Phase Separation in Wetting Ridges of Sliding Drops on Soft and Swollen Surfaces
Lukas Hauer, Zhuoyun Cai, Artem Skabeev, Doris Vollmer, Jonathan T. Pham
Abstract
Drops in contact with swollen, elastomeric substrates can induce a capillary mediated phase separation in wetting ridges. Using confocal microscopy, we visualize phase separation of oligomeric silicone oil from a cross-linked silicone network during steady-state sliding of water drops. We find an inverse relationship between the oil tip height and the drop sliding speed, which is rationalized by competing transport timescales of the oil molecules: separation rate versus drop-advection speed. Separation rates in highly swollen networks are as fast as diffusion in pure melts.
Topics & Concepts
Materials scienceWettingDrop (telecommunication)Silicone oilCapillary actionElastomerSurface tensionAdvectionPhase (matter)Chemical physicsComposite materialMechanicsThermodynamicsChemistryPhysicsComputer scienceTelecommunicationsOrganic chemistrySurface Modification and SuperhydrophobicityAdhesion, Friction, and Surface InteractionsFluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer