Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2025
08:02
Rendering SiO2/Si Surfaces Omniphobic by Carving Gas-Entrapping Microtextures Comprising Reentrant and Doubly Reentrant Cavities or Pillars
Published on: February 11, 2020
9.1K
Sculpting Liquids with Ultrathin Shells.
Yousra Timounay1,2, Alexander R Hartwell1, Mengfei He1,2
1Department of Physics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|September 17, 2021
Summary
Ultrathin elastic shells can reshape liquid surfaces by imposing their own form. This discovery in elastocapillarity opens new avenues for optical applications using curved, transparent films.
Area of Science:
- Physics, Materials Science, Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Thin elastic films interact with liquid interfaces, influencing material properties.
- Existing research on film-interface interactions focuses on planar sheets, limiting understanding of curved geometries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the unique interface manipulation capabilities of curved elastic shells.
- To explore a regime where ultrathin shells dictate liquid surface shape due to vanishing bending rigidity.
Main Methods:
- Experimental investigation of curved shell behavior at liquid interfaces.
- Theoretical modeling to elucidate the underlying physical principles of elastocapillarity in curved systems.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that curved shells can impose their intrinsic rest shape onto a liquid surface.
- Identified a specific regime where shell curvature dictates interface deformation, driven by interfacial pressure.
Conclusions:
- Curved elastic shells offer novel methods for interface control, distinct from planar films.
- The transparent, wrinkle-free nature of these shells makes them promising for advanced optical applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Accelerating Fluids
1.6K
When a fluid is in constant acceleration, the pressure and buoyant force equations are modified. Suppose a beaker is placed in an elevator accelerating upward with a constant acceleration, a. In the beaker, assume there is a thin cylinder of height h with an infinitesimal cross-sectional area, ΔS.
The motion of the liquid within this infinitesimal cylinder is considered to obtain the pressure difference. Three vertical forces act on this liquid:
The motion of the liquid within this infinitesimal cylinder is considered to obtain the pressure difference. Three vertical forces act on this liquid:
1.6K
01:22Surface Tension of Fluid
667
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...
667