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Capillarity in Fluid

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Capillarity describes the movement of liquid in small spaces without external forces acting on it. The capillarity is driven by surface tension and adhesive interactions between the liquid and surrounding solid surfaces. This effect is often seen in narrow tubes, porous materials, and fine particles.
Surface tension is crucial to capillarity. It results from cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the liquid-air boundary, forming a skin that resists external forces. When the capillary tube...

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Updated: May 12, 2025

3D Printing of In Vitro Hydrogel Microcarriers by Alternating Viscous-Inertial Force Jetting

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Published on: April 21, 2021

Capillary-assisted printing of droplets at a solid-like liquid-liquid interface.

Anshu Thapa¹, Robert Malinowski¹, Matthew O Blunt¹

¹Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK.

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science

|May 7, 2025

Summary

Aqueous droplets on nanoparticle surfactant films form stable, self-assembling structures due to capillary attraction. This allows for controlled printing of complex droplet arrangements and light-responsive interface manipulation.

Keywords:

Droplets Interfaces Optofluidics Physical chemistry Printing Self-assembly Soft Matter

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Last Updated: May 12, 2025

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Published on: April 21, 2021

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Published on: April 17, 2018

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Published on: April 22, 2014

Area of Science:

Soft Matter Physics
Colloid Science
Materials Science

Background:

Nanoparticle surfactants (NPS) form solid-like films at oil-water interfaces.
These films are expected to stabilize aqueous droplets against coalescence.
Droplet deformation at the interface can induce capillary forces.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the stability and assembly of aqueous droplets on nanoparticle surfactant films.
To explore the directed assembly of droplets into larger structures.
To demonstrate control over droplet behavior using light-responsive interfaces.

Main Methods:

Placing aqueous droplets on cellulose nanocrystal surfactant (CNCS) films at oil-water interfaces.
Quantifying droplet dynamics using single-particle tracking.
Utilizing a custom droplet printer for controlled assembly.
Modifying droplet and surfactant compositions for heterogeneity and light responsiveness.

Main Results:

Droplets remained stable at the interface for extended periods.
Microlitre droplets exhibited attractive forces over millimetric distances.
Observed dynamics deviated from theoretical predictions for pristine interfaces.
Inter-droplet capillary attraction enabled self-building droplet structures.
Plasmon-assisted optofluidics with gold nanoparticles allowed laser-induced manipulation.

Conclusions:

Nanoparticle surfactant films provide a stable platform for aqueous droplets.
Inter-droplet capillary forces drive the formation of large, ordered droplet structures.
This system offers a novel approach for printing and manipulating complex fluidic architectures.