Spheres are a special shape; they provide the smallest possible surface area necessary to contain a given volume. And since surface tension tries to minimize surface energy by reducing the Keep reading
Tag: surfactant
Exploding a Drop
Leidenfrost drops levitate over a hot substrate on a thin layer of their own vapor, constantly replenished as the drop evaporates. For the most part, previous studies have focused on Keep reading
Entrained
When an object hits water whether it draws air in with it depends on its shape, impact speed, and surface characteristics. In this experiment, though, there’s a bit of a Keep reading
What Keeps a Foam Intact
Beer, soda, soap, meringue – foams are everywhere in our lives. But have you ever wondered why some foams disappear so quickly while whipped egg whites stick around? That’s the Keep reading
Swimming Microdroplets
Simple systems can sometimes have surprisingly complex behaviors. In this video, the Lutetium Project outlines a scheme for swimming microdroplets. Most of the droplets shown are just water, but they’re Keep reading
Solving Mazes
Earlier this fall, I attempted my first corn maze. It didn’t work out very well. Early on I unknowingly cut through an area meant to be impassable and thus ended Keep reading
Detergency
Have you ever wondered just how detergents are able to get grease and oil off a surface? This simple example demonstrates one method. In the top image, a drop of Keep reading
Self-Healing Bubbles
Soap films have the remarkable property of self-healing. A water drop, like the one shown above, can pass through a bubble (repeatedly!) without popping it. This happens thanks to surfactants Keep reading
Stabilizing Films
Liquids don’t typically survive very long as thin films. If you try to make one from water, gravity drains it away immediately. (Not so in space.) To make a liquid Keep reading
The Coalescence Cascade and Surfactants
Drops of a liquid can often join a pool gradually through a process known as the coalescence cascade (top left). In this process, a drop sits atop a pool, separated Keep reading