Thursday, August 23, 2012

1208.4463 (Yong-Jun Chen et al.)

Interface dynamics under nonequilibrium conditions: from a
self-propelled droplet to dynamic pattern evolution
   [PDF]

Yong-Jun Chen, Kenichi Yoshikawa
In this article, we describe the instability of a contact line under nonequilibrium conditions mainly based on the results of our recent studies. Two experimental examples are presented: the self-propelled motion of a liquid droplet and spontaneous dynamic pattern formation. For the self-propelled motion of a droplet, we introduce an experiment in which a droplet of aniline sitting on an aqueous layer moves spontaneously at an air-water interface. The spontaneous symmetry breaking of Marangoni-driven spreading causes regular motion. In a circular Petri dish, the droplet exhibits either beeline motion or circular motion. On the other hand, we show the emergence of a dynamic labyrinthine pattern caused by dewetting of a metastable thin film from the air-water interface. The contact line between the organic phase and aqueous phase forms a unique spatio-temporal pattern characterized as a dynamic labyrinthine. Motion of the contact line is controlled by diffusion processes. We propose a theoretical model to interpret essential aspects of the observed dynamic behavior.
View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.4463

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