Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026
08:27
Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation
Published on: August 28, 2017
5.8K
Non-wetting drops at liquid interfaces: from liquid marbles to Leidenfrost drops
Clint Y H Wong1, Mokhtar Adda-Bedia, Dominic Vella
1Mathematical Institute, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK. dominic.vella@maths.ox.ac.uk.
Soft Matter
|June 24, 2017
Summary
This study explores how deformable drops float on liquid surfaces, analyzing interface and droplet deflection. Findings offer new insights into phenomena like liquid marbles, highlighting sensitivity to interface tension.
Area of Science:
- Fluid Dynamics
- Surface Science
- Colloid Science
Background:
- Deformable, non-wetting drops exhibit complex behaviors at liquid interfaces.
- Understanding these phenomena is crucial for applications involving droplets, such as liquid marbles and Leidenfrost droplets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physics governing the flotation of deformable, non-wetting drops on a liquid interface.
- To analyze the deflection of both the liquid interface and the droplet under various forces.
- To provide new insights into phenomena like Leidenfrost droplets and liquid marbles.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of buoyancy forces, density differences, and surface tensions.
- Modeling the deformation of both the droplet and the surrounding liquid interface.
- Investigating the role of interfacial tension in droplet flotation.
Main Results:
- The study quantifies the deflection of the liquid interface and droplet due to system forces.
- It reveals that the floating state of liquid marbles is highly sensitive to particle-covered interface tension.
- New insights are provided into the mechanics of deformable drop flotation.
Conclusions:
- The flotation of deformable drops is governed by a complex interplay of forces and surface tensions.
- Liquid marble stability is strongly dependent on the properties of their particle-covered interface.
- These experiments can serve as a valuable method for characterizing complex interfacial properties.
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
02:57Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
33.9K
Surface Tension
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...
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...
33.9K
01:07Cohesion
60.2K
Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same type, such as water molecules. Water molecules have an overall neutral charge but are polar molecule. An oxygen atom in one water molecule has a partial negative charge that can bind to a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge in a second water molecule, forming a hydrogen bond. Each water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules. Hydrogen bonds are responsible for water's cohesive nature.
On a...
On a...
60.2K
01:29Liquid–Solid Solutions
14
The process of a solid dissolving in a liquid to form a solution is governed by the solubility limit, which is the maximum amount of the solid substance, or solute, that can be dissolved in a specific volume of the liquid or solvent. As the solute dissolves, it reaches a point where no more solute can be dissolved at a given temperature - this is known as the saturation point. However, if further solute is added and it manages to dissolve, the solution becomes supersaturated. Supersaturated...
14
01:09Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model
876
Various dissolution theories provide insight into the factors that influence the dissolution rate. Danckwerts' Model suggests that turbulence, rather than a stagnant layer, characterizes the dissolution medium at the solid-liquid interface. In this model, the agitated solvent contains macroscopic packets that move to the interface via eddy currents, facilitating the absorption and delivery of the drug to the bulk solution. The regular replenishment of solvent packets maintains the...
876
01:13Contact Angle
27.4K
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...
27.4K