1. Sprouting Droplets Driven by Physical Effects Alone
- Author
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Iliya D. Stoev, David J. French, Ali Abou-Hassan, Katherine A. Rumble, Paul S. Clegg, PHysicochimie des Electrolytes et Nanosystèmes InterfaciauX (PHENIX), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Ecole Superieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris (ESPCI Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy [Edinburgh], University of Edinburgh, and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)
- Subjects
Chemistry ,Drop (liquid) ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,Surfaces and Interfaces ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,Condensed Matter::Soft Condensed Matter ,Physics::Fluid Dynamics ,Surface tension ,Colloid ,Chemical physics ,Electrochemistry ,[CHIM]Chemical Sciences ,General Materials Science ,0210 nano-technology ,Spectroscopy ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,Phase diagram - Abstract
Combining a partially miscible three-liquid system with interfacially trapped silica colloids, we show that small droplets can exhibit dramatic growth phenomena driven by physical effects alone. The mass dense droplets sprout tubes which grow vertically upward in a gravitational field and respond to the presence of other droplets in their path. Two of the liquids in our system are water and toluene. By varying the third liquid, we are able to relate the growth behavior to the details of the underlying three-fluid phase diagram and the changes to the interfacial tension. Additionally, we introduce a pendant drop in the path of our growing drop. We use this to confirm that growth is driven by the partitioning of solvents, that exchange of solvents between droplets is chemically selective, and that the exchange behavior can itself generate further growth phenomena.
- Published
- 2017
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