Phenomena

Magnetic Soap Films

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Soap films naturally thin over time as fluid evaporates and differences in film thickness cause surface-tension-driven flows. In this video, researchers experiment with adding magnetic nanoparticles to the soap film. In the second image, the white structures near the center of the film contain nanoparticles, and they’re drawn toward the magnet that sits (out-of-frame) to the left of the film. With more nanoparticles and a stronger magnetic field (Image 3), the entire soap film takes on a distinctive profile that thins from left to right. The effect is so strong that the film quickly thins to the point of rupture. (Image and video credit: N. Lalli et al.)

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