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Updated: Mar 27, 2026
08:02
Fabricating High-viscosity Droplets using Microfluidic Capillary Device with Phase-inversion Co-flow Structure
Published on: April 17, 2018
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How faceted liquid droplets grow tails.
Shani Guttman1, Zvi Sapir1, Moty Schultz1
1Department of Physics and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel;
Summary
Liquid droplets can be shaped into faceted forms by controlling temperature, revealing novel interfacial freezing phenomena. This discovery offers new possibilities for creating tunable emulsions and advanced materials.
Area of Science:
- Soft Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Liquid droplets typically lack flat facets due to surface tension.
- Understanding droplet behavior is crucial for various scientific and technological applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the formation of faceted liquid droplets.
- To explore the underlying mechanisms of temperature-induced shape transitions in droplets.
- To demonstrate the potential applications of these phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Experimental observation of water-dispersed oil droplets under controlled temperature changes.
- Analysis of the interplay between interfacial tension and interfacial monolayer elasticity.
- Characterization of droplet shape transformations and interfacial freezing (IF).
Main Results:
- Water-dispersed oil droplets were reversibly tuned to form icosahedral and other faceted shapes.
- Shape changes were attributed to the crystallization of a 2-nm-thick interfacial monolayer at temperatures above the oil's melting point.
- Interfacial freezing (IF) also induced droplet deformation, splitting, and tail formation at lower temperatures.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals novel faceted liquid droplet morphologies driven by interfacial freezing.
- Findings provide insights into molecular-scale elasticity and tunable emulsion stability.
- This work opens avenues for directed self-assembly of complex-shaped particles and future technologies.
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