Stratification and film ripping induced by structural forces in granular micellar thin films

Interactions across incredibly thin layers of fluids, known as thin films, underpin many important processes involving colloids, such as wetting-dewetting phenomena. Often in these systems, thin films are composed of complex fluids that contain dispersed components, such as spherical micelles, giving rise to oscillatory structural forces due to preferential layering under confinement. Modelling of thin film dynamics involving Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) type forces has been widely reported using the Stokes-Reynolds-Young-Laplace (SRYL) model, and we hypothesize that this theory can be extended to a concentrated micellar system by including an oscillatory structural force term in the disjoining pressure.

We study the drainage behaviour of thin films comprising sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles across a range of concentrations and interaction conditions between an air bubble and a mica disk using a custom-built dual-wave interferometry apparatus.

Early-stage film behaviour is dominated by hydrodynamics, which can be well reproduced by the SRYL model. However, experimental profiles drain significantly faster than predicted, transitioning into a structural force dominated phase characterised by four types of film ripping instabilities that we term 'waving', 'ridging', 'webbing', and 'hole-sheeting'. These instabilities were mapped according to SDS concentration and approach velocity, providing insight into the interplay between structural forces and hydrodynamic conditions.