Methodology to calculate interfacial tension under electric field using pendent drop profile analysis

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Colloid and Surface Science
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Interfacial tension is crucial for understanding fluid behavior and chemical processes.
• Conventional methods like axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) do not account for electric field effects.
• Quantifying interfacial tension under electric fields is essential for applications in microfluidics and materials science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a methodology for calculating interfacial tension at a water-oil interface subjected to an electric field.
• To modify the Young-Laplace equation to incorporate electrostatic forces for accurate tension measurements.
• To enable high-throughput analysis of interfacial tension in dynamic adsorption studies.

Main Methods:

• Modified Young-Laplace equation incorporating electrostatic effects derived from Maxwell stress tensor.
• Solving Laplace's equation for electric potential to determine the normal component of Maxwell stress.
• Optimized fitting of theoretical drop profiles to experimental data to determine the Bond number.
• Automated processing of multiple drop profiles for efficient analysis.

Main Results:

• A robust methodology for calculating apparent interfacial tension under an electric field was established.
• The method successfully integrates electrostatic effects into the axisymmetric drop shape analysis framework.
• The developed algorithm efficiently processes large datasets of drop profiles.

Conclusions:

• The presented methodology provides a valuable tool for studying interfacial phenomena under electric fields.
• This approach enhances the capability of ADSA for investigating adsorption dynamics at fluid interfaces.
• The findings will facilitate future research on interfacial properties and their evolution in response to electric fields.