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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Light-induced Patterning and Grafting for Slippery Surfaces based on Silane-coated Nanoporous Structures
Published on: November 14, 2025
Self-Pinning on a Liquid Surface
C Antoine1, J Irvoas2, K Schwarzenberger3
1Laboratoire de Physique Théorique de la Matière Condensée, Université Pierre et Marie Curie , 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
We report on the first experimental evidence of a self-pinning liquid drop on a liquid surface. This particular regime is observed for a miscible heavier oil drop (dichloromethane) deposited on an aqueous solution laden by an ionic surfactant (hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide). Experimental characterization of the drop shape evolution coupled to particle image velocimetry points to the correlation between the drop profile and the accompanying flow field. A simple model shows that the observed pinned stage is the result of a subtle competition between oil dissolution and surfactant adsorption.
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