Measured capillary forces on spheres at particle-laden interfaces

We measure capillary forces on particles at fluid interfaces in order to assess the key parameters that yield effective stabilizing particles. In our experiments, a millimeter-scale particle is attached to a cantilever, which is used to pull the particle perpendicular to the interface. Simultaneously, we image from the side to measure the cantilever's deflection and thus the pulling force, as well as the height of the particle and the shape of the interface. We find that the peak force on a particle at an interface crowded with other particles is consistently smaller than the force at a clean interface. This result is independent of the difference in fluid mass densities, the material of the target sphere, and the capillary charge of the free particles. We attribute the force reduction to the perturbation of interface shape due to the constraints at the boundaries of the free particles. The results should be helpful in designing particles to stabilize droplets in new oil dispersants or in other applications.