Seawater froths and foams in ways that freshwater rarely does. A new study pinpoints the ocean’s electrolytes as the reason bubbles resist merging there. By studying the final moments before Keep reading
Tag: marangoni effect
“Discovery”
Colors stream and mix in Rus Khasanov’s short film “Discovery.” Droplet-like liquid lenses float in the mixture until ethanol or other ingredients cause them to spontaneously rupture, sending their interior Keep reading
“Space Iris”
Ruslan Khasanov’s “Space Iris” explores the similarities between nebulae and eyes. Made entirely with common fluids like paint, soap, and alcohol, the film shows off the gorgeous possibilities of surface-tension- Keep reading
Liquid Lens Rupture
A blob of sunflower oil floating on soapy water forms a disk known as a liquid lens. But add some dyed ethanol and things take a turn. The lens rapidly Keep reading
Long-Lived Bubbles
Without surfactants to stabilize them, bubbles don’t last long at room temperature. But adding a little heat changes the picture. When heated, the bubbles get stabilized by a thermal gradient Keep reading
Surfactants and Waves
In the ocean, waves often curl over and trap air, becoming plunging breakers. How do surfactants like soap or oil affect this process? That’s the question behind this video, where Keep reading
Self-Propelled Droplets
Drops of ethanol on a heated surface contract and self-propel as they evaporate. My first thought upon seeing this was of Leidenfrost drops, but the surface is not nearly hot Keep reading
Soapy Solutions
When a drop of soap falls into a pool of water, its surface-loving molecules spread out on the water’s surface. Exactly how the soap spreads depends on the local concentration Keep reading
“Titan”
Saturn’s moon Titan is a fascinating foil to our planet. It’s the only other body in our solar system with liquid bodies — lakes and seas — on its surface. Keep reading
“I See You”
In “I See You,” filmmaker Rus Khasanov captures fluid flows that give the screen an eye with which to gaze back at us. The textures visible in the flows are Keep reading