As ocean waves crash, they generate aerosols — tiny liquid and solid particulates — that interact with the atmosphere. Curious about the chemistry of these tiny drops, researchers set out Keep reading
Tag: chemistry
Dispelling Ice
In winter weather, delays pile up at airports when planes need de-icing. Our current process involves spraying thousands of gallons of chemicals on planes, but these chemicals are easily removed Keep reading
Mixing the Immiscible
Immiscible liquids — like oil and water — do not combine easily. Typically, with enough effort, you can create an emulsion — a mixture formed from droplets of one liquid Keep reading
“Belletrix”
Icy crystals burst forth against a dark background in Thomas Blanchard’s short film “Belletrix.” The process is one of chemical crystallization. Blanchard supersaturates a chemical in a dish of hot Keep reading
Liquid Bridges
In 1893, Baron Armstrong demonstrated a peculiar phenomenon — a liquid bridge of water suspended between two beakers with a strong electric charge between them (Image 1). More than a Keep reading
“Halo”
Fluids create mesmerizing practical effects in this new experimental film from the Julia Set Lab. I love how the visuals mess with your sense of scale. Some of the sequences Keep reading
Changing with the Flow
Chemically-reacting flows are some of the toughest problems to unravel. In this new study, researchers found that the very act of flowing through narrow channels can change the speed of Keep reading
Tougher Hydrogels
Hydrogels are soft, stretchy solids made from polymer chains immersed in water. Engineers hope these materials will be good candidates for medical implants, but to reach that goal, hydrogels need Keep reading
Spreading By Island
How does a droplet sinking through an immiscible liquid settle onto a surface? Conventional wisdom suggests that the settling drop will slowly squeeze the ambient fluid film out of the Keep reading
Ink-Based Propulsion
In this video, Steve Mould explores an interesting phenomenon: propulsion via ballpoint pen ink. Placing ink on one side of a leaf or piece of paper turns it into a Keep reading