Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 7, 2026
08:34
Visualization of High Speed Liquid Jet Impaction on a Moving Surface
Published on: April 17, 2015
12.0K
Impact of surface roughness on liquid-liquid transition
Ken-Ichiro Murata1, Hajime Tanaka1
1Department of Fundamental Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
Science Advances
|February 25, 2017
Summary
Surface nanostructuring via rubbing significantly impacts liquid-liquid transitions (LLT) in confined liquids. This technique accelerates LLT kinetics by reducing nucleation barriers, offering new control for industrial applications.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Materials science
- Physical chemistry
Background:
- Liquid-liquid transition (LLT) in single-component liquids remains a fundamental mystery in condensed matter.
- Existing research primarily focuses on the fundamental aspects of LLT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of surface nanostructuring on the kinetics of LLT.
- To explore the use of rubbing, a key technology in liquid crystal display production, for surface treatment.
Main Methods:
- Experimental study of LLT in triphenyl phosphite confined between rubbed surfaces.
- Utilizing surface rubbing as a nanostructuring technique.
- Analysis of spatiotemporal pattern modulation and nucleation barriers.
Main Results:
- Surface rubbing significantly alters LLT kinetics, accelerating the process.
- Surface-induced barrierless formation of the liquid II phase observed in the metastable state.
- The effect disappears in the unstable (spinodal) regime, confirming distinct LLT types.
Conclusions:
- Surface nanostructuring provides a novel method to control LLT kinetics in confined liquids.
- LLT is confirmed as a first-order transition with criticality, exhibiting both nucleation-growth and spinodal decomposition mechanisms.
- Findings open avenues for LLT applications in microfluidics and industry.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Surface Tension of Fluid
1.8K
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...
Surface tension varies...
1.8K
02:31Phase Transitions
23.5K
Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...
23.5K
01:21Phase Transitions
24
A phase transition is the process in which a substance changes from one state of matter to another, like from a solid to a liquid, liquid to gas, or vice versa, at a specific temperature and under given pressure conditions. This change is spontaneous and is affected by alterations in temperature and pressure. These parameters impact the strength of the forces between molecules (intermolecular forces) in the substance.During a phase transition, both the initial and final phases of the substance...
24
01:18Boundary Layer Characteristics
737
When a fluid encounters a solid surface, a boundary layer forms due to the interaction between the fluid's motion and the stationary surface. This phenomenon is characterized by a thin region adjacent to the surface where viscous forces dominate, influencing the fluid's velocity profile. The development of the boundary layer begins at the leading edge of the surface and evolves as the fluid moves downstream.As the fluid flows over the surface, friction between the fluid and the wall slows down...
737
01:13Contact Angle
27.7K
When a solid is dipped inside a liquid, the liquid surface becomes curved near the contact. For some solid–liquid interfaces, the liquid is pulled up along the solid, while for others, the liquid surface is convex or depressed near the solid surface. This phenomenon can be explained using the concept of cohesive and adhesive forces.
The adhesive force is the molecular force between molecules of different materials, that is, between the molecules of the solid and the liquid. The cohesive...
The adhesive force is the molecular force between molecules of different materials, that is, between the molecules of the solid and the liquid. The cohesive...
27.7K
01:27Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems
34
A pressure-composition phase diagram explicitly describes the behavior of an ideal solution of two volatile liquids under varying pressures and compositions. A pressure-composition diagram has two main curves. The bubble point curve represents the plot of pressure versus liquid mole fraction. It indicates the pressure at which the first bubble of vapor forms from the liquid phase as the system pressure decreases.The dew point curve is the pressure versus vapor mole fraction. It indicates the...
34