suppressing this instability by replacing one of the plates with an elastic membrane. The resulting fluid-structure interaction fundamentally alters the interfacial patterns that develop and considerably delays the onset of fingering. We analyze the dependence of the instability on the parameters of the system and present scaling arguments to explain the experimentally observed behavior.
Related Concept Videos
Pressure Variation in a Fluid at Rest
When measuring pressure at two different levels within the fluid, the difference in pressure...
Viscosity
The SI unit of viscosity is...
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...
Viscosity of Fluid
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...

