Sample records for interface surface tension

  1. Surface tension and long range corrections of cylindrical interfaces

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bourasseau, E.; Malfreyt, P.; Ghoufi, A., E-mail: aziz.ghoufi@univ-rennes1.fr

    2015-12-21

    The calculation of the surface tension of curved interfaces has been deeply investigated from molecular simulation during this last past decade. Recently, the thermodynamic Test-Area (TA) approach has been extended to the calculation of surface tension of curved interfaces. In the case of the cylindrical vapour-liquid interfaces of water and Lennard-Jones fluids, it was shown that the surface tension was independent of the curvature of the interface. In addition, the surface tension of the cylindrical interface is higher than that of the planar interface. Molecular simulations of cylindrical interfaces have been so far performed (i) by using a shifted potential,more » (ii) by means of large cutoff without periodic boundary conditions, or (iii) by ignoring the long range corrections to the surface tension due to the difficulty to estimate them. Indeed, unlike the planar interfaces there are no available operational expressions to consider the tail corrections to the surface tension of cylindrical interfaces. We propose here to develop the long range corrections of the surface tension for cylindrical interfaces by using the non-exponential TA (TA2) method. We also extend the formulation of the Mecke-Winkelmann corrections initially developed for planar surfaces to cylindrical interfaces. We complete this study by the calculation of the surface tension of cylindrical surfaces of liquid tin and copper using the embedded atom model potentials.« less

  2. Effect of a surface tension gradient on the slip flow along a superhydrophobic air-water interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Dong; Song, Baowei; Hu, Haibao; Du, Xiaosong; Du, Peng; Choi, Chang-Hwan; Rothstein, Jonathan P.

    2018-03-01

    Superhydrophobic surfaces have been shown to produce significant drag reduction in both laminar and turbulent flows by introducing an apparent slip velocity along an air-water interface trapped within the surface roughness. In the experiments presented within this study, we demonstrate the existence of a surface tension gradient associated with the resultant Marangoni flow along an air-water interface that causes the slip velocity and slip length to be significantly reduced. In this study, the slip velocity along a millimeter-sized air-water interface was investigated experimentally. This large-scale air-water interface facilitated a detailed investigation of the interfacial velocity profiles as the flow rate, interfacial curvature, and interface geometry were varied. For the air-water interfaces supported above continuous grooves (concentric rings within a torsional shear flow) where no surface tension gradient exists, a slip velocity as high as 30% of the bulk velocity was observed. However, for the air-water interfaces supported above discontinuous grooves (rectangular channels in a Poiseuille flow), the presence of a surface tension gradient reduced the slip velocity and in some cases resulted in an interfacial velocity that was opposite to the main flow direction. The curvature of the air-water interface in the spanwise direction was found to dictate the details of the interfacial flow profile with reverse flow in the center of the interface for concave surfaces and along the outside of the interface for convex surfaces. The deflection of the air-water interface was also found to greatly affect the magnitude of the slip. Numerical simulations imposed with a relatively small surface tension gradient along the air-water interface were able to predict both the reduced slip velocity and back flow along the air-water interface.

  3. Dependence of surface tension on curvature obtained from a diffuse-interface approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Badillo, Arnoldo; Lafferty, Nathan; Matar, Omar K.

    2017-11-01

    From a sharp-interface viewpoint, the surface tension force is f = σκδ (x -xi) n , where σ is the surface tension, κ the local interface curvature, δ the delta function, and n the unit normal vector. The numerical implementation of this force on discrete domains poses challenges that arise from the calculation of the curvature. The continuous surface tension force model, proposed by Brackbill et al. (1992), is an alternative, used commonly in two-phase computational models. In this model, δ is replaced by the gradient of a phase indicator field, whose integral across a diffuse-interface equals unity. An alternative to the Brackbill model are Phase-Field models, which do not require an explicit calculation of the curvature. However, and just as in Brackbill's approach, there are numerical errors that depend on the thickness of the diffuse interface, the grid spacing, and the curvature. We use differential geometry to calculate the leading errors in this force when obtained from a diffuse-interface approach, and outline possible routes to eliminate them. Our results also provide a simple geometrical explanation to the dependence of surface tension on curvature, and to the problem of line tension.

  4. Magnetic field dependent measurement techniques of surface tension of magnetic fluid at an air interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nair, Nishant; Virpura, Hiral; Patel, Rajesh

    2015-06-01

    We describe here two measurement techniques to determine surface tension of magnetic fluid. (i) magneti c field dependent capillary rise method and (ii) Taylor wavelength method in which the distance between the consecutive stable spikes was measured and then surface tension was calculated. The surface tension measurements from both the methods are compared. It is observed that surface tension of magnetic fluid increases with increase in magnetic field due to field dependent structure formation in magnetic fluid at an air interface. We have also measured magnetic susceptibility and surface tension for different volume fractions. The measurement of magnetic susceptibility is carried out using Quincke's experimental techniques.

  5. A compressible multiphase framework for simulating supersonic atomization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Regele, Jonathan D.; Garrick, Daniel P.; Hosseinzadeh-Nik, Zahra; Aslani, Mohamad; Owkes, Mark

    2016-11-01

    The study of atomization in supersonic combustors is critical in designing efficient and high performance scramjets. Numerical methods incorporating surface tension effects have largely focused on the incompressible regime as most atomization applications occur at low Mach numbers. Simulating surface tension effects in high speed compressible flow requires robust numerical methods that can handle discontinuities caused by both material interfaces and shocks. A shock capturing/diffused interface method is developed to simulate high-speed compressible gas-liquid flows with surface tension effects using the five-equation model. This includes developments that account for the interfacial pressure jump that occurs in the presence of surface tension. A simple and efficient method for computing local interface curvature is developed and an acoustic non-dimensional scaling for the surface tension force is proposed. The method successfully captures a variety of droplet breakup modes over a range of Weber numbers and demonstrates the impact of surface tension in countering droplet deformation in both subsonic and supersonic cross flows.

  6. Measurement of the Surface Dilatational Viscosity of an Insoluble Surfactant Monolayer at the Air/Water Interface Using a Pendant Drop Apparatus

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lorenzo, Jose; Couzis, Alex; Maldarelli, Charles; Singh, Bhim S. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    When a fluid interface with surfactants is at rest, the interfacial stress is isotropic (as given by the equilibrium interfacial tension), and is described by the equation of state which relates the surface tension to the surfactant surface concentration. When surfactants are subjected to shear and dilatational flows, flow induced interaction of the surfactants; can create interfacial stresses apart from the equilibrium surface tension. The simplest relationship between surface strain rate and surface stress is the Boussinesq-Scriven constitutive equation completely characterized by three coefficients: equilibrium interfacial tension, surface shear viscosity, and surface dilatational viscosity Equilibrium interfacial tension and surface shear viscosity measurements are very well established. On the other hand, surface dilatational viscosity measurements are difficult because a flow which change the surface area also changes the surfactant surface concentration creating changes in the equilibrium interfacial tension that must be also taken into account. Surface dilatational viscosity measurements of existing techniques differ by five orders of magnitude and use spatially damped surface waves and rapidly expanding bubbles. In this presentation we introduce a new technique for measuring the surface dilatational viscosity by contracting an aqueous pendant drop attached to a needle tip and having and insoluble surfactant monolayer at the air-water interface. The isotropic total tension on the surface consists of the equilibrium surface tension and the tension due to the dilation. Compression rates are undertaken slow enough so that bulk hydrodynamic stresses are small compared to the surface tension force. Under these conditions we show that the total tension is uniform along the surface and that the Young-Laplace equation governs the drop shape with the equilibrium surface tension replaced by the constant surface isotropic stress. We illustrate this technique using DPPC as the insoluble surfacant monolayer and measured for it a surface dilatational viscosity in the LE phase that is 20 surface poise.

  7. Water liquid-vapor interface subjected to various electric fields: A molecular dynamics study.

    PubMed

    Nikzad, Mohammadreza; Azimian, Ahmad Reza; Rezaei, Majid; Nikzad, Safoora

    2017-11-28

    Investigation of the effects of E-fields on the liquid-vapor interface is essential for the study of floating water bridge and wetting phenomena. The present study employs the molecular dynamics method to investigate the effects of parallel and perpendicular E-fields on the water liquid-vapor interface. For this purpose, density distribution, number of hydrogen bonds, molecular orientation, and surface tension are examined to gain a better understanding of the interface structure. Results indicate enhancements in parallel E-field decrease the interface width and number of hydrogen bonds, while the opposite holds true in the case of perpendicular E-fields. Moreover, perpendicular fields disturb the water structure at the interface. Given that water molecules tend to be parallel to the interface plane, it is observed that perpendicular E-fields fail to realign water molecules in the field direction while the parallel ones easily do so. It is also shown that surface tension rises with increasing strength of parallel E-fields, while it reduces in the case of perpendicular E-fields. Enhancement of surface tension in the parallel field direction demonstrates how the floating water bridge forms between the beakers. Finally, it is found that application of external E-fields to the liquid-vapor interface does not lead to uniform changes in surface tension and that the liquid-vapor interfacial tension term in Young's equation should be calculated near the triple-line of the droplet. This is attributed to the multi-directional nature of the droplet surface, indicating that no constant value can be assigned to a droplet's surface tension in the presence of large electric fields.

  8. The dynamics of nucleation and growth of a particle in the ternary alloy melt with anisotropic surface tension.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ming-Wen; Li, Lin-Yan; Guo, Hui-Min

    2017-08-28

    The dynamics of nucleation and growth of a particle affected by anisotropic surface tension in the ternary alloy melt is studied. The uniformly valid asymptotic solution for temperature field, concentration field, and interface evolution of nucleation and particle growth is obtained by means of the multiple variable expansion method. The asymptotic solution reveals the critical radius of nucleation in the ternary alloy melt and an inward melting mechanism of the particle induced by the anisotropic effect of surface tension. The critical radius of nucleation is dependent on isotropic surface tension, temperature undercooling, and constitutional undercooling in the ternary alloy melt, and the solute diffusion melt decreases the critical radius of nucleation. Immediately after a nucleus forms in the initial stage of solidification, the anisotropic effect of surface tension makes some parts of its interface grow inward while some parts grow outward. Until the inward melting attains a certain distance (which is defined as "the melting depth"), these parts of interface start to grow outward with other parts. The interface of the particle evolves into an ear-like deformation, whose inner diameter may be less than two times the critical radius of nucleation within a short time in the initial stage of solidification. The solute diffusion in the ternary alloy melt decreases the effect of anisotropic surface tension on the interface deformation.

  9. Effects of surface tension and intraluminal fluid on mechanics of small airways.

    PubMed

    Hill, M J; Wilson, T A; Lambert, R K

    1997-01-01

    Airway constriction is accompanied by folding of the mucosa to form ridges that run axially along the inner surface of the airways. The mucosa has been modeled (R. K. Lambert. J. Appl. Physiol. 71:666-673, 1991) as a thin elastic layer with a finite bending stiffness, and the contribution of its bending stiffness to airway elastance has been computed. In this study, we extend that work by including surface tension and intraluminal fluid in the model. With surface tension, the pressure on the inner surface of the elastic mucosa is modified by the pressure difference across the air-liquid interface. As folds form in the mucosa, intraluminal fluid collects in pools in the depressions formed by the folds, and the curvature of the air-liquid interface becomes nonuniform. If the amount of intraluminal fluid is small, < 2% of luminal volume, the pools of intraluminal fluid are small, the air-liquid interface nearly coincides with the surface of the mucosa, and the area of the air-liquid interface remains constant as airway cross-sectional area decreases. In that case, surface energy is independent of airway area, and surface tension has no effect on airway mechanics. If the amount of intraluminal fluid is > 2%, the area of the air-liquid interface decreases as airway cross-sectional area decreases. and surface tension contributes to airway compression. The model predicts that surface tension plus intraluminal fluid can cause an instability in the area-pressure curve of small airways. This instability provides a mechanism for abrupt airway closure and abrupt reopening at a higher opening pressure.

  10. Dynamic surface tension measurements of ionic surfactants using maximum bubble pressure tensiometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ortiz, Camilla U.; Moreno, Norman; Sharma, Vivek

    Dynamic surface tension refers to the time dependent variation in surface tension, and is intimately linked with the rate of mass transfer of a surfactant from liquid sub-phase to the interface. The diffusion- or adsorption-limited kinetics of mass transfer to interfaces is said to impact the so-called foamability and the Gibbs-Marangoni elasticity of surfaces. Dynamic surface tension measurements carried out with conventional methods like pendant drop analysis, Wilhelmy plate, etc. are limited in their temporal resolution (>50 ms). In this study, we describe design and application of maximum bubble pressure tensiometry for the measurement of dynamic surface tension effects at extremely short (1-50 ms) timescales. Using experiments and theory, we discuss the overall adsorption kinetics of charged surfactants, paying special attention to the influence of added salt on dynamic surface tension.

  11. Nonzero Ideal Gas Contribution to the Surface Tension of Water.

    PubMed

    Sega, Marcello; Fábián, Balázs; Jedlovszky, Pál

    2017-06-15

    Surface tension, the tendency of fluid interfaces to behave elastically and minimize their surface, is routinely calculated as the difference between the lateral and normal components of the pressure or, invoking isotropy in momentum space, of the virial tensor. Here we show that the anisotropy of the kinetic energy tensor close to a liquid-vapor interface can be responsible for a large part of its surface tension (about 15% for water, independent from temperature).

  12. Molecular assembly, interfacial rheology and foaming properties of oligofructose fatty acid esters.

    PubMed

    van Kempen, Silvia E H J; Schols, Henk A; van der Linden, Erik; Sagis, Leonard M C

    2014-01-01

    Two major types of food-grade surfactants used to stabilize foams are proteins and low molecular weight (LMW) surfactants. Proteins lower the surface tension of interfaces and tend to unfold and stabilize the interface by the formation of a visco-elastic network, which leads to high surface moduli. In contrast, LMW surfactants lower the surface tension more than proteins, but do not form interfaces with a high modulus. Instead, they stabilize the interface through the Gibbs-Marangoni mechanism that relies on rapid diffusion of surfactants, when surface tension gradients develop as a result of deformations of the interface. A molecule than can lower the surface tension considerably, like a LMW surfactant, but also provide the interface with a high modulus, like a protein, would be an excellent foam stabilizer. In this article we will discuss molecules with those properties: oligofructose fatty acid esters, both in pure and mixed systems. First, we will address the synthesis and structural characterization of the esters. Next, we will address self-assembly and rheological properties of air/water interfaces stabilized by the esters. Subsequently, this paper will deal with mixed systems of mono-esters with either di-esters and lauric acid, or proteins. Then, the foaming functionality of the esters is discussed.

  13. Radial-based tail methods for Monte Carlo simulations of cylindrical interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goujon, Florent; Bêche, Bruno; Malfreyt, Patrice; Ghoufi, Aziz

    2018-03-01

    In this work, we implement for the first time the radial-based tail methods for Monte Carlo simulations of cylindrical interfaces. The efficiency of this method is then evaluated through the calculation of surface tension and coexisting properties. We show that the inclusion of tail corrections during the course of the Monte Carlo simulation impacts the coexisting and the interfacial properties. We establish that the long range corrections to the surface tension are the same order of magnitude as those obtained from planar interface. We show that the slab-based tail method does not amend the localization of the Gibbs equimolar dividing surface. Additionally, a non-monotonic behavior of surface tension is exhibited as a function of the radius of the equimolar dividing surface.

  14. Shock wave-free interface interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frolov, Roman; Minev, Peter; Krechetnikov, Rouslan

    2016-11-01

    The problem of shock wave-free interface interaction has been widely studied in the context of compressible two-fluid flows using analytical, experimental, and numerical techniques. While various physical effects and possible interaction patterns for various geometries have been identified in the literature, the effects of viscosity and surface tension are usually neglected in such models. In our study, we apply a novel numerical algorithm for simulation of viscous compressible two-fluid flows with surface tension to investigate the influence of these effects on the shock-interface interaction. The method combines together the ideas from Finite Volume adaptation of invariant domains preserving algorithm for systems of hyperbolic conservation laws by Guermond and Popov and ADI parallel solver for viscous incompressible NSEs by Guermond and Minev. This combination has been further extended to a two-fluid flow case, including surface tension effects. Here we report on a quantitative study of how surface tension and viscosity affect the structure of the shock wave-free interface interaction region.

  15. Adsorption of surfactant ions and binding of their counterions at an air/water interface.

    PubMed

    Tagashira, Hiroaki; Takata, Youichi; Hyono, Atsushi; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

    2009-01-01

    An expression for the surface tension of an aqueous mixed solution of surfactants and electrolyte ions in the presence of the common ions was derived from the Helmholtz free energy of an air/water surface. By applying the equation to experimental data for the surface tension, the adsorption constant of surfactant ions onto the air/water interface, the binding constant of counterions on the surfactants, and the surface potential and surface charge density of the interface were estimated. The adsorption constant and binding constant were dependent on the species of surfactant ion and counterion, respectively. Taking account of the dependence of surface potential and surface charge density on the concentration of electrolyte, it was suggested that the addition of electrolyte to the aqueous surfactant solution brings about the decrease in the surface potential, the increase in the surface density of surfactant ions, and consequently, the decrease in the surface tension. Furthermore, it was found that the configurational entropy plays a predominant role for the surface tension, compared to the electrical work.

  16. New Finite Difference Methods Based on IIM for Inextensible Interfaces in Incompressible Flows

    PubMed Central

    Li, Zhilin; Lai, Ming-Chih

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, new finite difference methods based on the augmented immersed interface method (IIM) are proposed for simulating an inextensible moving interface in an incompressible two-dimensional flow. The mathematical models arise from studying the deformation of red blood cells in mathematical biology. The governing equations are incompressible Stokes or Navier-Stokes equations with an unknown surface tension, which should be determined in such a way that the surface divergence of the velocity is zero along the interface. Thus, the area enclosed by the interface and the total length of the interface should be conserved during the evolution process. Because of the nonlinear and coupling nature of the problem, direct discretization by applying the immersed boundary or immersed interface method yields complex nonlinear systems to be solved. In our new methods, we treat the unknown surface tension as an augmented variable so that the augmented IIM can be applied. Since finding the unknown surface tension is essentially an inverse problem that is sensitive to perturbations, our regularization strategy is to introduce a controlled tangential force along the interface, which leads to a least squares problem. For Stokes equations, the forward solver at one time level involves solving three Poisson equations with an interface. For Navier-Stokes equations, we propose a modified projection method that can enforce the pressure jump condition corresponding directly to the unknown surface tension. Several numerical experiments show good agreement with other results in the literature and reveal some interesting phenomena. PMID:23795308

  17. Computer modelling of the surface tension of the gas-liquid and liquid-liquid interface.

    PubMed

    Ghoufi, Aziz; Malfreyt, Patrice; Tildesley, Dominic J

    2016-03-07

    This review presents the state of the art in molecular simulations of interfacial systems and of the calculation of the surface tension from the underlying intermolecular potential. We provide a short account of different methodological factors (size-effects, truncation procedures, long-range corrections and potential models) that can affect the results of the simulations. Accurate calculations are presented for the calculation of the surface tension as a function of the temperature, pressure and composition by considering the planar gas-liquid interface of a range of molecular fluids. In particular, we consider the challenging problems of reproducing the interfacial tension of salt solutions as a function of the salt molality; the simulations of spherical interfaces including the calculation of the sign and size of the Tolman length for a spherical droplet; the use of coarse-grained models in the calculation of the interfacial tension of liquid-liquid surfaces and the mesoscopic simulations of oil-water-surfactant interfacial systems.

  18. Surface Tension: Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Relaxation Times

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tovbin, Yu. K.

    2018-06-01

    A microscopic analysis is presented of the existing definitions of equilibrium surface tension, which can be divided into two types: mechanical and thermodynamic. Each type of definition can be studied from the presentation below according to thermodynamic hypotheses or molecular calculations. An analysis of the planar interface is given and its generalization for curved (spherical) interfaces is considered. The distinction between approaches describing the surface tension of metastable and equilibrium droplets is discussed. Based on nonequilibrium thermodynamics, it is shown that the introduction of metastable droplets is due to a violation of the relationship between the times of impulse and chemical potential relaxation in condensed phases. Problems of calculating the surface tension in nonequilibrium situations are created.

  19. On the temperature derivative of the surface tension at a critical end point

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robert, M.; Tavan, P.

    1983-03-01

    It is shown that, according to the van der Waals theory of fluid interfaces, the surface tension of the interface between a This result holds for any number of phases and independently varying densities and is not restricted to classical values of the critical exponents.

  20. Condition of Mechanical Equilibrium at the Phase Interface with Arbitrary Geometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zubkov, V. V.; Zubkova, A. V.

    2017-09-01

    The authors produced an expression for the mechanical equilibrium condition at the phase interface within the force definition of surface tension. This equilibrium condition is the most general one from the mathematical standpoint and takes into account the three-dimensional aspect of surface tension. Furthermore, the formula produced allows describing equilibrium on the fractal surface of the interface. The authors used the fractional integral model of fractal distribution and took the fractional order integrals over Euclidean space instead of integrating over the fractal set.

  1. Molecular dynamics simulations of the surface tension of oxygen-supersaturated water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jain, S.; Qiao, L.

    2017-04-01

    In this work, non-reactive molecular dynamic simulations were conducted to determine the surface tension of water as a function of the concentration of the dissolved gaseous molecules (O2), which would in turn help to predict the pressure inside the nanobubbles under supersaturation conditions. Knowing the bubble pressure is a prerequisite for understanding the mechanisms behind the spontaneous combustion of the H2/O2 gases inside the nanobubbles. First, the surface tension of pure water was determined using the planar interface method and the Irving and Kirkwood formula. Next, the surface tension of water containing four different supersaturation concentrations (S) of O2 gas molecules was computed considering the curved interface of a nanobubble. The surface tension of water was found to decrease with an increase in the supersaturation ratio or the concentration of the dissolved O2 gas molecules.

  2. Calculation of a solid/liquid surface tension: A methodological study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dreher, T.; Lemarchand, C.; Soulard, L.; Bourasseau, E.; Malfreyt, P.; Pineau, N.

    2018-01-01

    The surface tension of a model solid/liquid interface constituted of a graphene sheet surrounded by liquid methane has been computed using molecular dynamics in the Kirkwood-Buff formalism. We show that contrary to the fluid/fluid case, the solid/liquid case can lead to different structurations of the first fluid layer, leading to significantly different values of surface tension. Therefore we present a statistical approach that consists in running a series of molecular simulations of similar systems with different initial conditions, leading to a distribution of surface tensions from which an average value and uncertainty can be extracted. Our results suggest that these distributions converge as the system size increases. Besides we show that surface tension is not particularly sensitive to the choice of the potential energy cutoff and that long-range corrections can be neglected contrary to what we observed in the liquid/vapour interfaces. We have not observed the previously reported commensurability effect.

  3. Capillary wave theory of adsorbed liquid films and the structure of the liquid-vapor interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacDowell, Luis G.

    2017-08-01

    In this paper we try to work out in detail the implications of a microscopic theory for capillary waves under the assumption that the density is given along lines normal to the interface. Within this approximation, which may be justified in terms of symmetry arguments, the Fisk-Widom scaling of the density profile holds for frozen realizations of the interface profile. Upon thermal averaging of capillary wave fluctuations, the resulting density profile yields results consistent with renormalization group calculations in the one-loop approximation. The thermal average over capillary waves may be expressed in terms of a modified convolution approximation where normals to the interface are Gaussian distributed. In the absence of an external field we show that the phenomenological density profile applied to the square-gradient free energy functional recovers the capillary wave Hamiltonian exactly. We extend the theory to the case of liquid films adsorbed on a substrate. For systems with short-range forces, we recover an effective interface Hamiltonian with a film height dependent surface tension that stems from the distortion of the liquid-vapor interface by the substrate, in agreement with the Fisher-Jin theory of short-range wetting. In the presence of long-range interactions, the surface tension picks up an explicit dependence on the external field and recovers the wave vector dependent logarithmic contribution observed by Napiorkowski and Dietrich. Using an error function for the intrinsic density profile, we obtain closed expressions for the surface tension and the interface width. We show the external field contribution to the surface tension may be given in terms of the film's disjoining pressure. From literature values of the Hamaker constant, it is found that the fluid-substrate forces may be able to double the surface tension for films in the nanometer range. The film height dependence of the surface tension described here is in full agreement with results of the capillary wave spectrum obtained recently in computer simulations, and the predicted translation mode of surface fluctuations reproduces to linear order in field strength an exact solution of the density correlation function for the Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Hamiltonian in an external field.

  4. Non-equilibrium surface tension of the vapour-liquid interface of active Lennard-Jones particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paliwal, Siddharth; Prymidis, Vasileios; Filion, Laura; Dijkstra, Marjolein

    2017-08-01

    We study a three-dimensional system of self-propelled Brownian particles interacting via the Lennard-Jones potential. Using Brownian dynamics simulations in an elongated simulation box, we investigate the steady states of vapour-liquid phase coexistence of active Lennard-Jones particles with planar interfaces. We measure the normal and tangential components of the pressure tensor along the direction perpendicular to the interface and verify mechanical equilibrium of the two coexisting phases. In addition, we determine the non-equilibrium interfacial tension by integrating the difference of the normal and tangential components of the pressure tensor and show that the surface tension as a function of strength of particle attractions is well fitted by simple power laws. Finally, we measure the interfacial stiffness using capillary wave theory and the equipartition theorem and find a simple linear relation between surface tension and interfacial stiffness with a proportionality constant characterized by an effective temperature.

  5. Combined Molecular Dynamics Simulation-Molecular-Thermodynamic Theory Framework for Predicting Surface Tensions.

    PubMed

    Sresht, Vishnu; Lewandowski, Eric P; Blankschtein, Daniel; Jusufi, Arben

    2017-08-22

    A molecular modeling approach is presented with a focus on quantitative predictions of the surface tension of aqueous surfactant solutions. The approach combines classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations with a molecular-thermodynamic theory (MTT) [ Y. J. Nikas, S. Puvvada, D. Blankschtein, Langmuir 1992 , 8 , 2680 ]. The MD component is used to calculate thermodynamic and molecular parameters that are needed in the MTT model to determine the surface tension isotherm. The MD/MTT approach provides the important link between the surfactant bulk concentration, the experimental control parameter, and the surfactant surface concentration, the MD control parameter. We demonstrate the capability of the MD/MTT modeling approach on nonionic alkyl polyethylene glycol surfactants at the air-water interface and observe reasonable agreement of the predicted surface tensions and the experimental surface tension data over a wide range of surfactant concentrations below the critical micelle concentration. Our modeling approach can be extended to ionic surfactants and their mixtures with both ionic and nonionic surfactants at liquid-liquid interfaces.

  6. Surface tension models for a multi-material ALE code with AMR

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liu, Wangyi; Koniges, Alice; Gott, Kevin

    A number of surface tension models have been implemented in a 3D multi-physics multi-material code, ALE–AMR, which combines Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) hydrodynamics with Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR). ALE–AMR is unique in its ability to model hot radiating plasmas, cold fragmenting solids, and most recently, the deformation of molten material. The surface tension models implemented include a diffuse interface approach with special numerical techniques to remove parasitic flow and a height function approach in conjunction with a volume-fraction interface reconstruction package. These surface tension models are benchmarked with a variety of test problems. In conclusion, based on the results, themore » height function approach using volume fractions was chosen to simulate droplet dynamics associated with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.« less

  7. Surface tension models for a multi-material ALE code with AMR

    DOE PAGES

    Liu, Wangyi; Koniges, Alice; Gott, Kevin; ...

    2017-06-01

    A number of surface tension models have been implemented in a 3D multi-physics multi-material code, ALE–AMR, which combines Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) hydrodynamics with Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR). ALE–AMR is unique in its ability to model hot radiating plasmas, cold fragmenting solids, and most recently, the deformation of molten material. The surface tension models implemented include a diffuse interface approach with special numerical techniques to remove parasitic flow and a height function approach in conjunction with a volume-fraction interface reconstruction package. These surface tension models are benchmarked with a variety of test problems. In conclusion, based on the results, themore » height function approach using volume fractions was chosen to simulate droplet dynamics associated with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.« less

  8. From density to interface fluctuations: The origin of wavelength dependence in surface tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hiester, Thorsten

    2008-12-01

    The height-height correlation function for a fluctuating interface between two coexisting bulk phases is derived by means of general equilibrium properties of the corresponding density-density correlation function. A wavelength-dependent surface tension γ(q) can be defined and expressed in terms of the direct correlation function c(r,r') , the equilibrium density profile ρ0(r) , and an operator which relates density to surface configurations. Neither the concept of an effective interface Hamiltonian nor the difference in pressure is needed to determine the general structure of the height-height correlations or γ(q) , respectively. This result generalizes the Mecke-Dietrich surface tension γMD(q) [Phys. Rev. E 59, 6766 (1999)] and modifies recently published criticism concerning γMD(q) [Tarazona, Checa, and Chacón, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 196101 (2007)].

  9. A finite-volume HLLC-based scheme for compressible interfacial flows with surface tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garrick, Daniel P.; Owkes, Mark; Regele, Jonathan D.

    2017-06-01

    Shock waves are often used in experiments to create a shear flow across liquid droplets to study secondary atomization. Similar behavior occurs inside of supersonic combustors (scramjets) under startup conditions, but it is challenging to study these conditions experimentally. In order to investigate this phenomenon further, a numerical approach is developed to simulate compressible multiphase flows under the effects of surface tension forces. The flow field is solved via the compressible multicomponent Euler equations (i.e., the five equation model) discretized with the finite volume method on a uniform Cartesian grid. The solver utilizes a total variation diminishing (TVD) third-order Runge-Kutta method for time-marching and second order TVD spatial reconstruction. Surface tension is incorporated using the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) model. Fluxes are upwinded with a modified Harten-Lax-van Leer Contact (HLLC) approximate Riemann solver. An interface compression scheme is employed to counter numerical diffusion of the interface. The present work includes modifications to both the HLLC solver and the interface compression scheme to account for capillary force terms and the associated pressure jump across the gas-liquid interface. A simple method for numerically computing the interface curvature is developed and an acoustic scaling of the surface tension coefficient is proposed for the non-dimensionalization of the model. The model captures the surface tension induced pressure jump exactly if the exact curvature is known and is further verified with an oscillating elliptical droplet and Mach 1.47 and 3 shock-droplet interaction problems. The general characteristics of secondary atomization at a range of Weber numbers are also captured in a series of simulations.

  10. A finite-volume HLLC-based scheme for compressible interfacial flows with surface tension

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Garrick, Daniel P.; Owkes, Mark; Regele, Jonathan D., E-mail: jregele@iastate.edu

    Shock waves are often used in experiments to create a shear flow across liquid droplets to study secondary atomization. Similar behavior occurs inside of supersonic combustors (scramjets) under startup conditions, but it is challenging to study these conditions experimentally. In order to investigate this phenomenon further, a numerical approach is developed to simulate compressible multiphase flows under the effects of surface tension forces. The flow field is solved via the compressible multicomponent Euler equations (i.e., the five equation model) discretized with the finite volume method on a uniform Cartesian grid. The solver utilizes a total variation diminishing (TVD) third-order Runge–Kuttamore » method for time-marching and second order TVD spatial reconstruction. Surface tension is incorporated using the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) model. Fluxes are upwinded with a modified Harten–Lax–van Leer Contact (HLLC) approximate Riemann solver. An interface compression scheme is employed to counter numerical diffusion of the interface. The present work includes modifications to both the HLLC solver and the interface compression scheme to account for capillary force terms and the associated pressure jump across the gas–liquid interface. A simple method for numerically computing the interface curvature is developed and an acoustic scaling of the surface tension coefficient is proposed for the non-dimensionalization of the model. The model captures the surface tension induced pressure jump exactly if the exact curvature is known and is further verified with an oscillating elliptical droplet and Mach 1.47 and 3 shock-droplet interaction problems. The general characteristics of secondary atomization at a range of Weber numbers are also captured in a series of simulations.« less

  11. Smoothed dissipative particle dynamics model for mesoscopic multiphase flows in the presence of thermal fluctuations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lei, Huan; Baker, Nathan A.; Wu, Lei

    2016-08-05

    Thermal fluctuations cause perturbations of fluid-fluid interfaces and highly nonlinear hydrodynamics in multiphase flows. In this work, we develop a novel multiphase smoothed dissipative particle dynamics model. This model accounts for both bulk hydrodynamics and interfacial fluctuations. Interfacial surface tension is modeled by imposing a pairwise force between SDPD particles. We show that the relationship between the model parameters and surface tension, previously derived under the assumption of zero thermal fluctuation, is accurate for fluid systems at low temperature but overestimates the surface tension for intermediate and large thermal fluctuations. To analyze the effect of thermal fluctuations on surface tension,more » we construct a coarse-grained Euler lattice model based on the mean field theory and derive a semi-analytical formula to directly relate the surface tension to model parameters for a wide range of temperatures and model resolutions. We demonstrate that the present method correctly models the dynamic processes, such as bubble coalescence and capillary spectra across the interface.« less

  12. Surface tension dominates insect flight on fluid interfaces.

    PubMed

    Mukundarajan, Haripriya; Bardon, Thibaut C; Kim, Dong Hyun; Prakash, Manu

    2016-03-01

    Flight on the 2D air-water interface, with body weight supported by surface tension, is a unique locomotion strategy well adapted for the environmental niche on the surface of water. Although previously described in aquatic insects like stoneflies, the biomechanics of interfacial flight has never been analysed. Here, we report interfacial flight as an adapted behaviour in waterlily beetles (Galerucella nymphaeae) which are also dexterous airborne fliers. We present the first quantitative biomechanical model of interfacial flight in insects, uncovering an intricate interplay of capillary, aerodynamic and neuromuscular forces. We show that waterlily beetles use their tarsal claws to attach themselves to the interface, via a fluid contact line pinned at the claw. We investigate the kinematics of interfacial flight trajectories using high-speed imaging and construct a mathematical model describing the flight dynamics. Our results show that non-linear surface tension forces make interfacial flight energetically expensive compared with airborne flight at the relatively high speeds characteristic of waterlily beetles, and cause chaotic dynamics to arise naturally in these regimes. We identify the crucial roles of capillary-gravity wave drag and oscillatory surface tension forces which dominate interfacial flight, showing that the air-water interface presents a radically modified force landscape for flapping wing flight compared with air. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  13. Surface tension dominates insect flight on fluid interfaces

    PubMed Central

    Mukundarajan, Haripriya; Bardon, Thibaut C.; Kim, Dong Hyun; Prakash, Manu

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Flight on the 2D air–water interface, with body weight supported by surface tension, is a unique locomotion strategy well adapted for the environmental niche on the surface of water. Although previously described in aquatic insects like stoneflies, the biomechanics of interfacial flight has never been analysed. Here, we report interfacial flight as an adapted behaviour in waterlily beetles (Galerucella nymphaeae) which are also dexterous airborne fliers. We present the first quantitative biomechanical model of interfacial flight in insects, uncovering an intricate interplay of capillary, aerodynamic and neuromuscular forces. We show that waterlily beetles use their tarsal claws to attach themselves to the interface, via a fluid contact line pinned at the claw. We investigate the kinematics of interfacial flight trajectories using high-speed imaging and construct a mathematical model describing the flight dynamics. Our results show that non-linear surface tension forces make interfacial flight energetically expensive compared with airborne flight at the relatively high speeds characteristic of waterlily beetles, and cause chaotic dynamics to arise naturally in these regimes. We identify the crucial roles of capillary–gravity wave drag and oscillatory surface tension forces which dominate interfacial flight, showing that the air–water interface presents a radically modified force landscape for flapping wing flight compared with air. PMID:26936640

  14. Computer simulation study of the nematic-vapour interface in the Gay-Berne model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rull, Luis F.; Romero-Enrique, José Manuel

    2017-06-01

    We present computer simulations of the vapour-nematic interface of the Gay-Berne model. We considered situations which correspond to either prolate or oblate molecules. We determine the anchoring of the nematic phase and correlate it with the intermolecular potential parameters. On the other hand, we evaluate the surface tension associated to this interface. We find a corresponding states law for the surface tension dependence on the temperature, valid for both prolate and oblate molecules.

  15. Incorporating contact angles in the surface tension force with the ACES interface curvature scheme

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Owkes, Mark

    2017-11-01

    In simulations of gas-liquid flows interacting with solid boundaries, the contact line dynamics effect the interface motion and flow field through the surface tension force. The surface tension force is directly proportional to the interface curvature and the problem of accurately imposing a contact angle must be incorporated into the interface curvature calculation. Many commonly used algorithms to compute interface curvatures (e.g., height function method) require extrapolating the interface, with defined contact angle, into the solid to allow for the calculation of a curvature near a wall. Extrapolating can be an ill-posed problem, especially in three-dimensions or when multiple contact lines are near each other. We have developed an accurate methodology to compute interface curvatures that allows for contact angles to be easily incorporated while avoiding extrapolation and the associated challenges. The method, known as Adjustable Curvature Evaluation Scale (ACES), leverages a least squares fit of a polynomial to points computed on the volume-of-fluid (VOF) representation of the gas-liquid interface. The method is tested by simulating canonical test cases and then applied to simulate the injection and motion of water droplets in a channel (relevant to PEM fuel cells).

  16. What selects the velocity of fingers and bubbles in a Hele-Shaw cell?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vasconcelos, Giovani; Mineev-Weinstein, Mark; Brum, Arthur

    2017-11-01

    It has been widely accepted that surface tension is responsible for the selection of a single pattern out of a continuum of steady solutions for the interface dynamics. Recently, however, it was demonstrated by using time-dependent solutions that surface tension is not required for velocity selection in a Hele-Shaw cell: the velocity is selected entirely within the zero surface tension dynamics, as the selected pattern is the only attractor of the dynamics. These works changed the paradigm regarding the necessity of surface tension for selection, but were limited to a single interface. Here we show that the same selection mechanism holds for any number of interfaces. We present a new class of exact solutions for multiple time-evolving bubbles in a Hele-Shaw cell. The solution is given by a conformal mapping from a multiply connected domain and is written in closed form in terms of certain special functions (the secondary Schottky-Klein prime functions). We demonstrate that the bubbles reach an asymptotic steady velocity, U, which is twice greater than the velocity, V, of the uniform background flow, i.e., U = 2 V . The result does not depend on the number of bubbles. This confirms the prediction that contrary to common belief velocity selection does not require surface tension

  17. Aggregation behaviors of PEO-PPO-ph-PPO-PEO and PPO-PEO-ph-PEO-PPO at an air/water interface: experimental study and molecular dynamics simulation.

    PubMed

    Gong, Houjian; Xu, Guiying; Liu, Teng; Xu, Long; Zhai, Xueru; Zhang, Jian; Lv, Xin

    2012-09-25

    The block polyethers PEO-PPO-ph-PPO-PEO (BPE) and PPO-PEO-ph-PEO-PPO (BEP) are synthesized by anionic polymerization using bisphenol A as initiator. Compared with Pluronic P123, the aggregation behaviors of BPE and BEP at an air/water interface are investigated by the surface tension and dilational viscoelasticity. The molecular construction can influence the efficiency and effectiveness of block polyethers in decreasing surface tension. BPE has the most efficient ability to decrease surface tension of water among the three block polyethers. The maximum surface excess concentration (Γ(max)) of BPE is larger than that of BEP or P123. Moreover, the dilational modulus of BPE is almost the same as that of P123, but much larger than that of BEP. The molecular dynamics simulation provides the conformational variations of block polyethers at the air/water interface.

  18. Effect of Gravity on Surface Tension

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weislogel, M. M.; Azzam, M. O. J.; Mann, J. A.

    1998-01-01

    Spectroscopic measurements of liquid-vapor interfaces are made in +/- 1-g environments to note the effect of gravity on surface tension. A slight increase is detected at -1-g0, but is arguably within the uncertainty of the measurement technique. An increased dependence of surface tension on the orientation and magnitude of the gravitational vector is anticipated as the critical point is approached.

  19. Marangoni Effects of a Drop in an Extensional Flow: The Role of Surfactant Physical Chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stebe, Kathleen J.; Balasubramaniam, R. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    While the changes in stresses caused by surfactant adsorption on non-deforming interfaces have been fairly well established, prior to this work, there were few studies addressing how surfactants alter stresses on strongly deforming interfaces. We chose the model problem of a drop in a uniaxial extensional flow to study these stress conditions To model surfactant effects at fluid interfaces, a proper description of the dependence of the surface tension on surface concentration, the surface equation of state, is required. We have adopted a surface equation of state that accounts for the maximum coverage limit; that is, because surfactants have a finite cross sectional area, there is an upper bound to the amount of surfactant that can adsorb in a monolayer. The surface tension reduces strongly only when this maximum coverage is approached. Since the Marangoni stresses go as the derivative of the surface equation of state times the surface concentration gradient, the non-linear equation of state determines both the effect of surfactants in the normal stress jump, (which is balanced by the product of the mean curvature of the interface times the surface tension), and the tangential stress jump, which is balanced by Marangoni stresses. First, the effects of surface coverage and intermolecular interactions among surfactants which drive aggregation of surfactants in the interface were studied. (see Pawar and Stebe, Physics of Fluids).

  20. Test-area surface tension calculation of the graphene-methane interface: Fluctuations and commensurability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    d'Oliveira, H. D.; Davoy, X.; Arche, E.; Malfreyt, P.; Ghoufi, A.

    2017-06-01

    The surface tension (γ) of methane on a graphene monolayer is calculated by using the test-area approach. By using a united atom model to describe methane molecules, strong fluctuations of surface tension as a function of the surface area of the graphene are evidenced. In contrast with the liquid-vapor interfaces, the use of a larger cutoff does not fully erase the fluctuations in the surface tension. Counterintuitively, the description of methane and graphene from the Optimized Potentials for Liquid Simulations all-atom model and a flexible model, respectively, led to a lessening in the surface tension fluctuations. This result suggests that the origin of fluctuations in γ is due to a model-effect rather than size-effects. We show that the molecular origin of these fluctuations is the result of a commensurable organization between both graphene and methane. This commensurable structure can be avoided by describing methane and graphene from a flexible force field. Although differences in γ with respect to the model have been often reported, it is the first time that the model drastically affects the physics of a system.

  1. The behavior of surface tension on steady-state rotating fluids in the low gravity environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hung, R. J.; Leslie, Fred W.

    1987-01-01

    The effect of surface tension on steady-state rotating fluids in a low gravity environment is studied. All the values of the physical parameters used in these calculations, except in the low gravity environments, are based on the measurements carried out by Leslie (1985) in the low gravity environment of a free-falling aircraft. The profile of the interface of two fluids is derived from Laplace's equation relating the pressure drop across an interface to the radii of curvature which has been applied to a low gravity rotating bubble that contacts the container boundary. The interface shape depends on the ratio of gravity to surface tension forces, the ratio of centrifugal to surface tension forces, the contact radius of the interface to the boundary, and the contact angle. The shape of the bubble is symmetric about its equator in a zero-gravity environment. This symmetry disappears and gradually shifts to parabolic profiles as the gravity environment becomes non-zero. The location of the maximum radius of the bubble moves upward from the center of the depth toward the top boundary of the cylinder as gravity increases. The contact radius of interface to the boundary r0 at the top side of cylinder increases and r0 at the bottom side of the cylinder decreases as the gravity environment increases from zero to 1 g.

  2. Fatigue Damage Mechanisms in Advanced Hybrid Titanium Composite Laminates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, W. Steven; Rhymer, Donald W.; St.Clair, Terry L. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Hybrid Titanium Composite Laminates (HTCL) are a type of hybrid composite laminate with promise for high-speed aerospace applications, specifically designed for improved damage tolerance and strength at high-temperature (350 F, 177 C). However, in previous testing, HTCL demonstrated a propensity to excessive delamination at the titanium/PMC interface following titanium cracking. An advanced HTCL has been constructed with an emphasis on strengthening this interface, combining a PETI-5/IM7 PMC with Ti-15-3 foils prepared with an alkaline-perborate surface treatment. This paper discusses how the fatigue capabilities of the "advanced" HTCL compare to the first generation HTCL which was not modified for interface optimization, in both tension-tension (R = 0.1) and tension-compression (R=-0.2). The advanced HTCL under did not demonstrate a significant improvement in fatigue life, in either tension-tension or tension-compression loading. However, the advanced HTCL proved much more damage tolerant. The R = 0.1 tests revealed the advanced HTCL to increase the fatigue life following initial titanium ply damage up to 10X that of the initial HTCL at certain stress levels. The damage progression following the initial ply damage demonstrated the effect of the strengthened PMC/titanium interface. Acetate film replication of the advanced HTCL edges showed a propensity for some fibers in the adjacent PMC layers to fail at the point of titanium crack formation, suppressing delamination at the Ti/PMC interface. The inspection of failure surfaces validated these findings, revealing PMC fibers bonded to the majority of the titanium surfaces. Tension compression fatigue (R = -0.2) demonstrated the same trends in cycles between initial damage and failure, damage progression, and failure surfaces. Moreover, in possessing a higher resistance to delamination, the advanced HTCL did not exhibit buckling following initial titanium ply cracking under compression unlike the initial HTCL.

  3. Alkyl chain interaction at the surface of room temperature ionic liquids: systematic variation of alkyl chain length (R = C(1)-C(4), C(8)) in both cation and anion of [RMIM][R-OSO(3)] by sum frequency generation and surface tension.

    PubMed

    Santos, Cherry S; Baldelli, Steven

    2009-01-29

    The gas-liquid interface of halide-free 1,3-dialkylimidazolium alkyl sulfates [RMIM][R-OSO(3)] with R chain length from C(1)-C(4) and C(8) has been studied systematically using the surface-specific sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and surface tension measurements. From the SFG spectra, vibrational modes from the methyl group of both cation and anion are observed for all ionic liquid samples considered in the present study. These results suggest the presence of both ions at the gas-liquid interface, which is further supported by surface tension measurements. Surface tension data show a decreasing trend as the alkyl chain in the imidazolium cation is varied from methyl to butyl chain, with a specific anion. A similar trend is observed when the alkyl chain of the anion is modified and the cation is fixed.

  4. Ginzburg-Landau theory for the solid-liquid interface of bcc elements. II - Application to the classical one-component plasma, the Wigner crystal, and He-4

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zeng, X. C.; Stroud, D.

    1989-01-01

    The previously developed Ginzburg-Landau theory for calculating the crystal-melt interfacial tension of bcc elements to treat the classical one-component plasma (OCP), the charged fermion system, and the Bose crystal. For the OCP, a direct application of the theory of Shih et al. (1987) yields for the surface tension 0.0012(Z-squared e-squared/a-cubed), where Ze is the ionic charge and a is the radius of the ionic sphere. Bose crystal-melt interface is treated by a quantum extension of the classical density-functional theory, using the Feynman formalism to estimate the relevant correlation functions. The theory is applied to the metastable He-4 solid-superfluid interface at T = 0, with a resulting surface tension of 0.085 erg/sq cm, in reasonable agreement with the value extrapolated from the measured surface tension of the bcc solid in the range 1.46-1.76 K. These results suggest that the density-functional approach is a satisfactory mean-field theory for estimating the equilibrium properties of liquid-solid interfaces, given knowledge of the uniform phases.

  5. An interface capturing scheme for modeling atomization in compressible flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garrick, Daniel P.; Hagen, Wyatt A.; Regele, Jonathan D.

    2017-09-01

    The study of atomization in supersonic flow is critical to ensuring reliable ignition of scramjet combustors under startup conditions. Numerical methods incorporating surface tension effects have largely focused on the incompressible regime as most atomization applications occur at low Mach numbers. Simulating surface tension effects in compressible flow requires robust numerical methods that can handle discontinuities caused by both shocks and material interfaces with high density ratios. In this work, a shock and interface capturing scheme is developed that uses the Harten-Lax-van Leer-Contact (HLLC) Riemann solver while a Tangent of Hyperbola for INterface Capturing (THINC) interface reconstruction scheme retains the fluid immiscibility condition in the volume fraction and phasic densities in the context of the five equation model. The approach includes the effects of compressibility, surface tension, and molecular viscosity. One and two-dimensional benchmark problems demonstrate the desirable interface sharpening and conservation properties of the approach. Simulations of secondary atomization of a cylindrical water column after its interaction with a shockwave show good qualitative agreement with experimentally observed behavior. Three-dimensional examples of primary atomization of a liquid jet in a Mach 2 crossflow demonstrate the robustness of the method.

  6. Some numerical methods for the Hele-Shaw equations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Whitaker, N.

    1994-03-01

    Tryggvason and Aref used a boundary integral method and the vortex-in-cell method to evolve the interface between two fluids in a Hele-Shaw cell. The method gives excellent results for intermediate values of the nondimensional surface tension parameter. The results are different from the predicted results of McLean and Saffman for small surface tension. For large surface tension, there are some numerical problems. In this paper, we implement the method of Tryggvason and Aref but use the point vortex method instead of the vortex-in-cell method. A parametric spline is used to represent the interface. The finger widths obtained agree well withmore » those predicted by McLean and Saffman. We conclude the the method of Tryggvason and Aref can provide excellent results but that the vortex-in-cell method may not be the method of choice for extreme values of the surface tension parameter. In a second method, we represent the interface with a Fourier representation. In addition, an alternative way of discretizing the boundary integral is used. Our results are compared to the linearized theory and the results of McLean and Saffman and are shown to be highly accurate. 21 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.« less

  7. A sharp interface method for compressible liquid–vapor flow with phase transition and surface tension

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fechter, Stefan, E-mail: stefan.fechter@iag.uni-stuttgart.de; Munz, Claus-Dieter, E-mail: munz@iag.uni-stuttgart.de; Rohde, Christian, E-mail: Christian.Rohde@mathematik.uni-stuttgart.de

    The numerical approximation of non-isothermal liquid–vapor flow within the compressible regime is a difficult task because complex physical effects at the phase interfaces can govern the global flow behavior. We present a sharp interface approach which treats the interface as a shock-wave like discontinuity. Any mixing of fluid phases is avoided by using the flow solver in the bulk regions only, and a ghost-fluid approach close to the interface. The coupling states for the numerical solution in the bulk regions are determined by the solution of local two-phase Riemann problems across the interface. The Riemann solution accounts for the relevantmore » physics by enforcing appropriate jump conditions at the phase boundary. A wide variety of interface effects can be handled in a thermodynamically consistent way. This includes surface tension or mass/energy transfer by phase transition. Moreover, the local normal speed of the interface, which is needed to calculate the time evolution of the interface, is given by the Riemann solution. The interface tracking itself is based on a level-set method. The focus in this paper is the description of the two-phase Riemann solver and its usage within the sharp interface approach. One-dimensional problems are selected to validate the approach. Finally, the three-dimensional simulation of a wobbling droplet and a shock droplet interaction in two dimensions are shown. In both problems phase transition and surface tension determine the global bulk behavior.« less

  8. Effects of Frothers and Oil at Saltwater–Air Interfaces for Oil Separation: Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Experimental Measurements

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chong, Leebyn; Lai, Yungchieh; Gray, McMahan

    Separating oil from saltwater is a process relevant to some industries and may be aided by bubble and froth generation. Simulating saltwater–air interfaces adsorbed with surfactants and oil molecules can assist in understanding froth stability to improve separation. Here, combining with surface tension experimental measurements, in this work we employ molecular dynamics with a united-atom force field to linear alkane oil and three surfactant frothers, methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC), terpineol, and ethyl glycol butyl ether (EGBE), to investigate their synergistic behaviors for oil separation. The interfacial phenomena were measured for a range of frother surface coverages on saltwater. Density profilesmore » of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions of the frothers show an expected orientation of alcohol groups adsorbing to the polar water. A decrease in surface tension with increasing surface coverage of MIBC and terpineol was observed and reflected in experiments where the frother concentration increased. Relations between surface coverage and bulk concentration were observed by comparing the surface tension decreases. Additionally, a range of oil surface coverages was explored when the interface has a thin layer of adsorbed frother molecules. Finally, the obtained results indicate that an increase in surface coverage of oil molecules led to an increase in surface tension for all frother types and the pair correlation functions depicted MIBC and terpineol as having higher distributions with water at closer distances than with oil.« less

  9. Effects of Frothers and Oil at Saltwater–Air Interfaces for Oil Separation: Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Experimental Measurements

    DOE PAGES

    Chong, Leebyn; Lai, Yungchieh; Gray, McMahan; ...

    2017-06-16

    Separating oil from saltwater is a process relevant to some industries and may be aided by bubble and froth generation. Simulating saltwater–air interfaces adsorbed with surfactants and oil molecules can assist in understanding froth stability to improve separation. Here, combining with surface tension experimental measurements, in this work we employ molecular dynamics with a united-atom force field to linear alkane oil and three surfactant frothers, methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC), terpineol, and ethyl glycol butyl ether (EGBE), to investigate their synergistic behaviors for oil separation. The interfacial phenomena were measured for a range of frother surface coverages on saltwater. Density profilesmore » of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions of the frothers show an expected orientation of alcohol groups adsorbing to the polar water. A decrease in surface tension with increasing surface coverage of MIBC and terpineol was observed and reflected in experiments where the frother concentration increased. Relations between surface coverage and bulk concentration were observed by comparing the surface tension decreases. Additionally, a range of oil surface coverages was explored when the interface has a thin layer of adsorbed frother molecules. Finally, the obtained results indicate that an increase in surface coverage of oil molecules led to an increase in surface tension for all frother types and the pair correlation functions depicted MIBC and terpineol as having higher distributions with water at closer distances than with oil.« less

  10. Droplet Deformation in an Extensional Flow: The Role of Surfactant Physical Chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stebe, Kathleen J.

    1996-01-01

    Surfactant-induced Marangoni effects strongly alter the stresses exerted along fluid particle interfaces. In low gravity processes, these stresses can dictate the system behavior. The dependence of Marangoni effects on surfactant physical chemistry is not understood, severely impacting our ability to predict and control fluid particle flows. A droplet in an extensional flow allows the controlled study of stretching and deforming interfaces. The deformations of the drop allow both Marangoni stresses, which resist tangential shear, and Marangoni elasticities, which resist surface dilatation, to develop. This flow presents an ideal model system for studying these effects. Prior surfactant-related work in this flow considered a linear dependence of the surface tension on the surface concentration, valid only at dilute surface concentrations, or a non-linear framework at concentrations sufficiently dilute that the linear approximation was valid. The linear framework becomes inadequate for several reasons. The finite dimensions of surfactant molecules must be taken into account with a model that includes surfaces saturation. Nonideal interactions between adsorbed surfactant molecules alter the partitioning of surfactant between the bulk and the interface, the dynamics of surfactant adsorptive/desorptive exchange, and the sensitivity of the surface tension to adsorbed surfactant. For example, cohesion between hydrocarbon chains favors strong adsorption. Cohesion also slows the rate of desorption from interfaces, and decreases the sensitivity of the surface tension to adsorbed surfactant. Strong cohesive interactions result in first order surface phase changes with a plateau in the surface tension vs surface concentration. Within this surface concentration range, the surface tension is decoupled from surface concentration gradients. We are engaged in the study of the role of surfactant physical chemistry in determining the Marangoni stresses on a drop in an extensional flow in a numerical and experimental program. Using surfactants whose dynamics and equilibrium behavior have been characterized in our laboratory, drop deformation will be studied in ground-based experiment. In an accompanying numerical study, predictive drop deformations will be determined based on the isotherm and equation of state determined in our laboratory. This work will improve our abilities to predict and control all fluid particle flows.

  11. Thermodynamic properties of adsorption and micellization of n-oktyl-β-D-glucopiranoside.

    PubMed

    Mańko, Diana; Zdziennicka, Anna; Jańczuk, Bronisław

    2014-02-01

    Measurements of the surface tension, density and viscosity of aqueous solutions of n-oktyl-β-D-glucopiranoside (OGP) were made at 293 K. From the obtained results the Gibbs surface excess concentration of OGP at the water-air interface and its critical micelle concentration were determined. The Gibbs surface excess concentration of OGP used in the Gu and Zhu isotherm equation allowed us to determine the Gibbs standard free energy of OGP adsorption at the water-air interface. The Gibbs standard free energy of OGP adsorption was also determined on the basis of the Langmuir, Szyszkowski, Gamboa and Olea equations as well the surface tension of "hydrophobic" part of OGP and "hydrophobic" part-water interface tension. It appeared that there is an agreement between the values of Gibbs standard free energy of OGP adsorption at the water-air interface determined by using all the above mentioned methods. It also proved that standard free energy of OGP micellization determined from CMC is consistent with that obtained on the basis of the free energy of the interactions between the "hydrophobic" part of the OPG through the water phase. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Thermodynamic properties of rhamnolipid micellization and adsorption.

    PubMed

    Mańko, Diana; Zdziennicka, Anna; Jańczuk, Bronisław

    2014-07-01

    of the surface tension, density, viscosity and conductivity of aqueous solutions of rhamnolipid at natural and controlled pH were made at 293 K. On the basis of the obtained results the critical micelle concentration of rhamnolipid and its Gibbs surface excess concentration at the water-air interface were determined. The maximal surface excess concentration was considered in the light of the size of rhamnolipid molecule. Next the Gibbs standard free energy of rhamnolipid adsorption at this interface was determined on the basis of the different approaches to this energy. The standard free energy of adsorption was also deduced on the basis of the surface tension of n-hexane and water-n-hexane interface tension. Standard free energy obtained in this way was close to those determined by using the Langmuir, Szyszkowski, Aronson and Rosen, Gu and Zhu as well as modified Gamboa and Olea equations. The standard free energy of rhamnolipid adsorption at the water-air interface was compared to its standard free energy of micellization which was determined from the Philips equation taking into account the degree of rhamnolipid dissociation in the micelles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. On the Hofmeister effect: fluctuations at the protein-water interface and the surface tension.

    PubMed

    Bogár, Ferenc; Bartha, Ferenc; Násztor, Zoltán; Fábián, László; Leitgeb, Balázs; Dér, András

    2014-07-24

    We performed molecular dynamics simulations on the tryptophane-cage miniprotein using a nonpolarizable force field, in order to model the effect of concentrated water solutions of neutral salts on protein conformation, which is a manifestation of Hofmeister effects. From the equilibrium values and the fluctuations of the solvent accessible surface area of the miniprotein, the salt-induced changes of the mean value of protein-water interfacial tension were determined. At 300 K, the chaotropic ClO4(-) and NO3(-) decreased the interfacial tension according to their position in the Hofmeister series (by approximately 5 and 2.7 mN/m, respectively), while the kosmotropic F(-) increased it (by 1 mN/m). These values were compared to those obtained from the Gibbs equation using the excess surface adsorption calculated from the probability distribution of the water molecules and ions around the miniprotein, and the two sets were found to be very close to each other. Our results present a direct evidence for the central role of interfacial tension and fluctuations at the protein-water interface in Hofmeister phenomena, and provide a computational method for the determination of the protein-water interfacial tension, establishing a link between the phenomenological and microscopic description of protein-water interfaces.

  14. Cavitation Inception Scale Effects. 1. Nuclei Distributions in Natural Waters. 2. Cavitation Inception in a Turbulent Shear Flow.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-05-01

    ratio of specific heats for the gas and an adiabatic bubble pressure- volume relation has been assumed (Plesset & Prosperetti 1977). When viscosity...pressure because of surface tension at the gas -liquid interface , so the gas is stabilized in the crevice and will not dissolve into the liquid. The concave... interface toward the gas is estab- lished by the hydrophobic nature of the particle, and results in surface tension acting to oppose the liquid

  15. Effect of adsorption on the surface tensions of solid-fluid interfaces.

    PubMed

    Ward, C A; Wu, Jiyu

    2007-04-12

    A method is proposed for determining the surface tensions of a solid in contact with either a liquid or a vapor. Only an equilibrium adsorption isotherm at the solid-vapor interface needs to be added to Gibbsian thermodynamics to obtain the expressions for the solid-vapor and the solid-liquid surface tensions, gamma[1](SV) and gamma[1](SL), respectively. An equilibrium adsorption isotherm relation is formulated that has the essential property of not predicting an infinite amount adsorbed when the pressure is equal to the saturation-vapor pressure. Five different solid-vapor systems from the literature are examined, and found to be well described by the new isotherm relation. The surface-tension expressions obtained from the isotherm relation are examined by determining the surface tension of the solid in the absence of adsorption, gamma[1](S0), a material property of a solid surface. The value of gamma[1](S0) can be determined by adsorbing different vapors on the same solid, determining the isotherm parameters in each case, and then from the expression for gamma[1](SV) taking the limit of the pressure vanishing to determine gamma[1](S0). From previously reported measurements of benzene and of n-hexane adsorbing on graphitized carbon, the same value of gamma[1](S0) is obtained.

  16. Vapour-liquid interfacial properties of square-well chains from density functional theory and Monte Carlo simulation.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Ruiz, Francisco José; Blas, Felipe J; Moreno-Ventas Bravo, A Ignacio; Míguez, José Manuel; MacDowell, Luis G

    2017-05-17

    The statistical associating fluid theory for attractive potentials of variable range (SAFT-VR) density functional theory (DFT) developed by [Gloor et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2004, 121, 12740-12759] is used to predict the interfacial behaviour of molecules modelled as fully-flexible square-well chains formed from tangentially-bonded monomers of diameter σ and potential range λ = 1.5σ. Four different model systems, comprising 4, 8, 12, and 16 monomers per molecule, are considered. In addition to that, we also compute a number of interfacial properties of molecular chains from direct simulation of the vapour-liquid interface. The simulations are performed in the canonical ensemble, and the vapour-liquid interfacial tension is evaluated using the wandering interface (WIM) method, a technique based on the thermodynamic definition of surface tension. Apart from surface tension, we also obtain density profiles, coexistence densities, vapour pressures, and critical temperature and density, paying particular attention to the effect of the chain length on these properties. According to our results, the main effect of increasing the chain length (at fixed temperature) is to sharpen the vapour-liquid interface and to increase the width of the biphasic coexistence region. As a result, the interfacial thickness decreases and the surface tension increases as the molecular chains get longer. The interfacial thickness and surface tension appear to exhibit an asymptotic limiting behaviour for long chains. A similar behaviour is also observed for the coexistence densities and critical properties. Agreement between theory and simulation results indicates that SAFT-VR DFT is only able to predict qualitatively the interfacial properties of the model. Our results are also compared with simulation data taken from the literature, including the vapour-liquid coexistence densities, vapour pressures, and surface tension.

  17. Calculating the surface tension of binary solutions of simple fluids of comparable size

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaitseva, E. S.; Tovbin, Yu. K.

    2017-11-01

    A molecular theory based on the lattice gas model (LGM) is used to calculate the surface tension of one- and two-component planar vapor-liquid interfaces of simple fluids. Interaction between nearest neighbors is considered in the calculations. LGM is applied as a tool of interpolation: the parameters of the model are corrected using experimental surface tension data. It is found that the average accuracy of describing the surface tension of pure substances (Ar, N2, O2, CH4) and their mixtures (Ar-O2, Ar-N2, Ar-CH4, N2-CH4) does not exceed 2%.

  18. Measurement of Surface Interfacial Tension as a Function of Temperature Using Pendant Drop Images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yakhshi-Tafti, Ehsan; Kumar, Ranganathan; Cho, Hyoung J.

    2011-10-01

    Accurate and reliable measurements of surface tension at the interface of immiscible phases are crucial to understanding various physico-chemical reactions taking place between those. Based on the pendant drop method, an optical (graphical)-numerical procedure was developed to determine surface tension and its dependency on the surrounding temperature. For modeling and experimental verification, chemically inert and thermally stable perfluorocarbon (PFC) oil and water was used. Starting with geometrical force balance, governing equations were derived to provide non-dimensional parameters which were later used to extract values for surface tension. Comparative study verified the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method.

  19. The influence of surface-active agents in gas mixture on the intensity of jet condensation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yezhov, YV; Okhotin, VS

    2017-11-01

    The report presents: the methodology of calculation of contact condensation of steam from the steam-gas mixture into the stream of water, taking into account: the mass flow of steam through the boundary phase, particularly the change in turbulent transport properties near the interface and their connection to the interface perturbations due to the surface tension of the mixture; the method of calculation of the surface tension at the interface water - a mixture of fluorocarbon vapor and water, based on the previously established analytical methods we calculate the surface tension for simple one - component liquid-vapor systems. The obtained analytical relation to calculate the surface tension of the mixture is a function of temperature and volume concentration of the fluorocarbon gas in the mixture and is true for all sizes of gas molecules. On the newly created experimental stand is made verification of experimental studies to determine the surface tension of pure substances: water, steam, C3F8 pair C3F8, produced the first experimental data on surface tension at the water - a mixture of water vapor and fluorocarbon C3F8. The obtained experimental data allow us to refine the values of the two constants used in the calculated model of the surface tension of the mixture. Experimental study of jet condensation was carried out with the flow in the zone of condensation of different gases. The condensation process was monitored by measurement of consumption of water flowing from the nozzle, and the formed condensate. When submitting C3F8, there was a noticeable, intensification condensation process compared with the condensation of pure water vapor. The calculation results are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data on surface tension of the mixture and steam condensation from steam-gas mixture. Analysis of calculation results shows that the presence of surfactants in the condensation zone affects the partial vapor pressure on the interfacial surface, and the thermal conductivity of the liquid jet. The first circumstance leads to deterioration of the condensation process, the second to the intensification of this process. There is obviously an optimum value of concentration of the additive surfactants to the vapour when the condensation process is maximum. According to the developed design methodology contact condensation can evaluate these optimum conditions, their practical effect in the field study.

  20. van der Waals model for the surface tension of liquid 4He near the λ point

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tavan, Paul; Widom, B.

    1983-01-01

    We develop a phenomenological model of the 4He liquid-vapor interface. With it we calculate the surface tension of liquid helium near the λ point and compare with the experimental measurements by Magerlein and Sanders. The model is a form of the van der Waals surface-tension theory, extended to apply to a phase equilibrium in which the simultaneous variation of two order parameters-here the superfluid order parameter and the total density-is essential. The properties of the model are derived analytically above the λ point and numerically below it. Just below the λ point the superfluid order parameter is found to approach its bulk-superfluid-phase value very slowly with distance on the liquid side of the interface (the characteristic distance being the superfluid coherence length), and to vanish rapidly with distance on the vapor side, while the total density approaches its bulk-phase values rapidly and nearly symmetrically on the two sides. Below the λ point the surface tension has a |ɛ|32 singularity (ɛ~T-Tλ) arising from the temperature dependence of the spatially varying superfluid order parameter. This is the mean-field form of the more general |ɛ|μ singularity predicted by Sobyanin and by Hohenberg, in which μ (which is in reality close to 1.35 at the λ point of helium) is the exponent with which the interfacial tension between two critical phases vanishes. Above the λ point the surface tension in this model is analytic in ɛ. A singular term |ɛ|μ may in reality be present in the surface tension above as well as below the λ point, although there should still be a pronounced asymmetry. The variation with temperature of the model surface tension is overall much like that in experiment.

  1. Calculations of the surface tensions of liquid metals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stroud, D. G.

    1981-01-01

    The understanding of the surface tension of liquid metals and alloys from as close to first principles as possible is discussed. The two ingredients which are combined in these calculations are: the electron theory of metals, and the classical theory of liquids, as worked out within the framework of statistical mechanics. The results are a new theory of surface tensions and surface density profiles from knowledge purely of the bulk properties of the coexisting liquid and vapor phases. It is found that the method works well for the pure liquid metals on which it was tested; work is extended to mixtures of liquid metals, interfaces between immiscible liquid metals, and to the temperature derivative of the surface tension.

  2. Direct numerical simulation of variable surface tension flows using a Volume-of-Fluid method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seric, Ivana; Afkhami, Shahriar; Kondic, Lou

    2018-01-01

    We develop a general methodology for the inclusion of a variable surface tension coefficient into a Volume-of-Fluid based Navier-Stokes solver. This new numerical model provides a robust and accurate method for computing the surface gradients directly by finding the tangent directions on the interface using height functions. The implementation is applicable to both temperature and concentration dependent surface tension coefficient, along with the setups involving a large jump in the temperature between the fluid and its surrounding, as well as the situations where the concentration should be strictly confined to the fluid domain, such as the mixing of fluids with different surface tension coefficients. We demonstrate the applicability of our method to the thermocapillary migration of bubbles and the coalescence of drops characterized by a different surface tension coefficient.

  3. Surface tension of Nanofluid-type fuels containing suspended nanomaterials

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    The surface tension of ethanol and n-decane based nanofluid fuels containing suspended aluminum (Al), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), and boron (B) nanoparticles as well as dispersible multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were measured using the pendant drop method by solving the Young-Laplace equation. The effects of nanoparticle concentration, size and the presence of a dispersing agent (surfactant) on surface tension were determined. The results show that surface tension increases both with particle concentration (above a critical concentration) and particle size for all cases. This is because the Van der Waals force between particles at the liquid/gas interface increases surface free energy and thus increases surface tension. At low particle concentrations, however, addition of particles has little influence on surface tension because of the large distance between particles. An exception is when a surfactant was used or when (MWCNTs) was involved. For such cases, the surface tension decreases compared to the pure base fluid. The hypothesis is the polymer groups attached to (MWCNTs) and the surfactant layer between a particle and the surround fluid increases the electrostatic force between particles and thus reduce surface energy and surface tension. PMID:22513039

  4. Role of large-scale slip in mode II fracture of bimaterial interface produced by diffusion bonding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fox, M. R.; Ghosh, A. K.

    2001-08-01

    Bimaterial interfaces present in diffusion-bonded (and in-situ) composites are often not flat interfaces. The unevenness of the interface can result not only from interface reaction products but also from long-range waviness associated with the surfaces of the component phases bonded together. Experimental studies aimed at determining interface mechanical properties generally ignore the departure in the local stress due to waviness and assume a theoretically flat interface. Furthermore, the commonly used testing methods involving superimposed tension often renders the interface so extremely brittle that if microplastic effects were present it becomes impossible to perceive them. This article examines the role of waviness of the interface and microplastic effects on crack initiation. To do this, a test was selected that provides significant stability against crack growth by superimposing compressive stresses. Mode II interface fracture was studied for NiAl/Mo model laminates using a recently developed asymmetrically loaded shear (ALS) interface shear test. The ALS test may be viewed as opposite of the laminate bend test. In the bend test, shear at the interface is created via tension on one surface of the bend, while in the ALS test, shear is created by compression on one side of the interface relative to the other. Normal to the interface, near the crack tip, an initially compressive state is replaced by slight tension due to Poisson’s expansion of the unbonded part of the compressed beam.

  5. Modeling of single film bubble and numerical study of the plateau structure in foam system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Zhong-guo; Ni, Ni; Sun, Yi-jie; Xi, Guang

    2018-02-01

    The single-film bubble has a special geometry with a certain amount of gas shrouded by a thin layer of liquid film under the surface tension force both on the inside and outside surfaces of the bubble. Based on the mesh-less moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method, a single-film double-gas-liquid-interface surface tension (SDST) model is established for the single-film bubble, which characteristically has totally two gas-liquid interfaces on both sides of the film. Within this framework, the conventional surface free energy surface tension model is improved by using a higher order potential energy equation between particles, and the modification results in higher accuracy and better symmetry properties. The complex interface movement in the oscillation process of the single-film bubble is numerically captured, as well as typical flow phenomena and deformation characteristics of the liquid film. In addition, the basic behaviors of the coalescence and connection process between two and even three single-film bubbles are studied, and the cases with bubbles of different sizes are also included. Furthermore, the classic plateau structure in the foam system is reproduced and numerically proved to be in the steady state for multi-bubble connections.

  6. Physics, mathematics and numerics of particle adsorption on fluid interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmuck, Markus; Pavliotis, Grigorios A.; Kalliadasis, Serafim

    2012-11-01

    We study two arbitrary immiscible fuids where one phase contains small particles of the size of the interface and smaller. We primarily focus on charge-free particles with wetting characteristics described by the contact angle formed at the interface between the two phases and the particles. Based on the experimental observation that particles are adsorbed on the interface to reduce the interfacial energy and hence the surface tension as well, we formulate a free-energy functional that accounts for these physical effects. Using elements from calculus of variations and formal gradient flow theory, we derive partial differential equations describing the location of the interface and the density of the particles in the fluid phases. Via numerical experiments we analyse the time evolution of the surface tension, the particle concentration, and the free energy over time and reflect basic experimentally observed phenomena.

  7. Vapor-Enabled Propulsion for Plasmonic Photothermal Motor at the Liquid/Air Interface.

    PubMed

    Meng, Fanchen; Hao, Wei; Yu, Shengtao; Feng, Rui; Liu, Yanming; Yu, Fan; Tao, Peng; Shang, Wen; Wu, Jianbo; Song, Chengyi; Deng, Tao

    2017-09-13

    This paper explores a new propulsion mechanism that is based on the ejection of hot vapor jet to propel the motor at the liquid/air interface. For conventional photothermal motors, which mostly are driven by Marangoni effect, it is challenging to propel those motors at the surfaces of liquids with low surface tension due to the reduced Marangoni effect. With this new vapor-enabled propulsion mechanism, the motors can move rapidly at the liquid/air interface of liquids with a broad range of surface tensions. A design that can accumulate the hot vapor is further demonstrated to enhance both the propulsion force as well as the applicable range of liquids for such motors. This new propulsion mechanism will help open up new opportunities for the photothermal motors with desired motion controls at a wide range of liquid/air interfaces where hot vapor can be generated.

  8. Measuring the surface tension of a liquid-gas interface by automatic stalagmometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Molina, C.; Victoria, L.; Arenas, A.

    2000-06-01

    We present a variation of the stalagmometer method for automatically determining the surface tension of a liquid-gas interface using a pressure sensor to measure the pressure variation per drop. The presented method does not depend on a knowledge of the density of the problem liquid and obtains values with a measurement error in the range of 1%-2%. Its low cost and simplicity mean that the technique can be used in the teaching and instrumentation laboratory in the same way as other methods.

  9. Colloidal Particle Adsorption at Water-Water Interfaces with Ultralow Interfacial Tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keal, Louis; Colosqui, Carlos E.; Tromp, R. Hans; Monteux, Cécile

    2018-05-01

    Using fluorescence confocal microscopy we study the adsorption of single latex microparticles at a water-water interface between demixing aqueous solutions of polymers, generally known as a water-in-water emulsion. Similar microparticles at the interface between molecular liquids have exhibited an extremely slow relaxation preventing the observation of expected equilibrium states. This phenomenon has been attributed to "long-lived" metastable states caused by significant energy barriers Δ F ˜γ Ad≫kBT induced by high interfacial tension (γ ˜10-2 N /m ) and nanoscale surface defects with characteristic areas Ad≃10 - 30 nm2 . For the studied water-water interface with ultralow surface tension (γ ˜10-4 N /m ) we are able to characterize the entire adsorption process and observe equilibrium states prescribed by a single equilibrium contact angle independent of the particle size. Notably, we observe crossovers from fast initial dynamics to slower kinetic regimes analytically predicted for large surface defects (Ad≃500 nm2). Moreover, particle trajectories reveal a position-independent damping coefficient that is unexpected given the large viscosity contrast between phases. These observations are attributed to the remarkably diffuse nature of the water-water interface and the adsorption and entanglement of polymer chains in the semidilute solutions. This work offers some first insights on the adsorption dynamics or kinetics of microparticles at water-water interfaces in biocolloidal systems.

  10. Marangoni-flow-induced partial coalescence of a droplet on a liquid/air interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Kai; Zhang, Peng; Che, Zhizhao; Wang, Tianyou

    2018-02-01

    The coalescence of a droplet and a liquid/air interface of lower surface tension was numerically studied by using the lattice Boltzmann phase-field method. The experimental phenomenon of droplet ejection observed by Blanchette et al. [Phys. Fluids 21, 072107 (2009), 10.1063/1.3177339] at sufficiently large surface tension differences was successfully reproduced for the first time. Furthermore, the emergence, disappearance, and re-emergence of "partial coalescence" with increasing surface tension difference was observed and explained. The re-emergence of partial coalescence under large surface tension differences is caused by the remarkable lifting motion of the Marangoni flow, which significantly retards the vertical collapse. Two different modes of partial coalescence were identified by the simulation, namely peak injection occurs at lower Ohnesorge numbers and bottom pinch-off at higher Ohnesorge numbers. By comparing the characteristic timescales of the upward Marangoni flow with that of the downward flow driven by capillary pressure, a criterion for the transition from partial to total coalescence was derived based on scaling analysis and numerically validated.

  11. A free energy-based surface tension force model for simulation of multiphase flows by level-set method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, H. Z.; Chen, Z.; Shu, C.; Wang, Y.; Niu, X. D.; Shu, S.

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, a free energy-based surface tension force (FESF) model is presented for accurately resolving the surface tension force in numerical simulation of multiphase flows by the level set method. By using the analytical form of order parameter along the normal direction to the interface in the phase-field method and the free energy principle, FESF model offers an explicit and analytical formulation for the surface tension force. The only variable in this formulation is the normal distance to the interface, which can be substituted by the distance function solved by the level set method. On one hand, as compared to conventional continuum surface force (CSF) model in the level set method, FESF model introduces no regularized delta function, due to which it suffers less from numerical diffusions and performs better in mass conservation. On the other hand, as compared to the phase field surface tension force (PFSF) model, the evaluation of surface tension force in FESF model is based on an analytical approach rather than numerical approximations of spatial derivatives. Therefore, better numerical stability and higher accuracy can be expected. Various numerical examples are tested to validate the robustness of the proposed FESF model. It turns out that FESF model performs better than CSF model and PFSF model in terms of accuracy, stability, convergence speed and mass conservation. It is also shown in numerical tests that FESF model can effectively simulate problems with high density/viscosity ratio, high Reynolds number and severe topological interfacial changes.

  12. First-order curvature corrections to the surface tension of multicomponent systems.

    PubMed

    Boltachev, Grey Sh; Baidakov, Vladimir G; Schmelzer, Jürn W P

    2003-08-01

    The dependence of surface tension on curvature is investigated for the case of an equilibrium phase coexistence in multicomponent systems. Employing Gibbs's method of description of heterogeneous systems, an equation is derived to determine the dependence of surface tension on curvature for widely arbitrary paths of variation of the independent thermodynamic parameters. It is supposed hereby merely that the temperature is kept constant and that the variations of the different molar fractions are such that the radius of the dividing surface varies monotonically in dependence on the change of the state parameters of the ambient phase along any of the chosen paths. In the analysis, an approach developed by Blokhuis and Bedeaux for one-component systems is utilized. It relies on the expansion of the surface free energy on curvature of the dividing surface. An equation is derived that connects the first-order correction term in the expansion with the interaction potential of the particles in the multicomponent solution and with the two-particle distribution functions in the planar interfacial layer between the two phases coexisting in equilibrium at planar interfaces. The connection of the first-order curvature correction to the surface tension and the first moment of the pressure tensor at a planar interface is analyzed as well.

  13. Fine Tuning of Tissues' Viscosity and Surface Tension through Contractility Suggests a New Role for α-Catenin

    PubMed Central

    Stirbat, Tomita Vasilica; Mgharbel, Abbas; Bodennec, Selena; Ferri, Karine; Mertani, Hichem C.; Rieu, Jean-Paul; Delanoë-Ayari, Hélène

    2013-01-01

    What governs tissue organization and movement? If molecular and genetic approaches are able to give some answers on these issues, more and more works are now giving a real importance to mechanics as a key component eventually triggering further signaling events. We chose embryonic cell aggregates as model systems for tissue organization and movement in order to investigate the origin of some mechanical constraints arising from cells organization. Steinberg et al. proposed a long time ago an analogy between liquids and tissues and showed that indeed tissues possess a measurable tissue surface tension and viscosity. We question here the molecular origin of these parameters and give a quantitative measurement of adhesion versus contractility in the framework of the differential interfacial tension hypothesis. Accompanying surface tension measurements by angle measurements (at vertexes of cell-cell contacts) at the cell/medium interface, we are able to extract the full parameters of this model: cortical tensions and adhesion energy. We show that a tunable surface tension and viscosity can be achieved easily through the control of cell-cell contractility compared to cell-medium one. Moreover we show that -catenin is crucial for this regulation to occur: these molecules appear as a catalyser for the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton underneath cell-cell contact, enabling a differential contractility between the cell-medium and cell-cell interface to take place. PMID:23390488

  14. Influence of alkane and perfluorocarbon vapors on adsorbed surface layers and spread insoluble monolayers of surfactants, proteins and lipids.

    PubMed

    Fainerman, V B; Aksenenko, E V; Miller, R

    2017-06-01

    The influence of hexane vapor in the air atmosphere on the surface tension of water and solutions of C 10 EO 8 , C n TAB and proteins are presented. For dry air, a fast and strong decrease of surface tension of water was observed. In humid air, the process is slower and the surface tension higher. There are differences between the results obtained by the maximum bubble pressure, pendant drop and emerging bubble methods, which are discussed in terms of depletion and initial surface load. The surface tension of aqueous solutions of β-сasein (BCS), β-lactoglobulin (BLG) and human serum albumin (HSA) at the interfaces with air and air-saturated hexane vapor were measured. The results indicate that the equilibrium surface tension in the hexane vapor atmosphere is considerably lower (at 13-20mN/m) as compared to the values at the interface with pure air. A reorientation model is proposed assuming several states of adsorbed molecules with different molar area values. The newly developed theoretical model is used to describe the effect of alkane vapor in the gas phase on the surface tension. This model assumes that the first layer is composed of surfactant (or protein) molecules mixed with alkane, and the second layer is formed by alkane molecules only. The processing of the experimental data for the equilibrium surface tension for the C 10 EO 8 and BCS solutions results in a perfect agreement between the observed and calculated values. The co-adsorption mechanism of dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DPPC) and the fluorocarbon molecules leads to remarkable differences in the surface pressure term of cohesion Π coh . This in turn leads to a very efficient fluidization of the monolayer. It was found that the adsorption equilibrium constant for dioctanoyl phosphatidyl choline is increased in the presence of perfluorohexane, and the intermolecular interaction of the components is strong. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Coaction of intercellular adhesion and cortical tension specifies tissue surface tension

    PubMed Central

    Manning, M. Lisa; Foty, Ramsey A.; Steinberg, Malcolm S.; Schoetz, Eva-Maria

    2010-01-01

    In the course of animal morphogenesis, large-scale cell movements occur, which involve the rearrangement, mutual spreading, and compartmentalization of cell populations in specific configurations. Morphogenetic cell rearrangements such as cell sorting and mutual tissue spreading have been compared with the behaviors of immiscible liquids, which they closely resemble. Based on this similarity, it has been proposed that tissues behave as liquids and possess a characteristic surface tension, which arises as a collective, macroscopic property of groups of mobile, cohering cells. But how are tissue surface tensions generated? Different theories have been proposed to explain how mesoscopic cell properties such as cell–cell adhesion and contractility of cell interfaces may underlie tissue surface tensions. Although recent work suggests that both may be contributors, an explicit model for the dependence of tissue surface tension on these mesoscopic parameters has been missing. Here we show explicitly that the ratio of adhesion to cortical tension determines tissue surface tension. Our minimal model successfully explains the available experimental data and makes predictions, based on the feedback between mechanical energy and geometry, about the shapes of aggregate surface cells, which we verify experimentally. This model indicates that there is a crossover from adhesion dominated to cortical-tension dominated behavior as a function of the ratio between these two quantities. PMID:20616053

  16. Electrostatic interaction between dissimilar colloids at fluid interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Majee, Arghya; Schmetzer, Timo; Bier, Markus

    2018-04-01

    The electrostatic interaction between two nonidentical, moderately charged colloids situated in close proximity of each other at a fluid interface is studied. By resorting to a well-justified model system, this problem is analytically solved within the framework of linearized Poisson-Boltzmann density functional theory. The resulting interaction comprises a surface and a line part, both of which, as functions of the interparticle separation, show a rich behavior including monotonic as well as nonmonotonic variations. In almost all cases, these variations cannot be captured correctly by using the superposition approximation. Moreover, expressions for the surface tensions, the line tensions and the fluid-fluid interfacial tension, which are all independent of the interparticle separation, are obtained. Our results are expected to be particularly useful for emulsions stabilized by oppositely charged particles.

  17. Behavior of fluids in a weightless environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fester, D. A.; Eberhardt, R. N.; Tegart, J. R.

    1977-01-01

    Fluid behavior in a low-g environment is controlled primarily by surface tension forces. Certain fluid and system characteristics determine the magnitude of these forces for both a free liquid surface and liquid in contact with a solid. These characteristics, including surface tension, wettability or contact angle, system geometry, and the relationships governing their interaction, are discussed. Various aspects of fluid behavior in a low-g environment are then presented. This includes the formation of static interface shapes, oscillation and rotation of drops, coalescence, the formation of foams, tendency for cavitation, and diffusion in liquids which were observed during the Skylab fluid mechanics science demonstrations. Liquid reorientation and capillary pumping to establish equilibrium configurations for various system geometries, observed during various free-fall (drop-tower) low-g tests, are also presented. Several passive low-g fluid storage and transfer systems are discussed. These systems use surface tension forces to control the liquid/vapor interface and provide gas-free liquid transfer and liquid-free vapor venting.

  18. Surface charge-induced EDL interaction on the contact angle of surface nanobubbles.

    PubMed

    Jing, Dalei; Li, Dayong; Pan, Yunlu; Bhushan, Bharat

    2016-11-01

    The contact angle (CA) of surface nanobubbles is believed to affect the stability of nanobubbles and fluid drag in micro/nanofluidic systems. The CA of nanobubbles is dependent on size and is believed to be affected by the surface charge-induced electrical double layer (EDL). However, neither of these of attributes are well understood. In this paper, by introducing an EDL-induced electrostatic wetting tension, a theoretical model is first established to study the effect of EDLs formed near the solid-liquid interface and the liquid-nanobubble interface on the gas phase CA of nanobubbles. The size-dependence of this EDL interaction is studied as well. Next, by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), the effect of the EDL on nanobubbles' gas phase CA is studied with variable electrical potential at the solid-liquid interface, which is adjusted by an applied voltage. Both the theoretical and the experimental results show that the EDLs formed near the solid-liquid interface and the liquid-nanobubble interface lead to a reduction of gas phase CA of the surface nanobubbles because of an electrostatic wetting tension on the nanobubble due to the attractive electrostatic interaction between the liquid and nanobubble within the EDL, which is in the nanobubbles' outward direction. An EDL with a larger zeta potential magnitude leads to a larger gas phase CA reduction. Furthermore, the effect of EDL on the nanobubbles' gas phase CA shows a significant size-dependence considering the size dependence of the electrostatic wetting tension. The gas phase CA reduction due to the EDL decreases with increasing nanobubble height and increases with the nanobubble's increasing curvature radius, indicating that a surface charge-induced EDL could possibly explain the size dependence of the gas phase CA of nanobubbles.

  19. The Dissolution of an Interfween Miscible Liquids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vlad, D.H.; Maher, J.V.

    1999-01-01

    The disappearance of the surface tension of the interface of a binary mixture, measured using the dynamic surface light scattering technique, is slower for a binary mixture of higher density contrast. A comparison with a naive diffusion model, expected to provide a lower limit for the speed of dissolution in the absence of gravity shows that the interfacial surface tension disappears much slower than even by diffusion with the effect becoming much more pronounced when density contrast between the liquid phases is increased. Thus, the factor most likely to be responsible for this anomalously slow dissolution is gravity. A mechanism could be based on the competition between diffusive relaxation and sedimentation at the dissolving interface.

  20. Surface tension in human pathophysiology and its application as a medical diagnostic tool

    PubMed Central

    Fathi-Azarbayjani, Anahita; Jouyban, Abolghasem

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: Pathological features of disease appear to be quite different. Despite this diversity, the common feature of various disorders underlies physicochemical and biochemical factors such as surface tension. Human biological fluids comprise various proteins and phospholipids which are capable of adsorption at fluid interfaces and play a vital role in the physiological function of human organs. Surface tension of body fluids correlates directly to the development of pathological states. Methods: In this review, the variety of human diseases mediated by the surface tension changes of biological phenomena and the failure of biological fluids to remain in their native state are discussed. Results: Dynamic surface tension measurements of human biological fluids depend on various parameters such as sex, age and changes during pregnancy or certain disease. It is expected that studies of surface tension behavior of human biological fluids will provide additional information and might become useful in medical practice. Theoretical background on surface tension measurement and surface tension values of reference fluids obtained from healthy and sick patients are depicted. Conclusion: It is well accepted that no single biomarker will be effective in clinical diagnosis. The surface tension measurement combined with routine lab tests may be a novel non-invasive method which can not only facilitate the discovery of diagnostic models for various diseases and its severity, but also be a useful tool for monitoring treatment efficacy. We therefore expect that studies of surface tension behavior of human biological fluids will provide additional useful information in medical practice. PMID:25901295

  1. Controlled microfluidic interfaces for microsensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, H.

    2009-02-01

    Lab on a chip has found many applications in biological and chemical analysis, including pathogen detections. Because these labs on chips involve handling of fluids at the microscale, surface tension profoundly affects the behavior and performance of these systems. Through careful engineering, controlled liquid-liquid or liquid-gas interfaces at the microscale can be formed and used in many interesting applications. In this talk, I will present our work on applying such interfaces to microsensing. These interfaces are created at hydrophobic-hydrophilic boundaries formed within microfluidic channels and pinned by surface tension. We have designed and fabricated a few microsensing techniques including chemical and biological sensing using dissolvable micromembranes in microchannels, chemical and biological sensing at liquid crystals interfacing either air or aqueous solutions, and collection of gaseous samples and aerosols through air-liquid microfludic interfaces. I will next introduce on-chip microlenses and microlens arrays for optical detection, including smart and adaptive liquid microlenses actuated by stimuli-responsive hydrogels, and liquid microlenses in situ formed within microfluidic channels via pneumatic control of droplets.

  2. Dynamics of emulsification and demulsification of water in crude oil emulsions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bhardwaj, A.; Hartland, S.

    1994-05-01

    The effect of aging on the crude oil/water interface has been studied, and the slow buildup of natural surfactants present in the crude oil at the interface was observed. Interfacial tension data and microvideography were used to evaluate the buildup of surface concentration. The methodology adopted in this work permits the calculation of the actual surface excess of natural surfactants at the crude oil/water interface, without having to isolate them from the crude oil and without knowing their bulk molar concentration. The rate of adsorption of demulsifier at the interface was determined by measurement of the dynamic interfacial tension bymore » a microprocessor-controlled drop volume method apparatus. Temperature, concentration, and nature of the medium (crude oil or brine) were found to be very important parameters governing adsorption of demulsifier at the interface. Diffusion of the emulsifier to the oil/water interface was much slower when demulsifier was present in the oil phase than when it was present in the water phase.« less

  3. Determination of Surface Tension of Surfactant Solutions through Capillary Rise Measurements: An Image-Processing Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huck-Iriart, Cristia´n; De-Candia, Ariel; Rodriguez, Javier; Rinaldi, Carlos

    2016-01-01

    In this work, we described an image processing procedure for the measurement of surface tension of the air-liquid interface using isothermal capillary action. The experiment, designed for an undergraduate course, is based on the analysis of a series of solutions with diverse surfactant concentrations at different ionic strengths. The objective of…

  4. On the physically based modeling of surface tension and moving contact lines with dynamic contact angles on the continuum scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huber, M.; Keller, F.; Säckel, W.; Hirschler, M.; Kunz, P.; Hassanizadeh, S. M.; Nieken, U.

    2016-04-01

    The description of wetting phenomena is a challenging problem on every considerable length-scale. The behavior of interfaces and contact lines on the continuum scale is caused by intermolecular interactions like the Van der Waals forces. Therefore, to describe surface tension and the resulting dynamics of interfaces and contact lines on the continuum scale, appropriate formulations must be developed. While the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) model is well-engineered for the description of interfaces, there is still a lack of treatment of contact lines, which are defined by the intersection of an ending fluid interface and a solid boundary surface. In our approach we use a balance equation for the contact line and extend the Navier-Stokes equations in analogy to the extension of a two-phase interface in the CSF model. Since this model depicts a physically motivated approach on the continuum scale, no fitting parameters are introduced and the deterministic description leads to a dynamical evolution of the system. As verification of our theory, we show a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model and simulate the evolution of droplet shapes and their corresponding contact angles.

  5. Numerical study of hydrophobic micron particle's impaction on liquid surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ji, Bingqiang; Song, Qiang; Yao, Qiang

    2017-07-01

    In this study, a simulation method is established for the impaction of micron particles on liquid surfaces, by which the processes of two impaction modes (submergence and oscillation) are studied. The submergence is found to go through three stages, each of which shows different characteristics of particle velocity and gas-liquid interface variance. The dominant forces of the early and late times of the submergence mode are hydrodynamic force and surface tension, respectively, the accumulated work of which is in the same order. The lost particle kinetic energy is converted to the surface energy of the interfaces, the internal energy and the kinetic energy of fluids. The primary part of the oscillation is the first cycle, and the characteristics of its sinking process are similar to that of the submergence. In the reverting stage, the particle rising velocity increases first and then decreases, and the cavity retracts until the gas-liquid interface flattens. The dominant forces of the early and late times of the reverting stage are surface tension and hydrodynamic force, respectively. The positive accumulated work of surface tension on the particle is considerably limited due to the large contact angle hysteresis at the early times of the reverting stage. The negative accumulated work of the hydrodynamic force on the particle at the late times causes a fast decrease in particle kinetic energy, which leads to particle floating on the gas-liquid interface. The results are helpful in understanding the mechanism of micron particle impaction and developing the prediction method of attachment efficiency.

  6. On the universality of Marangoni-driven spreading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Visser, Claas; van Capelleveen, Bram; Koldeweij, Robin; Lohse, Detlef

    2017-11-01

    When two liquids of different surface tensions come into contact, the liquid with lower surface tension spreads over the other. Here we measure the dynamics of this Marangoni-driven spreading in the drop-drop geometry, revealing universal behavior with respect to the control parameters as well as other geometries (such as spreading over a flat interface). The distance L over which the low-surface-tension liquid has covered the high-surface-tension droplet is measured as a function of time t, surface tension difference between the liquids Δσ , and viscosity η, revealing power-law behavior L(t) tα . The exponent α is discussed for the early and late spreading regimes. Spreading inhibition is observed at high viscosity, for which the threshold is discussed. Finally, we show that our results collapse onto a single curve of dimensionless L(t) as a function of dimensionless time, which also captures previous results for different geometries, surface tension modifiers, and miscibility. As this curve spans 7 orders of magnitude, Marangoni-induced spreading can be considered a universal phenomenon for many practically encountered liquid-liquid systems.

  7. Surfactant Effect on Hydrate Crystallization at the Oil-Water Interface.

    PubMed

    Dann, Kevin; Rosenfeld, Liat

    2018-05-29

    Gas hydrates pose economic and environmental risks to the oil and gas industry when plug formation occurs in pipelines. A novel approach was applied to understand cyclopentane clathrate hydrate formation in the presence of nonionic surfactant to achieve hydrate inhibition at low percent weight compared to thermodynamic inhibitors. The hydrate-inhibiting performance of low (CMC) concentrations of Span 20, Span 80, Pluronic L31, and Tween 65 at 2 °C on a manually nucleated 2 μL droplet showed a morphological shift in crystallization from planar shell growth to conical growth. Monitoring the internal pressure of the water droplet undergoing hydrate crystallization provides information on the change in interfacial tension during the crystallization process. The results of this study will provide information on the surfactant effect on hydrate crystallization and inhibition. At low surfactant concentrations (below CMC), a planar hydrate crystal was formed. Decreasing interfacial tension was observed, which can be related to the shrinking area of the water-cyclopentane interface. At high surfactant concentration, the crystal morphology was shifted to conical. Interfacial tension measurements reveal oscillations of the interfacial tension during the crystallization process. The oscillations of the interfacial tension result from the fact that once the crystal has reached a critical size a portion of the cone breaks free from the droplet surface, which results in a sudden increase in the available surface for the surfactant molecules. Hence, a temporary increase in the interfacial tension can be observed. The oscillatory behavior of the interfacial tension is a result of the growth and release of the hydrate cones from the surface of the droplet. We have found that the most efficient surfactant in hydrate inhibition would be the one with HLB closest to 10 (equal hydrophilic-hydrophobic parts). In this way, the surfactant molecules will stay at the interface as they observe equal affinities for both the oil and water phases. Surfactant molecules that have the strongest affinity to the interface will be able to inhibit the growth of the crystal as they will force the cones to break and will not allow them to grow.

  8. Surfactant-Influenced Gas-Liquid Interfaces: Nonlinear Equation of State and Finite Surface Viscosities.

    PubMed

    Lopez; Hirsa

    2000-09-15

    A canonical flow geometry was utilized for a fundamental study of the coupling between bulk flow and a Newtonian gas-liquid interface in the presence of an insoluble surfactant. We develop a Navier-Stokes numerical model of the flow in the deep-channel surface viscometer geometry, which consists of stationary inner and outer cylinders, a floor rotating at a constant angular velocity, and an interface covered initially by a uniformly distributed surfactant. Here, the floor of the annular channel is rotated fast enough so the flow is nonlinear and drives the film toward the inner cylinder. The boundary conditions at the interface are functions of the surface tension, surface shear viscosity, and surface dilatational viscosity, as described by the Boussinesq-Scriven surface model. A physical surfactant system, namely hemicyanine, an insoluble monolayer on an air-water interface, with measured values of surface tension and surface shear viscosity versus concentration, was used in this study. We find that a surfactant front can form, depending on the Reynolds number and the initial surfactant concentration. The stress balance in the radial direction was found to be dominated by the Marangoni stress, but the azimuthal stress was only due to the surface shear viscosity. Numerical studies are presented comparing results of surfactant-influenced interface cases implementing the derived viscoelastic interfacial stress balance with those using a number of idealized stress balances, as well as a rigid no-slip surface, providing added insight into the altered dynamics that result from the presence of a surfactant monolayer. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

  9. Interaction of L-Phenylalanine with a Phospholipid Monolayer at the Water-Air Interface.

    PubMed

    Griffith, Elizabeth C; Perkins, Russell J; Telesford, Dana-Marie; Adams, Ellen M; Cwiklik, Lukasz; Allen, Heather C; Roeselová, Martina; Vaida, Veronica

    2015-07-23

    The interaction of L-phenylalanine with a 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) monolayer at the air-water interface was explored using a combination of experimental techniques and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. By means of Langmuir trough methods and Brewster angle microscopy, L-phenylalanine was shown to significantly alter the interfacial tension and the surface domain morphology of the DPPC film. In addition, confocal microscopy was used to explore the aggregation state of L-phenylalanine in the bulk aqueous phase. Finally, MD simulations were performed to gain molecular-level information on the interactions of L-phenylalanine and DPPC at the interface. Taken together, these results show that L-phenylalanine intercalates into a DPPC film at the air-water interface, thereby affecting the surface tension, phase morphology, and ordering of the DPPC film. The results are discussed in the context of biological systems and the mechanism of diseases such as phenylketonuria.

  10. A Numerical Method for Simulating the Microscopic Damage Evolution in Composites Under Uniaxial Transverse Tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhi, Jie; Zhao, Libin; Zhang, Jianyu; Liu, Zhanli

    2016-06-01

    In this paper, a new numerical method that combines a surface-based cohesive model and extended finite element method (XFEM) without predefining the crack paths is presented to simulate the microscopic damage evolution in composites under uniaxial transverse tension. The proposed method is verified to accurately capture the crack kinking into the matrix after fiber/matrix debonding. A statistical representative volume element (SRVE) under periodic boundary conditions is used to approximate the microstructure of the composites. The interface parameters of the cohesive models are investigated, in which the initial interface stiffness has a great effect on the predictions of the fiber/matrix debonding. The detailed debonding states of SRVE with strong and weak interfaces are compared based on the surface-based and element-based cohesive models. The mechanism of damage in composites under transverse tension is described as the appearance of the interface cracks and their induced matrix micro-cracking, both of which coalesce into transversal macro-cracks. Good agreement is found between the predictions of the model and the in situ experimental observations, demonstrating the efficiency of the presented model for simulating the microscopic damage evolution in composites.

  11. Experimental Investigation of the Self-Propelled Motion of a Sodium Oleate Tablet and Boat at an Oil-Water Interface.

    PubMed

    Watahiki, Yasuhito; Nomoto, Tomonori; Chiari, Luca; Toyota, Taro; Fujinami, Masanori

    2018-05-15

    The self-propelled behaviors of macroscopic inanimate objects at surfaces and interfaces are ubiquitous phenomena of fundamental interest in interface science. However, given the existence of a large variety of systems with their own inherent chemical properties, the kinematics of the self-propelled motion and the dynamics of the forces driving these systems often remain largely unknown. Here, we experimentally investigate the spontaneous motion of a sodium oleate tablet at a water-nitrobenzene interface, under nonequilibrium and global isothermal conditions, through measurements of the interfacial tension with the noninvasive, quasi-elastic laser scattering method. The sodium oleate tablet was self-propelled due to an imbalance in the interfacial tension induced by the inhomogeneous adsorption of oleate/oleic acid molecules. The kinetics of the self-propelled motion of a boat-shaped plastic sheet bearing sodium oleate tablets at a sodium oleate aqueous solution-nitrobenzene interface was also studied. The interfacial tension difference between the front and rear of the boat was quantitatively identified as the force pushing the boat forward, although the Marangoni flow due to the uneven distribution of the interfacial tension behind the boat tended to decelerate the motion.

  12. Equilibration of a polycation - anionic surfactant mixture at the water/vapor interface.

    PubMed

    Akanno, Andrew; Guzmán, Eduardo; Fernández-Peña, Laura; Llamas, Sara; Ortega, Francisco; Rubio, Ramon Gonzalez

    2018-06-01

    The adsorption of concentrated poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) - sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) mixtures at the water / vapor interface has been studied by different surface tension techniques and dilational visco-elasticity measurements. This work tries to shed light on the way in which the formation of polyelectrolyte - surfactant complexes in the bulk affects to the interfacial properties of mixtures formed by a polycation and an oppositely charged surfactant. The results are discussed in terms of a two-step adsorption-equilibration of PDADMAC - SLES complexes at the interface, with the initial stages involving the diffusion of kinetically trapped aggregates formed in the bulk to the interface followed by the dissociation and spreading of such aggregates at the interface. This latter process becomes the main contribution to the surface tension decrease. This work helps on the understanding of the most fundamental bases of the physico-chemical behavior of concentrated polyelectrolyte - surfactant mixtures which present complex bulk and interfacial interactions with interest in both basic and applied sciences.

  13. Effect of surface tension anisotropy on cellular morphologies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcfadden, G. B.; Coriell, S. R.; Sekerka, R. F.

    1988-01-01

    A three-dimensional weakly nonlinear analysis for conditions near the onset of instability at the crystal-melt interface was carried out to second order, taking into account the effects of latent heat generation and surface-tension anisotropy of the crystal-melt interface; particular consideration was given to the growth of a cubic crystal in the 001-, 011-, and 111-line directions. Numerical calculations by McFadden et al. (1987), performed for an aluminum-chromium alloy with the assumption of a linear temperature field and an isotropic surface tension, showed that only hexagonal nodes (and not hexagonal cells) occurred near the onset of instability. The results of the present analysis indicate that the nonlinear temperature field (which occurs when thermal conductivities of the crystal and the melt are different and/or the latent heat effects are not negligible) can modify this result and, for certain alloys and processing conditions, can cause the occurrence of hexagonal cells near the onset of instability.

  14. A nonpolar, nonamphiphilic molecule can accelerate adsorption of phospholipids and lower their surface tension at the air/water interface.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Phuc Nghia; Trinh Dang, Thuan Thao; Waton, Gilles; Vandamme, Thierry; Krafft, Marie Pierre

    2011-10-04

    The adsorption dynamics of a series of phospholipids (PLs) at the interface between an aqueous solution or dispersion of the PL and a gas phase containing the nonpolar, nonamphiphilic linear perfluorocarbon perfluorohexane (PFH) was studied by bubble profile analysis tensiometry. The PLs investigated were dioctanoylphosphatidylcholine (DiC(8)-PC), dilaurylphosphatidylcholine, dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine, and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. The gas phase consisted of air or air saturated with PFH. The perfluorocarbon gas was found to have an unexpected, strong effect on both the adsorption rate and the equilibrium interfacial tension (γ(eq)) of the PLs. First, for all of the PLs, and at all concentrations investigated, the γ(eq) values were significantly lower (by up to 10 mN m(-1)) when PFH was present in the gas phase. The efficacy of PFH in decreasing γ(eq) depends on the ability of PLs to form micelles or vesicles in water. For vesicles, it also depends on the gel or fluid state of the membranes. Second, the adsorption rates of all the PLs at the interface (as assessed by the time required for the initial interfacial tension to be reduced by 30%) are significantly accelerated (by up to fivefold) by the presence of PFH for the lower PL concentrations. Both the surface-tension reducing effect and the adsorption rate increasing effect establish that PFH has a strong interaction with the PL monolayer and acts as a cosurfactant at the interface, despite the absence of any amphiphilic character. Fitting the adsorption profiles of DiC(8)-PC at the PFH-saturated air/aqueous solution interface with the modified Frumkin model indicated that the PFH molecule lay horizontally at the interface. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Surface thermodynamics of planar, cylindrical, and spherical vapour-liquid interfaces of water

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lau, Gabriel V.; Müller, Erich A.; Jackson, George

    2015-03-21

    The test-area (TA) perturbation approach has been gaining popularity as a methodology for the direct computation of the interfacial tension in molecular simulation. Though originally implemented for planar interfaces, the TA approach has also been used to analyze the interfacial properties of curved liquid interfaces. Here, we provide an interpretation of the TA method taking the view that it corresponds to the change in free energy under a transformation of the spatial metric for an affine distortion. By expressing the change in configurational energy of a molecular configuration as a Taylor expansion in the distortion parameter, compact relations are derivedmore » for the interfacial tension and its energetic and entropic components for three different geometries: planar, cylindrical, and spherical fluid interfaces. While the tensions of the planar and cylindrical geometries are characterized by first-order changes in the energy, that of the spherical interface depends on second-order contributions. We show that a greater statistical uncertainty is to be expected when calculating the thermodynamic properties of a spherical interface than for the planar and cylindrical cases, and the evaluation of the separate entropic and energetic contributions poses a greater computational challenge than the tension itself. The methodology is employed to determine the vapour-liquid interfacial tension of TIP4P/2005 water at 293 K by molecular dynamics simulation for planar, cylindrical, and spherical geometries. A weak peak in the curvature dependence of the tension is observed in the case of cylindrical threads of condensed liquid at a radius of about 8 Å, below which the tension is found to decrease again. In the case of spherical drops, a marked decrease in the tension from the planar limit is found for radii below ∼ 15 Å; there is no indication of a maximum in the tension with increasing curvature. The vapour-liquid interfacial tension tends towards the planar limit for large system sizes for both the cylindrical and spherical cases. Estimates of the entropic and energetic contributions are also evaluated for the planar and cylindrical geometries and their magnitudes are in line with the expectations of our simple analysis.« less

  16. Exact solutions for Hele-Shaw flows with surface tension: The Schwarz-function approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vasconcelos, Giovani L.

    1993-08-01

    An alternative derivation of the two-parameter family of solutions for a Hele-Shaw flow with surface tension reported previously by Vasconcelos and Kadanoff [Phys. Rev. A 44, 6490 (1991)] is presented. The method of solution given here is based on the formalism of the Schwarz function: an ordinary differential equation for the Schwarz function of the moving interface is obtained and then solved.

  17. Equivalence of different definitions of the surface tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jug, Giancarlo; Jasnow, David

    1985-02-01

    Recently Brézin and Feng and independently Pant reported renormalization-group calculations of a universal amplitude ratio involving the surface tension, σ, defined as the free-energy difference produced by appropriate boundary conditions. Here we comment on an equivalent result obtained, within the same one-loop framework, using an alternative definition of σ involving the free-energy increment due to a macroscopic distortion of a flat interface.

  18. Effect of temperature and concentration on the surface tension of chia seed mucilage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Yuting; Arye, Gilboa

    2017-04-01

    The production of mucilage by the seed coat during hydration is a common adaptation of many different plant species. The mucilage may play many ecological roles in adaptation and seed germination in diverse environments, especially in extreme desert conditions. The major compound of the seed mucilage is polysaccharides (e.g. pectins and hemicelluloses), which makes it highly hydrophilic. Consequently, it can hydrate quickly in the presence of water; forming a gel like coating surrounding the seed. However, the seed mucilage also reported to contain small amounts of protein and lipid which may exhibit surface activity at the water-air interface. As a result, decay in the surface tension of water can be occur and consequently a reduction in soil capillary pressure. This in turn may affect the water retention and transport during seed germination. The physical properties of the seeds mucilage have been studied mainly in conjunction with its rheological properties. To the best of our knowledge, its surface activity at the water-air interface has been reported mainly in the realms of food engineering, using a robust method of extraction. The main objective of this study was to quantify the effect of temperature and concentration on the surface tension of seed mucilage. The mucilage in this study was extracted from chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds, using distilled water (1:20 w/w) by shaking for 12 h at 4°C. The extracts were freeze dried after centrifuge (5000rpm for 20min). Fresh samples of different concentrations, ranging from 0.5 to 6 mg/ml, were prepared before each surface tension measurements. The equilibrium surface tension was measured by the Wilhelmy plate method using a tensiometer (DCAT 11, Data Physics) with temperature control unit. For a given mucilage concentration, surface tension measurements carried out at 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 °C. The quantitative and thermodynamic analysis of the results will be presented and discussed.

  19. Pore-scale modeling of moving contact line problems in immiscible two-phase flow.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kucala, A.; Noble, D.; Martinez, M. J.

    2016-12-01

    Two immiscible fluids in static equilibrium form a common interface along a solid surface, characterized as the static contact (wetting) angle and is a function of surface geometry, intermolecular forces, and interfacial surface energies manifested as interfacial tension. This static configuration may become perturbed due to external force imbalances (mass injection, pressure gradients, buoyancy, etc.) and the contact line location and interface curvature becomes dynamic. Accurate modeling of moving contact line (MCL) problems is imperative in predicting capillary pressure vs. saturation curves, permeability, and preferential flow paths for a variety of applications, including geological carbon storage (GCS) and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Here, we present a model for the moving contact line using pore-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) which solves the full, time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations using the Galerkin finite-element method. The MCL is modeled as a surface traction force proportional to the surface tension, dependent on the static properties of the immiscible fluid/solid system. The moving two-phase interface is tracked using the level set method and discretized with the conformal decomposition finite element method (CDFEM), allowing for surface tension effects to be computed at the exact interface location. We present a variety of verification test cases for simple two- and three-dimensional geometries to validate the current model, including threshold pressure predictions in flows through pore-throats for a variety of wetting angles. Simulations involving more complex geometries are also presented to be used in future simulations for GCS and EOR problems. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000

  20. Dynamics of two-phase interfaces and surface tensions: A density-functional theory perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yatsyshin, Petr; Sibley, David N.; Duran-Olivencia, Miguel A.; Kalliadasis, Serafim

    2016-11-01

    Classical density functional theory (DFT) is a statistical mechanical framework for the description of fluids at the nanoscale, where the inhomogeneity of the fluid structure needs to be carefully accounted for. By expressing the grand free-energy of the fluid as a functional of the one-body density, DFT offers a theoretically consistent and computationally accessible way to obtain two-phase interfaces and respective interfacial tensions in a ternary solid-liquid-gas system. The dynamic version of DFT (DDFT) can be rigorously derived from the Smoluchowsky picture of the dynamics of colloidal particles in a solvent. It is generally agreed that DDFT can capture the diffusion-driven evolution of many soft-matter systems. In this context, we use DDFT to investigate the dynamic behaviour of two-phase interfaces in both equilibrium and dynamic wetting and discuss the possibility of defining a time-dependent surface tension, which still remains in debate. We acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council via Advanced Grant No. 247031 and from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK via Grants No. EP/L027186 and EP/L020564.

  1. Solid-liquid surface tensions of critical nuclei and nucleation barriers from a phase-field-crystal study of a model binary alloy using finite system sizes.

    PubMed

    Choudhary, Muhammad Ajmal; Kundin, Julia; Emmerich, Heike; Oettel, Martin

    2014-08-01

    Phase-field-crystal (PFC) modeling has emerged as a computationally efficient tool to address crystal growth phenomena on atomistic length and diffusive time scales. We use a two-dimensional phase-field-crystal model for a binary system based on Elder et al. [Phys. Rev. B 75, 064107 (2007)] to study critical nuclei and their liquid-solid phase boundaries, in particular the nucleus size dependence of the liquid-solid interface tension as well as of the nucleation barrier. Critical nuclei are stabilized in finite systems of various sizes, however, the extracted interface tension as function of the nucleus radius r is independent of system size. We suggest a phenomenological expression to describe the dependence of the extracted interface tension on the nucleus radius r for the liquid-solid system. Moreover, the numerical PFC results show that this dependency can not be fully described by the nonclassical Tolman formula.

  2. The Influence of Electrolytes on the Mixed Micellization of Equimolar (Monomeric and Dimeric) Surfactants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alam, Md. Sayem; Siddiq, A. Mohammed; Mandal, Asit Baran

    2018-01-01

    The influence of halide ions of (sodium salt) electrolytes on the mixed micellization of a cationic gemini (dimeric) surfactant, hexanediyl-1,6-bis(dimethylcetylammonium) bromide (16-6-16) and a cationic conventional (monomeric) surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) have been investigated. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the mixed (16-6-16+CTAB) surfactants was measured by the surface tension measurements. The surface properties: viz., the surfactant concentration required to reduce the surface tension by 20 mN/m ( C 20), the surface pressure at the CMC (ΠCMC), the maximum surface excess concentration at the air/water interface (Γmax), the minimum area per surfactant molecule at the air/water interface ( A min), etc. of the mixed micellar surfactant systems were evaluated. In the absence and presence of electrolytes, the thermodynamic parameters of the mixed micellar surfactant systems were also evaluated.

  3. Interfacial rheology of asphaltenes at oil-water interfaces and interpretation of the equation of state.

    PubMed

    Rane, Jayant P; Pauchard, Vincent; Couzis, Alexander; Banerjee, Sanjoy

    2013-04-16

    In an earlier study, oil-water interfacial tension was measured by the pendant drop technique for a range of oil-phase asphaltene concentrations and viscosities. The interfacial tension was found to be related to the relative surface coverage during droplet expansion. The relationship was independent of aging time and bulk asphaltenes concentration, suggesting that cross-linking did not occur at the interface and that only asphaltene monomers were adsorbed. The present study extends this work to measurements of interfacial rheology with the same fluids. Dilatation moduli have been measured using the pulsating droplet technique at different frequencies, different concentrations (below and above CNAC), and different aging times. Care was taken to apply the technique in conditions where viscous and inertial effects are small. The elastic modulus increases with frequency and then plateaus to an asymptotic value. The asymptotic or instantaneous elasticity has been plotted against the interfacial tension, indicating the existence of a unique relationship, between them, independent of adsorption conditions. The relationship between interfacial tension and surface coverage is analyzed with a Langmuir equation of state. The equation of state also enabled the prediction of the observed relationship between the instantaneous elasticity and interfacial tension. The fit by a simple Langmuir equation of state (EOS) suggests minimal effects of aging and of nanoaggregates or gel formation at the interface. Only one parameter is involved in the fit, which is the surface excess coverage Γ∞ = 3.2 molecules/nm(2) (31.25 Å(2)/molecule). This value appears to agree with flat-on adsorption of monomeric asphaltene structures consisting of aromatic cores composed of an average of six fused rings and supports the hypothesis that nanoaggregates do not adsorb on the interface. The observed interfacial effects of the adsorbed asphaltenes, correlated by the Langmuir EOS, are consistent with the asphaltene aggregation behavior in the bulk fluid expected from the Yen-Mullins model.

  4. Non-equilibrium phase stabilization versus bubble nucleation at a nanoscale-curved Interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schiffbauer, Jarrod; Luo, Tengfei

    Using continuum dynamic van der Waals theory in a radial 1D geometry with a Lennard-Jones fluid model, we investigate the nature of vapor bubble nucleation near a heated, nanoscale-curved convex interface. Vapor bubble nucleation and growth are observed for interfaces with sufficiently large radius of curvature while phase stabilization of a superheated fluid layer occurs at interfaces with smaller radius. The hypothesis that the high Laplace pressure required for stable equilibrium of very small bubbles is responsible for phase stability is tested by effectively varying the parameter which controls liquid-vapor surface tension. In doing so, the liquid-vapor surface tension- hence Laplace pressure-is shown to have limited effect on phase stabilization vs. bubble nucleation. However, the strong dependence of nucleation on leading-order momentum transport, i.e. viscous dissipation, near the heated inner surface is demonstrated. We gratefully acknowledge ND Energy for support through the ND Energy Postdoctoral Fellowship program and the Army Research Office, Grant No. W911NF-16-1-0267, managed by Dr. Chakrapani Venanasi.

  5. Nano- and microparticles at fluid and biological interfaces.

    PubMed

    Dasgupta, S; Auth, T; Gompper, G

    2017-09-20

    Systems with interfaces are abundant in both technological applications and biology. While a fluid interface separates two fluids, membranes separate the inside of vesicles from the outside, the interior of biological cells from the environment, and compartmentalize cells into organelles. The physical properties of interfaces are characterized by interface tension, those of membranes are characterized by bending and stretching elasticity. Amphiphilic molecules like surfactants that are added to a system with two immiscible fluids decrease the interface tension and induce a bending rigidity. Lipid bilayer membranes of vesicles can be stretched or compressed by osmotic pressure; in biological cells, also the presence of a cytoskeleton can induce membrane tension. If the thickness of the interface or the membrane is small compared with its lateral extension, both can be described using two-dimensional mathematical surfaces embedded in three-dimensional space. We review recent work on the interaction of particles with interfaces and membranes. This can be micrometer-sized particles at interfaces that stabilise emulsions or form colloidosomes, as well as typically nanometer-sized particles at membranes, such as viruses, parasites, and engineered drug delivery systems. In both cases, we first discuss the interaction of single particles with interfaces and membranes, e.g. particles in external fields, non-spherical particles, and particles at curved interfaces, followed by interface-mediated interaction between two particles, many-particle interactions, interface and membrane curvature-induced phenomena, and applications.

  6. Nano- and microparticles at fluid and biological interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dasgupta, S.; Auth, T.; Gompper, G.

    2017-09-01

    Systems with interfaces are abundant in both technological applications and biology. While a fluid interface separates two fluids, membranes separate the inside of vesicles from the outside, the interior of biological cells from the environment, and compartmentalize cells into organelles. The physical properties of interfaces are characterized by interface tension, those of membranes are characterized by bending and stretching elasticity. Amphiphilic molecules like surfactants that are added to a system with two immiscible fluids decrease the interface tension and induce a bending rigidity. Lipid bilayer membranes of vesicles can be stretched or compressed by osmotic pressure; in biological cells, also the presence of a cytoskeleton can induce membrane tension. If the thickness of the interface or the membrane is small compared with its lateral extension, both can be described using two-dimensional mathematical surfaces embedded in three-dimensional space. We review recent work on the interaction of particles with interfaces and membranes. This can be micrometer-sized particles at interfaces that stabilise emulsions or form colloidosomes, as well as typically nanometer-sized particles at membranes, such as viruses, parasites, and engineered drug delivery systems. In both cases, we first discuss the interaction of single particles with interfaces and membranes, e.g. particles in external fields, non-spherical particles, and particles at curved interfaces, followed by interface-mediated interaction between two particles, many-particle interactions, interface and membrane curvature-induced phenomena, and applications.

  7. Adsorption of the natural protein surfactant Rsn-2 onto liquid interfaces.

    PubMed

    Brandani, Giovanni B; Vance, Steven J; Schor, Marieke; Cooper, Alan; Kennedy, Malcolm W; Smith, Brian O; MacPhee, Cait E; Cheung, David L

    2017-03-22

    To stabilize foams, droplets and films at liquid interfaces a range of protein biosurfactants have evolved in nature. Compared to synthetic surfactants, these combine surface activity with biocompatibility and low solution aggregation. One recently studied example is Rsn-2, a component of the foam nest of the frog Engystomops pustulosus, which has been predicted to undergo a clamshell-like opening transition at the air-water interface. Using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and surface tension measurements we study the adsorption of Rsn-2 onto air-water and cyclohexane-water interfaces. The protein adsorbs readily at both interfaces, with adsorption mediated by the hydrophobic N-terminus. At the cyclohexane-water interface the clamshell opens, due to the favourable interaction between hydrophobic residues and cyclohexane molecules and the penetration of cyclohexane molecules into the protein core. Simulations of deletion mutants showed that removal of the N-terminus inhibits interfacial adsorption, which is consistent with the surface tension measurements. Deletion of the hydrophilic C-terminus also affects adsorption, suggesting that this plays a role in orienting the protein at the interface. The characterisation of the interfacial behaviour gives insight into the factors that control the interfacial adsorption of proteins, which may inform new applications of this and similar proteins in areas including drug delivery and food technology and may also be used in the design of synthetic molecules showing similar changes in conformation at interfaces.

  8. Linear Rayleigh-Taylor instability in an accelerated Newtonian fluid with finite width

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piriz, S. A.; Piriz, A. R.; Tahir, N. A.

    2018-04-01

    The linear theory of Rayleigh-Taylor instability is developed for the case of a viscous fluid layer accelerated by a semi-infinite viscous fluid, considering that the top interface is a free surface. Effects of the surface tensions at both interfaces are taken into account. When viscous effects dominate on surface tensions, an interplay of two mechanisms determines opposite behaviors of the instability growth rate with the thickness of the heavy layer for an Atwood number AT=1 and for sufficiently small values of AT. In the former case, viscosity is a less effective stabilizing mechanism for the thinnest layers. However, the finite thickness of the heavy layer enhances its viscous effects that, in general, prevail on the viscous effects of the semi-infinite medium.

  9. Surface activity of lipid extract surfactant in relation to film area compression and collapse.

    PubMed

    Schürch, S; Schürch, D; Curstedt, T; Robertson, B

    1994-08-01

    The physical properties of modified porcine surfactant (Curosurf), isolated from minced lungs by extraction with chloroform-methanol and further purified by liquid-gel chromatography, were investigated with the captive bubble technique. Bubble size, and thus the surface tension of an insoluble film at the bubble surface, is altered by changing the pressure within the closed bubble chamber. The film surface tension and area are determined from the shape (height and diameter) of the bubble. Adsorption of fresh Curosurf is characterized by stepwise decreases in surface tension, which can easily be observed by sudden quick movements of the bubble apex. These "adsorption clicks" imply a cooperative movement of large collective units of molecules, approximately 10(14) (corresponding to approximately 120 ng of phospholipid) or approximately 10(18) molecules/m2, into the interface during adsorption. Films formed in this manner are already highly enriched in dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine, as seen by the extremely low compressibility, close to that of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine. Near-zero minimum tensions are obtained, even at phospholipid concentrations as low as 50 micrograms/ml. During dynamic cycling (20-50 cycles/min), low minimum surface tensions, good film stability, low compressibility, and maximum surface tensions between 30 and 40 mN/m are possible only if the films are not overcompressed near zero surface tension; i.e., the overall film area compression should not substantially exceed 30%.

  10. Effect of a surface tension imbalance on a partly submerged cylinder

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Janssens, Stoffel; Chaurasia, Vikash; Fried, Eliot

    We perform a force analysis of a circular cylinder which lays between a liquid-gas interface and acts as a barrier between a surfactant-free surface and a surfactant-loaded surface. The respective surfaces have uniform surface tensions γa and γb which generate a surface tension imbalance Δγ =γa -γb , also referred to as surface pressure. In addition to the general force analysis, we determine the effect of Δγ on the load-bearing capacity of a floating cylinder upon sinking for a specific set of parameters. Moreover, we demonstrate that Δγ induces a horizontal force component which in magnitude is equal to Δγ , when measured per unit length cylinder, and use an energetic argument to prove that this relation applies to prismatic bodies in general.

  11. Let’s not forget the critical role of surface tension in xylem water relations

    Treesearch

    Jean-Christophe Domec

    2011-01-01

    The widely supported cohesion–tension theory of water transport explains the importance of a continuous water column and the mechanism of long-distance ascent of sap in plants (Dixon 1914, Tyree 2003, Angeles et al. 2004). The evaporation of water from the surfaces of mesophyll cells causes the air–water interface to retreat into the cellulose matrix of the plant cell...

  12. Effect of Surface Tension Anisotropy and Welding Parameters on Initial Instability Dynamics During Solidification: A Phase-Field Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Fengyi; Wei, Yanhong

    2018-05-01

    The effects of surface tension anisotropy and welding parameters on initial instability dynamics during gas tungsten arc welding of an Al-alloy are investigated by a quantitative phase-field model. The results show that the surface tension anisotropy and welding parameters affect the initial instability dynamics in different ways during welding. The surface tension anisotropy does not influence the solute diffusion process but does affect the stability of the solid/liquid interface during solidification. The welding parameters affect the initial instability dynamics by varying the growth rate and thermal gradient. The incubation time decreases, and the initial wavelength remains stable as the welding speed increases. When welding power increases, the incubation time increases and the initial wavelength slightly increases. Experiments were performed for the same set of welding parameters used in modeling, and the results of the experiments and simulations were in good agreement.

  13. Influence of Nanosegregation on the Surface Tension of Fluorinated Ionic Liquids

    PubMed Central

    Luís, Andreia; Shimizu, Karina; Araújo, João M. M.; Carvalho, Pedro J.; Lopes-da-Silva, José A.; Canongia Lopes, José N.; Rebelo, Luís Paulo N.; Coutinho, João A. P.; Freire, Mara G.; Pereiro, Ana B.

    2017-01-01

    We have investigated, both theoretically and experimentally, the balance between the presence of alkyl and perfluoroalkyl side chains on the surface organization and surface tension of fluorinated ionic liquids (FILs). A series of ILs composed of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations ([CnC1im] with n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12) combined with the perfluorobutanesulfonate anion was used. The surface tensions of the investigated liquid salts are considerably lower than those reported for non-fluorinated ionic liquids. The most surprising and striking feature was the identification, for the first time, of a minimum at n = 8 in the surface tension versus the length of the IL cation alkyl side chain. Supported by molecular dynamic simulations it was found that this trend is a result of the competition between the two nonpolar domains (perfluorinated and aliphatic) on pointing towards the gas-liquid interface, a phenomenon which occurs in ionic liquids with perfluorinated anions. Furthermore, these ionic liquids present the lowest surface entropy reported to date. PMID:27218210

  14. On Energy Inequality for the Problem on the Evolution of Two Fluids of Different Types Without Surface Tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Denisova, Irina Vlad.

    2015-03-01

    The paper deals with the motion of two immiscible viscous fluids in a container, one of the fluids being compressible while another one being incompressible. The interface between the fluids is an unknown closed surface where surface tension is neglected. We assume the compressible fluid to be barotropic, the pressure being given by an arbitrary smooth increasing function. This problem is considered in anisotropic Sobolev-Slobodetskiǐ spaces. We show that the L 2-norms of the velocity and deviation of compressible fluid density from the mean value decay exponentially with respect to time. The proof is based on a local existence theorem (Denisova, Interfaces Free Bound 2:283-312, 2000) and on the idea of constructing a function of generalized energy, proposed by Padula (J Math Fluid Mech 1:62-77, 1999). In addition, we eliminate the restrictions for the viscosities which appeared in Denisova (Interfaces Free Bound 2:283-312, 2000).

  15. Fusion of vesicles with the air-water interface: the influence of polar head group, salt concentration, and vesicle size.

    PubMed

    Gugliotti, M; Chaimovich, H; Politi, M J

    2000-02-15

    Fusion of vesicles with the air-water interface and consequent monolayer formation has been studied as a function of temperature. Unilamellar vesicles of DMPC, DPPC, and DODAX (X=Cl(-), Br(-)) were injected into a subphase containing NaCl, and the surface pressure (tension) was recorded on a Langmuir Balance (Tensiometer) using the Wilhelmy plate (Ring) method. For the zwitterionic vesicles, plots of the initial surface pressure increase rate (surface tension decrease rate) as a function of temperature show a peak at the phase transition temperature (T(m)) of the vesicles, whereas for ionic ones they show a sharp rise. At high concentrations of NaCl, ionic DODA(Cl) vesicles seem to behave like zwitterionic ones, and the rate of fusion is higher at the T(m). The influence of size was studied comparing large DODA(Cl) vesicles with small sonicated ones, and no significant changes were found regarding the rate of fusion with the air-water interface.

  16. In situ measurement of contact angles and surface tensions of interfacial nanobubbles in ethanol aqueous solutions.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Binyu; Wang, Xingya; Wang, Shuo; Tai, Renzhong; Zhang, Lijuan; Hu, Jun

    2016-04-14

    The astonishing long lifetime and large contact angles of interfacial nanobubbles are still in hot debate despite numerous experimental and theoretical studies. One hypothesis to reconcile the two abnormalities of interfacial nanobubbles is that they have low surface tensions. However, few studies have been reported to measure the surface tensions of nanobubbles due to the lack of effective measurements. Herein, we investigate the in situ contact angles and surface tensions of individual interfacial nanobubbles immersed in different ethanol aqueous solutions using quantitative nanomechanical atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that the contact angles of nanobubbles in the studied ethanol solutions were also much larger than the corresponding macroscopic counterparts on the same substrate, and they decreased with increasing ethanol concentrations. More significantly, the surface tensions calculated were much lower than those of the gas-liquid interfaces of the solutions at the macroscopic scale but have similar tendencies with increasing ethanol concentrations. Those results are expected to be helpful in further understanding the stability of interfacial nanobubbles in complex solutions.

  17. Buckling vs. particle desorption in a particle-covered drop subject to compressive surface stresses: a simulation study.

    PubMed

    Gu, Chuan; Botto, Lorenzo

    2018-01-31

    Predicting the behaviour of particle-covered fluid interfaces under compression has implications in several fields. The surface-tension driven adhesion of particles to drops and bubbles is exploited for example to enhance the stability of foams and emulsion and develop new generation materials. When a particle-covered fluid interface is compressed, one can observe either smooth buckling or particle desorption from the interface. The microscopic mechanisms leading to the buckling-to-desorption transition are not fully understood. In this paper we simulate a spherical drop covered by a monolayer of spherical particles. The particle-covered interface is subject to time-dependent compressive surface stresses that mimic the slow deflation of the drop. The buckling-to-desorption transition depends in a non-trivial way on three non-dimensional parameters: the ratio Π s /γ of particle-induced surface pressure and bare surface tension, the ratio a/R of particle and drop radii, and the parameter f characterising the strength of adhesion of each particle to the interface. Based on the insights from the simulations, we propose a configuration diagram describing the effect of these controlling parameters. We find that particle desorption is highly correlated with a mechanical instability that produces small-scale undulations of the monolayer of the order of the particle size that grow when the surface pressure is sufficiently large. We argue that the large local curvature associated with these small undulations can produce large normal forces, enhancing the probability of desorption.

  18. Double-diffusive boundary layers along vertical free surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Napolitano, L. G.; Viviani, A.; Savino, R.

    1992-05-01

    This paper deals with double-diffusive (or thermosolutal) combined free convection, i.e., free convection due to buoyant forces (natural convection) and surface tension gradients (Marangoni convection), which are generated by volume differences and surface gradients of temperature and solute concentration. Attention is focused on boundary layers that form along a vertical liquid-gas interface, when the appropriately defined nondimensional characteristic transport numbers are large enough, in problems of thermosolutal natural and Marangoni convection, such as buoyancy and surface tension driven flows in differentially heated open cavities and liquid bridges. Classes of similar solutions are derived for each class of convection on the basis of a rigorous order of magnitude analysis. Velocity, temperature and concentration profiles are reported in the similarity plane; flow and transport properties at the liquid-gas interface (interfacial velocity, heat and mass transfer bulk coefficients) are obtained for a wide range of Prandtl and Schmidt numbers and different values of the similarity parameter.

  19. On Riemann solvers and kinetic relations for isothermal two-phase flows with surface tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rohde, Christian; Zeiler, Christoph

    2018-06-01

    We consider a sharp interface approach for the inviscid isothermal dynamics of compressible two-phase flow that accounts for phase transition and surface tension effects. Kinetic relations are frequently used to fix the mass exchange and entropy dissipation rate across the interface. The complete unidirectional dynamics can then be understood by solving generalized two-phase Riemann problems. We present new well-posedness theorems for the Riemann problem and corresponding computable Riemann solvers that cover quite general equations of state, metastable input data and curvature effects. The new Riemann solver is used to validate different kinetic relations on physically relevant problems including a comparison with experimental data. Riemann solvers are building blocks for many numerical schemes that are used to track interfaces in two-phase flow. It is shown that the new Riemann solver enables reliable and efficient computations for physical situations that could not be treated before.

  20. Two-order parameters theory of the metal-insulator phase transition kinetics in the magnetic field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubovskii, L. B.

    2018-05-01

    The metal-insulator phase transition is considered within the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau approach for the phase transition described with two coupled order parameters. One of the order parameters is the mass density which variation is responsible for the origin of nonzero overlapping of the two different electron bands and the appearance of free electron carriers. This transition is assumed to be a first-order phase one. The free electron carriers are described with the vector-function representing the second-order parameter responsible for the continuous phase transition. This order parameter determines mostly the physical properties of the metal-insulator transition and leads to a singularity of the surface tension at the metal-insulator interface. The magnetic field is involved into the consideration of the system. The magnetic field leads to new singularities of the surface tension at the metal-insulator interface and results in a drastic variation of the phase transition kinetics. A strong singularity in the surface tension results from the Landau diamagnetism and determines anomalous features of the metal-insulator transition kinetics.

  1. Thermocapillary convection in two immiscible liquid layers with free surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Doi, Takao; Koster, Jean N.

    1993-01-01

    Thermocapillary convection is studied in two immiscible liquid layers with one free surface, one liquid/liquid interface, and differential heating applied parallel to the interfaces. An analytical solution is introduced for infinite horizontal layers. The defining parameter for the flow pattern is lambda, the ratio of the temperature coefficient of the interfacial tension to that of the surface tension. Four different flow patterns exist under zero gravity conditions. 'Halt' conditions which halt the fluid motion in the lower encapsulated liquid layer have been found. A numerical experiment is carried out to study effects of vertical end walls on the double layer convection in a 2D cavity. The halt condition obtained from the analytical study is found to be valid in the limit of small Reynolds numbers. The flow in the encapsulated liquid layer can be suppressed substantially.

  2. Synthesis and Surface-Specific Analysis of Molecular Constituents Relevant to Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol Material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Be, A. G.; Upshur, M. A.; Chase, H. M.; Geiger, F.; Thomson, R. J.

    2017-12-01

    Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles formed from the oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) remain a principal, yet elusive, class of airborne particulate matter that impacts the Earth's radiation budget. Given the characteristic molecular complexity comprising biogenic SOA particles, chemical information selective to the gas-aerosol interface may be valuable in the investigation of such systems, as surface considerations likely dictate the phenomena driving particle evolution mechanisms and climate effects. In particular, cloud activation processes may be parameterized using the surface tension depression that coincides with partitioning of surface-active organic species to the gas-droplet interface. However, the extent to which surface chemical processes, such as cloud droplet condensation, are influenced by the chemical structure and reactivity of individual surface-active molecules in SOA particles is largely unknown. We seek to study terpene-derived organic species relevant to the surfaces of biogenic SOA particles via synthesis of putative oxidation products followed by analysis using surface-selective physicochemical measurements. Using dynamic surface tension measurements, considerable differences are observed in the surface tension depression of aqueous pendant droplets that contain synthetically prepared ozonolysis products derived from abundant terpene precursors. Furthermore, sum frequency generation spectroscopy is utilized for comparison of the surface vibrational spectral responses of synthesized reference compounds with those observed for laboratory aerosol toward probing the surface composition of SOA material. Such ongoing findings highlight the underlying importance of molecular structure and reactivity when considering the surface chemistry of biogenic terpene-derived atmospheric aerosols.

  3. The adsorption properties of short chain alcohols and Triton X-100 mixtures at the water-air interface.

    PubMed

    Zdziennicka, Anna

    2009-07-15

    The adsorption behaviour at the water-air interface of aqueous solutions of Triton X-100 and methanol (ethanol) mixtures at constant Triton X-100 (TX-100) concentration equal to 10(-7), 10(-6), 10(-5), 10(-4), 6x10(-4) and 10(-3)M, respectively, in a wide range of alcohol concentration was investigated by surface tension measurements of solutions. The obtained values of the surface tension of aqueous solutions of "pure" methanol and ethanol and their mixtures with TX-100, as well as the values of propanol solutions and their mixtures with TX-100 as a function of alcohol concentration taken from the literature were compared with those calculated from the Szyszkowski, Connors and Fainerman and Miller equations. On the basis of this comparison it was stated that these equations can be useful for description of the solution surface tension in the wide range of alcohol concentration, but only at the concentrations of Triton X-100 corresponding to its unsaturated layer in the absence of alcohol. It was also stated that the Connors equation is more adequate for concentrated aqueous organic solutions. The measured values of the surface tension were used in the Gibbs equation to determine the surface excess concentration of Triton X-100 and alcohol. Next, on the basis of Gibbs adsorption isotherms those of Guggenheim and Adam and real adsorption isotherms were established. From the obtained adsorption isotherms it results that alcohol influences the shape of TX-100 isotherms in the whole range of alcohol and TX-100 concentration, but TX-100 influences the alcohol isotherms only at TX-100 concentration at which the saturated monolayer at the solution-air interface is formed in the absence of alcohol. This conclusion was confirmed by analysis of the composition of the surface layer in comparison to the composition of the bulk phase in the equilibrium state.

  4. Understanding the Impact of Model Surfactants on Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity of Sea Spray Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forestieri, S.; Cappa, C. D.; Ruehl, C. R.; Bertram, T. H.; Staudt, S.; Kuborn, T.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosol impacts on cloud properties, also known as indirect effects, remain a major source of uncertainty in modeling global radiative forcing. Reducing this uncertainty necessitates better understanding of how aerosol chemical composition impacts the cloud-forming ability of aerosols. The presence of surfactants in aerosols can decrease the surface tension of activating droplets relative to water and lead to more efficient activation. The importance of this effect has been debated, but recent surface tension measurements of microscopic droplets indicate that surface tension is substantially depressed relative to water for lab-generated particles consisting of salt and a single organic species and for complex mixtures of organic matter. However, little work has been done on understanding how chemical complexity (i.e. interaction between different surfactant species) impacts surface tension for particles containing mixtures of surfactants. In this work, we quantified the surface tension of lab-generated aerosols containing surfactants that are commonly found in nascent sea spray aerosol (SSA) at humidities close to activation using a continuous flow stream-wise thermal gradient chamber (CFSTGC). Surface tension was quantified for particles containing single surfactant species and mixtures of these surfactants to investigate the role of chemical complexity on surface tension and molecular packing at the air-water interface. For all surfactants tested in this study, substantial surface tension depression (20-40 mN/m) relative to water was observed for particles containing large fractions of organic matter at humidities just below activation. However, the presence of these surfactants only weakly depressed surface tension at activation. Kinetic limitations were observed for particles coated with just palmitic acid, since palmitic acid molecules inhibit water uptake through their ability to pack tightly at the surface. However, these kinetic limitations disappeared when palmitic acid was mixed with oleic acid, indicating a disruption in packing. The impact of oxidation on droplet surface tension will also be discussed.

  5. Modeling of multiple equilibria in the self-aggregation of di-n-decyldimethylammonium chloride/octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether/cyclodextrin ternary systems.

    PubMed

    Leclercq, Loïc; Lubart, Quentin; Aubry, Jean-Marie; Nardello-Rataj, Véronique

    2013-05-28

    The surface tension equations of binary surfactant mixtures (di-n-decyldimethylammonium chloride and octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether) are established by combining the Szyszkowski equation of surfactant solutions, the ideal or nonideal mixing theory, and the phase separation model. For surfactant mixtures, the surface tension at the air-water interface is calculated using nonideal theory due to synergism between the two adsorbed surfactant types. The incorporation of cyclodextrin complexation model to the surface tension equations gives a robust model for the description of the surface tension isotherms of binary, ternary, and more complex systems involving numerous inclusion complexes. The surface tension data obtained experimentally shows excellent agreement with the theoretical model below and above the formation of micelles. The strong synergistic effect observed between the two surfactants is disrupted by the presence of CDs, leading to ideal behavior of ternary systems. Indeed, depending on the nature of the cyclodextrin (i.e., α, β, or γ), which allows a tuning of the cavity size, the binding constants with the surfactants are modified as well as the surface properties due to strong modification of equilibria involved in the ternary mixture.

  6. Molecular-Scale Description of SPAN80 Desorption from a Squalane-Water Interface.

    PubMed

    Tan, L; Pratt, L R; Chaudhari, M I

    2018-04-05

    Extensive all-atom molecular dynamics calculations on the water-squalane interface for nine different loadings with sorbitan monooleate (SPAN80), at T = 300 K, are analyzed for the surface tension equation of state, desorption free-energy profiles as they depend on loading, and to evaluate escape times for adsorbed SPAN80 into the bulk phases. These results suggest that loading only weakly affects accommodation of a SPAN80 molecule by this squalane-water interface. Specifically, the surface tension equation of state is simple through the range of high tension to high loading studied, and the desorption free-energy profiles are weakly dependent on loading here. The perpendicular motion of the centroid of the SPAN80 headgroup ring is well-described by a diffusional model near the minimum of the desorption free-energy profile. Lateral diffusional motion is weakly dependent on loading. Escape times evaluated on the basis of a diffusional model and the desorption free energies are 7 × 10 -2 s (into the squalane) and 3 × 10 2 h (into the water). The latter value is consistent with desorption times of related lab-scale experimental work.

  7. Direct in situ measurement of specific capacitance, monolayer tension, and bilayer tension in a droplet interface bilayer

    DOE PAGES

    Taylor, Graham J.; Venkatesan, Guru A.; Collier, C. Patrick; ...

    2015-08-05

    In this study, thickness and tension are important physical parameters of model cell membranes. However, traditional methods to measure these quantities require multiple experiments using separate equipment. This work introduces a new multi-step procedure for directly accessing in situ multiple physical properties of droplet interface bilayers (DIB), including specific capacitance (related to thickness), lipid monolayer tension in the Plateau-Gibbs border, and bilayer tension. The procedure employs a combination of mechanical manipulation of bilayer area followed by electrowetting of the capacitive interface to examine the sensitivities of bilayer capacitance to area and contact angle to voltage, respectively. These data allow formore » determining the specific capacitance of the membrane and surface tension of the lipid monolayer, which are then used to compute bilayer thickness and tension, respectively. The use of DIBs affords accurate optical imaging of the connected droplets in addition to electrical measurements of bilayer capacitance, and it allows for reversibly varying bilayer area. After validating the accuracy of the technique with diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPhPC) DIBs in hexadecane, the method is applied herein to quantify separately the effects on membrane thickness and tension caused by varying the solvent in which the DIB is formed and introducing cholesterol into the bilayer. Because the technique relies only on capacitance measurements and optical images to determine both thickness and tension, this approach is specifically well-suited for studying the effects of peptides, biomolecules, natural and synthetic nanoparticles, and other species that accumulate within membranes without altering bilayer conductance.« less

  8. Mass transport in micellar surfactant solutions: 2. Theoretical modeling of adsorption at a quiescent interface.

    PubMed

    Danov, K D; Kralchevsky, P A; Denkov, N D; Ananthapadmanabhan, K P; Lips, A

    2006-01-31

    Here, we apply the detailed theoretical model of micellar kinetics from part 1 of this study to the case of surfactant adsorption at a quiescent interface, i.e., to the relaxation of surface tension and adsorption after a small initial perturbation. Our goal is to understand why for some surfactant solutions the surface tension relaxes as inverse-square-root of time, 1/t(1/2), but two different expressions for the characteristic relaxation time are applicable to different cases. In addition, our aim is to clarify why for other surfactant solutions the surface tension relaxes exponentially. For this goal, we carried out a computer modeling of the adsorption process, based on the general system of equations derived in part 1. This analysis reveals the existence of four different consecutive relaxation regimes (stages) for a given micellar solution: two exponential regimes and two inverse-square-root regimes, following one after another in alternating order. Experimentally, depending on the specific surfactant and method, one usually registers only one of these regimes. Therefore, to interpret properly the data, one has to identify which of these four kinetic regimes is observed in the given experiment. Our numerical results for the relaxation of the surface tension, micelle concentration and aggregation number are presented in the form of kinetic diagrams, which reveal the stages of the relaxation process. At low micelle concentrations, "rudimentary" kinetic diagrams could be observed, which are characterized by merging of some stages. Thus, the theoretical modeling reveals a general and physically rich picture of the adsorption process. To facilitate the interpretation of experimental data, we have derived convenient theoretical expressions for the time dependence of surface tension and adsorption in each of the four regimes.

  9. Stability of a chemically active floating disk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vandadi, Vahid; Jafari Kang, Saeed; Rothstein, Jonathan; Masoud, Hassan

    2017-11-01

    We theoretically study the translational stability of a chemically active disk located at a flat liquid-gas interface. The initially immobile circular disk uniformly releases an interface-active agent that locally changes the surface tension and is insoluble in the bulk. If left unperturbed, the stationary disk remains motionless as the agent is discharged. Neglecting the inertial effects, we numerically test whether a perturbation in the translational velocity of the disk can lead to its spontaneous and self-sustained motion. Such a perturbation gives rise to an asymmetric distribution of the released factor that could trigger and sustain the Marangoni propulsion of the disk. An implicit Fourier-Chebyshev spectral method is employed to solve the advection-diffusion equation for the concentration of the active agent. The solution, given a linear equation of state for the surface tension, provides the shear stress distribution at the interface. This and the no-slip condition on the wetted surface of the disk are then used at each time step to semi-analytically determine the Stokes flow in the semi-infinite liquid layer. Overall, the findings of our investigation pave the way for pinpointing the conditions under which interface-bound active particles become dynamically unstable.

  10. Modeling Evaporation and Particle Assembly in Colloidal Droplets.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Mingfei; Yong, Xin

    2017-06-13

    Evaporation-induced assembly of nanoparticles in a drying droplet is of great importance in many engineering applications, including printing, coating, and thin film processing. The investigation of particle dynamics in evaporating droplets can provide fundamental hydrodynamic insight for revealing the processing-structure relationship in the particle self-organization induced by solvent evaporation. We develop a free-energy-based multiphase lattice Boltzmann method coupled with Brownian dynamics to simulate evaporating colloidal droplets on solid substrates with specified wetting properties. The influence of interface-bound nanoparticles on the surface tension and evaporation of a flat liquid-vapor interface is first quantified. The results indicate that the particles at the interface reduce surface tension and enhance evaporation flux. For evaporating particle-covered droplets on substrates with different wetting properties, we characterize the increase of evaporate rate via measuring droplet volume. We find that droplet evaporation is determined by the number density and circumferential distribution of interfacial particles. We further correlate particle dynamics and assembly to the evaporation-induced convection in the bulk and on the surface of droplet. Finally, we observe distinct final deposits from evaporating colloidal droplets with bulk-dispersed and interface-bound particles. In addition, the deposit pattern is also influenced by the equilibrium contact angle of droplet.

  11. Mathematical modelling of convective processes in a weld pool under electric arc surfacing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sarychev, V. D.; Granovskii, A. Yu; Nevskii, S. A.; Konovalov, S. V.

    2017-01-01

    The authors develop the mathematical model of convective processes in a molten pool under electric arc surfacing with flux-cored wire. The model is based on the ideas of how convective flows appear due to temperature gradient and action of electromagnetic forces. Influence of alloying elements in the molten metal was modeled as a non-linear dependence of surface tension upon temperature. Surface tension and its temperature coefficient were calculated according to the electron density functional method with consideration to asymmetric electron distribution at the interface “molten metal / shielding gas”. Simultaneous solution of Navier-Stokes and Maxwell equations according to finite elements method with consideration to the moving heat source at the interface showed that there is a multi-vortex structure in the molten metal. This structure gives rise to a downward heat flux which, at the stage of heating, moves from the centre of the pool and stirs it full width. At the cooling stage this flux moves towards the centre of the pool and a single vortex is formed near the symmetry centre. This flux penetration is ∼ 10 mm. Formation of the downward heat flux is determined by sign reversal of the temperature coefficient of surface tension due to the presence of alloying elements.

  12. Interfacial Tension and Surface Pressure of High Density Lipoprotein, Low Density Lipoprotein, and Related Lipid Droplets

    PubMed Central

    Ollila, O. H. Samuli; Lamberg, Antti; Lehtivaara, Maria; Koivuniemi, Artturi; Vattulainen, Ilpo

    2012-01-01

    Lipid droplets play a central role in energy storage and metabolism on a cellular scale. Their core is comprised of hydrophobic lipids covered by a surface region consisting of amphiphilic lipids and proteins. For example, high and low density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL, respectively) are essentially lipid droplets surrounded by specific proteins, their main function being to transport cholesterol. Interfacial tension and surface pressure of these particles are of great interest because they are related to the shape and the stability of the droplets and to protein adsorption at the interface. Here we use coarse-grained molecular-dynamics simulations to consider a number of related issues by calculating the interfacial tension in protein-free lipid droplets, and in HDL and LDL particles mimicking physiological conditions. First, our results suggest that the curvature dependence of interfacial tension becomes significant for particles with a radius of ∼5 nm, when the area per molecule in the surface region is <1.4 nm2. Further, interfacial tensions in the used HDL and LDL models are essentially unaffected by single apo-proteins at the surface. Finally, interfacial tensions of lipoproteins are higher than in thermodynamically stable droplets, suggesting that HDL and LDL are kinetically trapped into a metastable state. PMID:22995496

  13. Measurements of Submicron Particle Adsorption and Particle Film Elasticity at Oil-Water Interfaces.

    PubMed

    Manga, Mohamed S; Hunter, Timothy N; Cayre, Olivier J; York, David W; Reichert, Matthew D; Anna, Shelly L; Walker, Lynn M; Williams, Richard A; Biggs, Simon R

    2016-05-03

    The influence of particle adsorption on liquid/liquid interfacial tension is not well understood, and much previous research has suggested conflicting behaviors. In this paper we investigate the surface activity and adsorption kinetics of charge stabilized and pH-responsive polymer stabilized colloids at oil/water interfaces using two tensiometry techniques: (i) pendant drop and (ii) microtensiometer. We found, using both techniques, that charge stabilized particles had little or no influence on the (dynamic) interfacial tension, although dense silica particles affected the "apparent" measured tension in the pendent drop, due to gravity driven elongation of the droplet profile. Nevertheless, this apparent change additionally allowed the study of adsorption kinetics, which was related qualitatively between particle systems by estimated diffusion coefficients. Significant and real interfacial tension responses were measured using ∼53 nm core-shell latex particles with a pH-responsive polymer stabilizer of poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (pMMA-b-pDMAEMA) diblock copolymer. At pH 2, where the polymer is strongly charged, behavior was similar to that of the bare charge-stabilized particles, showing little change in the interfacial tension. At pH 10, where the polymer is discharged and poorly soluble in water, a significant decrease in the measured interfacial tension commensurate with strong adsorption at the oil-water interface was seen, which was similar in magnitude to the surface activity of the free polymer. These results were both confirmed through droplet profile and microtensiometry experiments. Dilational elasticity measurements were also performed by oscillation of the droplet; again, changes in interfacial tension with droplet oscillation were only seen with the responsive particles at pH 10. Frequency sweeps were performed to ascertain the dilational elasticity modulus, with measured values being significantly higher than previously reported for nanoparticle and surfactant systems, and similar in magnitude to protein stabilized droplets.

  14. A micro surface tension pump (MISPU) in a glass microchip.

    PubMed

    Peng, Xing Yue Larry

    2011-01-07

    A non-membrane micro surface tension pump (MISPU) was fabricated on a glass microchip by one-step glass etching. It needs no material other than glass and is driven by digital gas pressure. The MISPU can be seen working like a piston pump inside the glass microchip under a microscope. The design of the valves (MISVA) and pistons (MISTON) was based on the surface tension theory of the micro surface tension alveolus (MISTA). The digital gas pressure controls the moving gas-liquid interface to open or close the input and output MISVAs to refill or drive the MISTON for pumping a liquid. Without any moving parts, a MISPU is a kind of long-lasting micro pump for micro chips that does not lose its water pumping efficiency over a 20-day period. The volumetric pump output varied from 0 to 10 nl s(-1) when the pump cycle time decreased from 5 min to 15 s. The pump head pressure was 1 kPa.

  15. Effect of surface charge density on the affinity of oxide nanoparticles for the vapor-water interface.

    PubMed

    Brown, Matthew A; Duyckaerts, Nicolas; Redondo, Amaia Beloqui; Jordan, Inga; Nolting, Frithjof; Kleibert, Armin; Ammann, Markus; Wörner, Hans Jakob; van Bokhoven, Jeroen A; Abbas, Zareen

    2013-04-23

    Using in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at the vapor-water interface, the affinity of nanometer-sized silica colloids to adsorb at the interface is shown to depend on colloid surface charge density. In aqueous suspensions at pH 10 corrected Debye-Hückel theory for surface complexation calculations predict that smaller silica colloids have increased negative surface charge density that originates from enhanced screening of deprotonated silanol groups (≡Si-O(-)) by counterions in the condensed ion layer. The increased negative surface charge density results in an electrostatic repulsion from the vapor-water interface that is seen to a lesser extent for larger particles that have a reduced charge density in the XPS measurements. We compare the results and interpretation of the in-situ XPS and corrected Debye-Hückel theory for surface complexation calculations with traditional surface tension measurements. Our results show that controlling the surface charge density of colloid particles can regulate their adsorption to the interface between two dielectrics.

  16. How nanobubbles lose stability: Effects of surfactants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiao, Qianxiang; Liu, Yawei; Guo, Zhenjiang; Liu, Zhiping; Zhang, Xianren

    2017-09-01

    In contrast to stability theories of nanobubbles, the molecular mechanism of how nanobubbles lose stability is far from being understood. In this work, we try to interpret recent experimental observations that the addition of surfactants destabilizes nanobubbles with an unclear mechanism. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we identify two surfactant-induced molecular mechanisms for nanobubbles losing stability, either through depinning of a contact line or reducing vapor-liquid surface tension. One corresponds to the case with significant adsorption of surfactants on the substrates, which causes depinning of the nanobubble contact line and thus leads to nanobubble instability. The other stresses surfactant adsorption on the vapor-liquid interface of nanobubbles, especially for insoluble surfactants, which reduces the surface tension of the interface and leads to an irreversible liquid-to-vapor phase transition. Our finding can help improve our understanding in nanobubble stability, and the insight presented here has implications for surface nanobubbles involving with other amphiphilic molecules, such as proteins and contaminations.

  17. Molecular Dynamics Study of the Bulk and Interface Properties of Frother and Oil with Saltwater and Air

    DOE PAGES

    Chong, Leebyn; Lai, Yungchieh; Gray, McMahan; ...

    2017-03-15

    For water treatment purposes, the separation processes involving surfactants and crude oil at seawater-air interfaces are of importance for chemical and energy industries. Little progress has been made in understanding the nanoscale phenomena of surfactants on oily saltwater-air interfaces. This work focuses on using molecular dynamics with a united-atom force field to simulate the interface of linear alkane oil, saltwater, and air with three surfactant frothers: methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC), terpineol, and ethyl glycol butyl ether (EGBE). For each frother, although the calculated diffusivities and viscosities are lower than the expected experimental values, our results showed that diffusivity trends betweenmore » each frother agree with experiments but was not suitable for viscosity. Binary combinations of liquid (frother or saltwater)-air and liquid-liquid interfaces are equilibrated to study the density profiles and interfacial tensions. The calculated surface tensions of the frothers-air interfaces are like that of oil-air, but lower than that of saltwater-air. Only MIBC-air and terpineol-air interfaces agreed with our experimental measurements. For frother-saltwater interfaces, the calculated results showed that terpineol has interfacial tensions higher than those of the MIBC-saltwater. Here, the simulated results indicated that the frother-oil systems underwent mixing such that the density profiles depicted large interfacial thicknesses.« less

  18. Molecular Dynamics Study of the Bulk and Interface Properties of Frother and Oil with Saltwater and Air

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chong, Leebyn; Lai, Yungchieh; Gray, McMahan

    For water treatment purposes, the separation processes involving surfactants and crude oil at seawater-air interfaces are of importance for chemical and energy industries. Little progress has been made in understanding the nanoscale phenomena of surfactants on oily saltwater-air interfaces. This work focuses on using molecular dynamics with a united-atom force field to simulate the interface of linear alkane oil, saltwater, and air with three surfactant frothers: methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC), terpineol, and ethyl glycol butyl ether (EGBE). For each frother, although the calculated diffusivities and viscosities are lower than the expected experimental values, our results showed that diffusivity trends betweenmore » each frother agree with experiments but was not suitable for viscosity. Binary combinations of liquid (frother or saltwater)-air and liquid-liquid interfaces are equilibrated to study the density profiles and interfacial tensions. The calculated surface tensions of the frothers-air interfaces are like that of oil-air, but lower than that of saltwater-air. Only MIBC-air and terpineol-air interfaces agreed with our experimental measurements. For frother-saltwater interfaces, the calculated results showed that terpineol has interfacial tensions higher than those of the MIBC-saltwater. Here, the simulated results indicated that the frother-oil systems underwent mixing such that the density profiles depicted large interfacial thicknesses.« less

  19. Surfactant Facilitated Spreading of Aqueous Drops on Hydrophobic Surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumar, Nitin; Couzis, Alex; Maldareili, Charles; Singh, Bhim (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Microgravity technologies often require aqueous phases to spread over nonwetting hydrophobic solid surfaces. Surfactants facilitate the wetting of water on hydrophobic surfaces by adsorbing on the water/air and hydrophobic solid/water interfaces and lowering the surface tensions of these interfaces. The tension reductions decrease the contact angle, which increases the equilibrium wetted area. Hydrocarbon surfactants; (i.e., amphiphiles with a hydrophobic moiety consisting of an extended chain of (aliphatic) methylene -CH2- groups attached to a large polar group to give aqueous solubility) are capable of reducing the contact angles on surfaces which are not very hydrophobic, but do not reduce significantly the contact angles of the very hydrophobic surfaces such as parafilm, polyethylene or self assembled monolayers. Trisiloxane surfactants (amphiphiles with a hydrophobe consisting of methyl groups linked to a trisiloxane backbone in the form of a disk ((CH3)3-Si-O-Si-O-Si(CH3)3) and an extended ethoxylate (-(OCH2CH2)a-) polar group in the form of a chain with four or eight units) can significantly reduce the contact angle of water on a very hydrophobic surface and cause rapid and complete (or nearly complete) spreading (termed superspreading). The overall goal of the research described in this proposal is to establish and verify a theory for how trisiloxanes cause superspreading, and then use this knowledge as a guide to developing more general hydrocarbon based surfactant systems which superspread. We propose that the trisiloxane surfactants superspread because their structure allows them to strongly lower the high hydrophobic solid/aqueous tension when they adsorb to the solid surface. When the siloxane adsorbs, the hydrophobic disk parts of the molecule adsorb onto the surface removing the surface water. Since the cross-sectional area of the disk is larger than that of the extended ethoxylate chain, the disks can form a space-filling mat on the surface which removes a significant amount of the surface water. In this presentation, we report the results of measurements of the molecular packing and rates of kinetic exchange of the trisiloxane surfactants at the air/water interface in order to confirm our picture of trisiloxane packing, and provide additional insight into the superspreading process. We used the pendant bubble technique as a Langmuir trough to measure the trisiloxane equation of state which relates the tension to the surface concentration. From these measurements we obtain accurate values for the maximum packing density. We find that trisiloxanes with 4 and 8 ethoxylate groups have the same maximum packing concentration, indicating that the maximum packing is controlled by the cross section of the head group. For trisiloxanes with larger than eight ethoxylates, the maximum packing increases with ethoxylate number, indicating that the disposition of the ethoxylate chain (i.e., its effective size) is controlling. This supports our picture of superspreading: The superspreading ability of trisiloxanes decreases considerably for trisiloxanes with larger than eight ethoxylates; the packing measurements indicate that for the higher ethoxylate number trisiloxanes, the compact nonpolar head groups are pushed apart by the ethoxylate chain. They leave spaces of surface water on adsorption and do not lower the solid tension as much as their lower chain analogues. Finally the report measurements of the dynamic tension reduction accompanying the adsorption of trisiloxanes onto an initially clean interface using the pendant bubble technique, and we obtain from these relaxations, the equation of state and a mass transfer model, the rate constants for kinetic exchange. We find that the rate constants for desorption of trisiloxanes are generally much slower than for analogous aliphatic polyethoxylate surfactants with identical ethoxylate chain lengths. When an aqueous drop of a superspreader solution is placed on a hydrophobic surface and begins to spread, the lower desorption rates allows the tension at the drop center to remain reduced relative to the tension of the expanding periphery, thus strengthening Marangoni forces which can assist the spreading. Marangoni forces can be especially significant in the case of superspreaders because their maximum equilibrium reduction in tension is several dynes/cm lower than for aliphatic surfactants.

  20. Passive micromixer using by convection and surface tension effects with air-liquid interface.

    PubMed

    Ju, Jongil; Warrick, Jay

    2013-12-01

    This article describes a passive micromixer that utilizes an air-liquid interface and surface tension effects to enhance fluid mixing via convection and Marangoni effects. Performance of the microfluidic component is tested within a passive-pumping-based device that consists of three microchannels connected in succession using passive micro-mixers. Mixing was quantified at 5 key points along the length of the device using microscope images of patterned streams of Alexa 488 fluorescent-dyed water and pure DI water flowing through the device. The passive micro-mixer mixed fluid 15-20 times more effectively than diffusion between laminar flow streams alone and is a novel micro-mixer embodiment that provides an additional strategy for removing external components from microscale devices for simpler, autonomous operation.

  1. Passive micromixer using by convection and surface tension effects with air-liquid interface

    PubMed Central

    Ju, Jongil; Warrick, Jay

    2014-01-01

    This article describes a passive micromixer that utilizes an air-liquid interface and surface tension effects to enhance fluid mixing via convection and Marangoni effects. Performance of the microfluidic component is tested within a passive-pumping-based device that consists of three microchannels connected in succession using passive micro-mixers. Mixing was quantified at 5 key points along the length of the device using microscope images of patterned streams of Alexa 488 fluorescent-dyed water and pure DI water flowing through the device. The passive micro-mixer mixed fluid 15–20 times more effectively than diffusion between laminar flow streams alone and is a novel micro-mixer embodiment that provides an additional strategy for removing external components from microscale devices for simpler, autonomous operation. PMID:25104979

  2. Enhanced interfacial deformation in a Marangoni flow: A measure of the dynamical surface tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leite Pinto, Rodrigo; Le Roux, Sébastien; Cantat, Isabelle; Saint-Jalmes, Arnaud

    2018-02-01

    We investigate the flows and deformations resulting from the deposition of a water soluble surfactant at a bare oil-water interface. Once the surfactant is deposited, we show that the oil-water interface is deformed with a water bump rising upward into the oil. For a given oil, the maximal deformation—located at the surfactant deposition point—decreases with the oil-layer thickness. We also observe a critical oil-layer thickness below which the deformation becomes as large as the oil layer, leading to the rupture of this layer and an oil-water dewetting. Experimentally, it is found that this critical thickness depends on the oil density and viscosity. We then provide an analytical modelization that explains quantitatively all these experimental features. In particular, our analysis allows us to derive an analytical relationship between the vertical profile of the oil-water interface and the in-plane surface tension profile. Therefore, we propose that the monitoring of the interface vertical shape can be used as a new spatially resolved tensiometry technique.

  3. Understanding the destabilizing role for surface tension in planar shear flows in terms of wave interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Biancofiore, L.; Heifetz, E.; Hoepffner, J.; Gallaire, F.

    2017-10-01

    Both surface tension and buoyancy force in stable stratification act to restore perturbed interfaces back to their initial positions. Hence, both are intuitively considered as stabilizing agents. Nevertheless, the Taylor-Caulfield instability is a counterexample in which the presence of buoyancy forces in stable stratification destabilize shear flows. An explanation for this instability lies in the fact that stable stratification supports the existence of gravity waves. When two vertically separated gravity waves propagate horizontally against the shear, they may become phase locked and amplify each other to form a resonance instability. Surface tension is similar to buoyancy but its restoring mechanism is more efficient at small wavelengths. Here, we show how a modification of the Taylor-Caulfield configuration, including two interfaces between three stably stratified immiscible fluids, supports interfacial capillary gravity whose interaction yields resonance instability. Furthermore, when the three fluids have the same density, an instability arises solely due to a pure counterpropagating capillary wave resonance. The linear stability analysis predicts a maximum growth rate of the pure capillary wave instability for an intermediate value of surface tension corresponding to We-1=5 , where We denotes the Weber number. We perform direct numerical nonlinear simulation of this flow and find nonlinear destabilization when 2 ≤We-1≤10 , in good agreement with the linear stability analysis. The instability is present also when viscosity is introduced, although it is gradually damped and eventually quenched.

  4. Effect of amino acid sequence and pH on nanofiber formation of self-assembling peptides EAK16-II and EAK16-IV.

    PubMed

    Hong, Yooseong; Legge, Raymond L; Zhang, S; Chen, P

    2003-01-01

    Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and axisymmetric drop shape analysis-profile (ASDA-P) were used to investigate the mechanism of self-assembly of peptides. The peptides chosen consisted of 16 alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids, where the hydrophilic residues possess alternating negative and positive charges. Two types of peptides, AEAEAKAKAEAEAKAK (EAK16-II) and AEAEAEAEAKAKAKAK (EAK16-IV), were investigated in terms of nanostructure formation through self-assembly. The experimental results, which focused on the effects of the amino acid sequence and pH, show that the nanostructures formed by the peptides are dependent on the amino acid sequence and the pH of the solution. For pH conditions around neutrality, one of the peptides used in this study, EAK16-IV, forms globular assemblies and has lower surface tension at air-water interfaces than another peptide, EAK16-II, which forms fibrillar assemblies at the same pH. When the pH is lowered below 6.5 or raised above 7.5, there is a transition from globular to fibrillar structures for EAK16-IV, but EAK16-II does not show any structural transition. Surface tension measurements using ADSA-P showed different surface activities of peptides at air-water interfaces. EAK16-II does not show a significant difference in surface tension for the pH range between 4 and 9. However, EAK16-IV shows a noticeable decrease in surface tension at pH around neutrality, indicating that the formation of globular assemblies is related to the molecular hydrophobicity.

  5. Dynamical Modeling of Surface Tension

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brackbill, Jeremiah U.; Kothe, Douglas B.

    1996-01-01

    In a recent review it is said that free-surface flows 'represent some of the difficult remaining challenges in computational fluid dynamics'. There has been progress with the development of new approaches to treating interfaces, such as the level-set method and the improvement of older methods such as the VOF method. A common theme of many of the new developments has been the regularization of discontinuities at the interface. One example of this approach is the continuum surface force (CSF) formulation for surface tension, which replaces the surface stress given by Laplace's equation by an equivalent volume force. Here, we describe how CSF formulation might be made more useful. Specifically, we consider a derivation of the CSF equations from a minimization of surface energy as outlined by Jacqmin (1996). This reformulation suggests that if one eliminates the computation of curvature in terms of a unit normal vector, parasitic currents may be eliminated. For this reformulation to work, it is necessary that transition region thickness be controlled. Various means for this, in addition to the one discussed by Jacqmin (1996), are discussed.

  6. Dynamic Bubble Surface Tension Measurements in Northwest Atlantic Seawater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kieber, D. J.; Long, M. S.; Keene, W. C.; Kinsey, J. D.; Frossard, A. A.; Beaupre, S. R.; Duplessis, P.; Maben, J. R.; Lu, X.; Chang, R.; Zhu, Y.; Bisgrove, J.

    2017-12-01

    Numerous reports suggest that most organic matter (OM) associated with newly formed primary marine aerosol (PMA) originates from the sea-surface microlayer. However, surface-active OM rapidly adsorbs onto bubble surfaces in the water column and is ejected into the atmosphere when bubbles burst at the air-water interface. Here we present dynamic surface tension measurements of bubbles produced in near surface seawater from biologically productive and oligotrophic sites and in deep seawater collected from 2500 m in the northwest Atlantic. In all cases, the surface tension of bubble surfaces decreased within seconds after the bubbles were exposed to seawater. These observations demonstrate that bubble surfaces are rapidly saturated by surfactant material scavenged from seawater. Spatial and diel variability in bubble surface evolution indicate corresponding variability in surfactant concentrations and/or composition. Our results reveal that surface-active OM is found throughout the water column, and that at least some surfactants are not of recent biological origin. Our results also support the hypothesis that the surface microlayer is a minor to negligible source of OM associated with freshly produced PMA.

  7. Line tension of a two dimensional gas-liquid interface.

    PubMed

    Santra, Mantu; Bagchi, Biman

    2009-08-28

    In two dimensional (2D) gas-liquid systems, the reported simulation values of line tension are known to disagree with the existing theoretical estimates. We find that while the simulation erred in truncating the range of the interaction potential, and as a result grossly underestimated the actual value, the earlier theoretical calculation was also limited by several approximations. When both the simulation and the theory are improved, we find that the estimate of line tension is in better agreement with each other. The small value of surface tension suggests increased influence of noncircular clusters in 2D gas-liquid nucleation, as indeed observed in a recent simulation.

  8. Surfactant effects on contact line alteration of a liquid drop in a capillary tube

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yulianti, K.; Marwati, R.

    2018-05-01

    In this paper, the effect of an insoluble surfactant on the moving contact line of an interface between two fluids filling a capillary tube is studied. The governing equations are the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with the couple of Eulerian fluid variables and Lagrangian interfacial markers. In our model, capillary force plays a role in the fluids motion. Here, we propose that besides lowering the interfacial tension which affects the capillary force, the surfactant also decreases the surface tension between fluids and a solid surface. That condition is applied to the unbalanced Young condition at the contact line. The front-tracking method is used to solve numerically the free boundary motion of the interface. Results show that the surfactant has a significant effect on the motion of the contact line.

  9. Dry-Surface Simulation Method for the Determination of the Work of Adhesion of Solid-Liquid Interfaces.

    PubMed

    Leroy, Frédéric; Müller-Plathe, Florian

    2015-08-04

    We introduce a methodology, referred to as the dry-surface method, to calculate the work of adhesion of heterogeneous solid-liquid interfaces by molecular simulation. This method employs a straightforward thermodynamic integration approach to calculate the work of adhesion as the reversible work to turn off the attractive part of the actual solid-liquid interaction potential. It is formulated in such a way that it may be used either to evaluate the ability of force fields to reproduce reference values of the work of adhesion or to optimize force-field parameters with reference values of the work of adhesion as target quantities. The methodology is tested in the case of water on a generic model of nonpolar substrates with the structure of gold. It is validated through a quantitative comparison to phantom-wall calculations and against a previous characterization of the thermodynamics of the gold-water interface. It is found that the work of adhesion of water on nonpolar substrates is a nonlinear function of the microscopic solid-liquid interaction energy parameter. We also comment on the ability of mean-field approaches to predict the work of adhesion of water on nonpolar substrates. In addition, we discuss in detail the information on the solid-liquid interfacial thermodynamics delivered by the phantom-wall approach. We show that phantom-wall calculations yield the solid-liquid interfacial tension relative to the solid surface tension rather than the absolute solid-liquid interfacial tension as previously believed.

  10. Surfactant Facilitated Spreading of Aqueous Drops on Hydrophobic Surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumar, Nitin; Couzis, Alex; Maldarelli, Charles; Singh, Bhim S. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Microgravity technologies often require aqueous phases to spread over nonwetting hydrophobic solid/surfaces. At a hydrophobic surface, the air/hydrophobic solid tension is low, and the solid/aqueous tension is high. A large contact angle forms as the aqueous/air tension acts together with the solid/air tension to balance the large solid/aqueous tension. The aqueous phase, instead of spreading, is held in a meniscus by the large angle. Surfactants facilitate the wetting of water on hydrophobic surfaces by adsorbing on the water/air and hydrophobic solid/water interfaces and lowering the surface tensions of these interfaces. The tension reductions decrease the contact angle, which increases the equilibrium wetted area. Hydrocarbon surfactants (i.e. amphiphiles with a hydrophobic chain of methylene groups attached to a large polar group to give aqueous solubility) do not reduce significantly the contact angles of the very hydrophobic surfaces such as parafilm or polyethylene. Trisiloxane surfactants (amphiphiles with a hydrophobe consisting of methyl groups linked to a trisiloxane backbone in the form of a disk ((CH3)3-Si-O-Si-O-Si(CH3)3)) and an extended ethoxylate (-(OCH2CH2)n-) polar group in the form of a chain with seven or eight units) can significantly reduce the contact angle of water on a very hydrophobic surface and cause rapid and complete (or nearly complete) spreading (lermed superspreading). The overall goal of the research described in this proposal is to establish and verify a theory for how trisiloxanes cause superspreading, and then use this knowledge as a guide to developing more general hydrocarbon based surfactant systems which superspread and can be used in microgravity. We propose that the trisiloxane surfactants superspread when the siloxane adsorbs, the hydrophobic disk parts of the molecule adsorb onto the surface removing the surface water. Since the cross sectional area of the disk is larger than that of the extended ethoxylate chain, the disks can form a space filling mat on the surface which removes a significant amount of the surface water. The water adjacent to the hydrophobic solid surface is of high energy due to incomplete hydrogen bonding; its removal significantly lowers the tension and reduces the contact angle. Hydrocarbon surfactants cannot remove as much surface water because their large polar groups prevent the chains from cohering lengthwise. In our report last year we presented a poster describing the preparation of model very hydrophobic surfaces which are homogeneous and atomically smooth using self assembled monolayers of octadecyl trichlorosilane (OTS). In this poster we will use these surfaces as test substrates in developing hydrocarbon based surfactant systems which superspread. We studied a binary hydrocarbon surfactant systems consisting of a very soluble large polar group polyethylene oxide surfactant (C12E6 (CH3(CH2)11(OCH2CH2)6OH) and a long chain alcohol dodecanol. By mixing the alcohol with this soluble surfactant we have found that the contact angle of the mixed system on our test hydrophobic surfaces is very low. We hypothesize that the alcohol fills in the gaps between adjacent adsorbed chains of the large polar group surfactant. This filling in removes the surface water and effects the decrease in contact angle. We confirm this hypothesis by demonstrating that at the air/water interface the mixed layer forms condensed phases while the soluble large polar group surfactant by itself does not. We present drop impact experiments which demonstrate that the dodecanol/C12E6 mixture is effective in causing impacting drops to spread on the very hydrophobic model OTS surfaces.

  11. Ginzburg-Landau theory for the solid-liquid interface of bcc elements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shih, W. H.; Wang, Z. Q.; Zeng, X. C.; Stroud, D.

    1987-01-01

    Consideration is given to a simple order-parameter theory for the interfacial tension of body-centered-cubic solids in which the principal order parameter is the amplitude of the density wave at the smallest nonzero reciprocal-lattice vector of the solid. The parameters included in the theory are fitted to the measured heat of fusion, melting temperature, and solid-liquid density difference, and to the liquid structure factor and its temperature derivative at freezing. Good agreement is found with experiment for Na and Fe and the calculated anisotropy of the surface tension among different crystal faces is of the order of 2 percent. On the basis of various assumptions about the universal behavior of bcc crystals at melting, the formalism predicts that the surface tension is proportional to the heat of fusion per surface atom.

  12. Force-activatable coating enables high-resolution cellular force imaging directly on regular cell culture surfaces.

    PubMed

    Sarkar, Anwesha; Zhao, Yuanchang; Wang, Yongliang; Wang, Xuefeng

    2018-06-25

    Integrin-transmitted cellular forces are crucial mechanical signals regulating a vast range of cell functions. Although various methods have been developed to visualize and quantify cellular forces at the cell-matrix interface, a method with high performance and low technical barrier is still in demand. Here we developed a force-activatable coating (FAC), which can be simply coated on regular cell culture apparatus' surfaces by physical adsorption, and turn these surfaces to force reporting platforms that enable cellular force mapping directly by fluorescence imaging. The FAC molecule consists of an adhesive domain for surface coating and a force-reporting domain which can be activated to fluoresce by integrin molecular tension. The tension threshold required for FAC activation is tunable in 10-60 piconewton (pN), allowing the selective imaging of cellular force contributed by integrin tension at different force levels. We tested the performance of two FACs with tension thresholds of 12 and 54 pN (nominal values), respectively, on both glass and polystyrene surfaces. Cellular forces were successfully mapped by fluorescence imaging on all the surfaces. FAC-coated surfaces also enable co-imaging of cellular forces and cell structures in both live cells and immunostained cells, therefore opening a new avenue for the study of the interplay of force and structure. We demonstrated the co-imaging of integrin tension and talin clustering in live cells, and concluded that talin clustering always occurs before the generation of integrin tension above 54 pN, reinforcing the notion that talin is an important adaptor protein for integrin tension transmission. Overall, FAC provides a highly convenient approach that is accessible to general biological laboratories for the study of cellular forces with high sensitivity and resolution, thus holding the potential to greatly boost the research of cell mechanobiology.

  13. Surfactant-Enhanced Benard Convection on an Evaporating Drop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, Van X.; Stebe, Kathleen J.

    2001-11-01

    Surfactant effects on an evaporating drop are studied experimentally. Using a fluorescent probe, the distribution and surface phase of the surfactant is directly imaged throughout the evaporation process. From these experiments, we identify conditions in which surfactants promote surface tension-driven Benard instabilities in aqueous systems. The drops under study contain finely divided particles, which act as tracers in the flow, and form well-defined patterns after the drop evaporates. Two flow fields have been reported in this system. The first occurs because the contact line becomes pinned by solid particles at the contact line region. In order for the contact line to remain fixed, an outward flow toward the ring results, driving further accumulation at the contact ring. A ‘coffee ring’ of particles is left as residue after the drop evaporates[1]. The second flow is Benard convection, driven by surface tension gradients on the drop[2,3]. In our experiments, an insoluble monolayer of pentadecanoic acid is spread at the interface of a pendant drop. The surface tension is recorded, and the drop is deposited on a well-defined solid substrate. Fluorescent images of the surface phase of the surfactant are recorded as the drop evaporates. The surfactant monolayer assumes a variety of surface states as a function of the area per molecule at the interface: surface gaseous, surface liquid expanded, and surface liquid condensed phases[4]. Depending upon the surface state of the surfactant as the drop evaporates, transitions of residue patterns left by the particles occur, from the coffee ring pattern to Benard cells to irregular patterns, suggesting a strong resistance to outward flow are observed. The occurrence of Benard cells on a surfactant-rich interface occurs when the interface is in LE-LC coexistence. Prior research concerning surfactant effects on this instability predict that surfactants are strongly stabilizing[5]. The mechanisms for this change in behavior are discussed. References: [1]R. D. Deegan,, PRE 61,475 (2000). [2]M. Maillard et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 11871 (2000). [3]H. Wang et al. Langmuir 15, 957 (2001). [4]B. G. Moore et al., J. Phys. Chem. 94, 4588 (1990). [5]J. C. Berg & A. Acrivos, Chem. Eng. Sci. 20,737 (1965).

  14. Pair correlation functions and the wavevector-dependent surface tension in a simple density functional treatment of the liquid-vapour interface.

    PubMed

    Parry, A O; Rascón, C; Willis, G; Evans, R

    2014-09-03

    We study the density-density correlation function G(r, r') in the interfacial region of a fluid (or Ising-like magnet) with short-ranged interactions using square gradient density functional theory. Adopting a simple double parabola approximation for the bulk free-energy density, we first show that the parallel Fourier transform G(z, z'; q) and local structure factor S(z; q) separate into bulk and excess contributions. We attempt to account for both contributions by deriving an interfacial Hamiltonian, characterised by a wavevector dependent surface tension σ(q), and then reconstructing density correlations from correlations in the interface position. We show that the standard crossing criterion identification of the interface, as a surface of fixed density (or magnetization), does not explain the separation of G(z, z'; q) and the form of the excess contribution. We propose an alternative definition of the interface position based on the properties of correlations between points that 'float' with the surface and show that this describes the full q and z dependence of the excess contributions to both G and S. However, neither the 'crossing-criterion' nor the new 'floating interface' definition of σ(q) are quantities directly measurable from the total structure factor S(tot)(q) which contains additional q dependence arising from the non-local relation between fluctuations in the interfacial position and local density. Since it is the total structure factor that is measured experimentally or in simulations, our results have repercussions for earlier attempts to extract and interpret σ(q).

  15. Thin film instabilities: Rayleigh-Taylor with thermocapillarity and Kolmogorov flow in a soap film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burgess, John Matthew

    The Rayleigh-Taylor instability occurs when a more dense fluid layer is suspended above a less dense fluid layer in a gravitational field. The horizontal interface between the two fluids is unstable to infinitesimal deformations and the dense fluid falls. To counteract the destabilizing effects of gravity on the interface between two thin fluid layers, we apply a vertical temperature gradient, heating from below. The dependence of surface tension on temperature (``thermocapillarity'') can cause spatially-varying interfacial forces between two immiscible fluid layers if a variation in temperature along the interface is introduced. With an applied vertical temperature gradient, the deforming interface spontaneously develops temperature variations which locally adjust the surface tension to restore a flat interface. We find that these surface tension gradients can stabilize a more dense thin fluid layer (silicone oil, 0.015 cm thick) above a less dense thin fluid layer (air, 0.025 cm thick) in a gravitational field, in qualitative agreement with linear stability analysis. This is the first experimental observation of the stabilization of Rayleigh-Taylor instability by thermocapillary forces. We also examine the instability of a soap film flow driven by a time-independent force that is spatially periodic in the direction perpendicular to the forcing (Kolmogorov flow). The film is in the x- y plane, where the forcing approximates a shape sin (y)x̂. Linear stability analysis of an idealized model of this flow predicts a critical Reynolds number Rc~2 . In our soap film experiment, we find a critical value Rc~70 . This discrepancy can be ascribed to frictional effects from viscous coupling of gas to the film, which is neglected in the idealized model. The kinematic viscosity of the surrounding gas and the thickness of gas layers on each side of the soap film are varied in the experiments to better understand these frictional effects. We conclude that flows in soap films cannot be decoupled from flows in the surrounding gas.

  16. Study of Fluorinated Quantum Dots-Protein Interactions at the Oil/Water Interface by Interfacial Surface Tension Changes.

    PubMed

    Carrillo-Carrión, Carolina; Gallego, Marta; Parak, Wolfgang J; Carril, Mónica

    2018-05-08

    Understanding the interaction of nanoparticles with proteins and how this interaction modifies the nanoparticles’ surface is crucial before their use for biomedical applications. Since fluorinated materials are emerging as potential imaging probes and delivery vehicles, their interaction with proteins of biological interest must be studied in order to be able to predict their performance in real scenarios. It is known that fluorinated planar surfaces may repel the unspecific adsorption of proteins but little is known regarding the same process on fluorinated nanoparticles due to the scarce examples in the literature. In this context, the aim of this work is to propose a simple and fast methodology to study fluorinated nanoparticle-protein interactions based on interfacial surface tension (IFT) measurements. This technique is particularly interesting for fluorinated nanoparticles due to their increased hydrophobicity. Our study is based on the determination of IFT variations due to the interaction of quantum dots of ca. 5 nm inorganic core/shell diameter coated with fluorinated ligands (QD_F) with several proteins at the oil/water interface. Based on the results, we conclude that the presence of QD_F do not disrupt protein spontaneous film formation at the oil/water interface. Even if at very low concentrations of proteins the film formation in the presence of QD_F shows a slower rate, the final interfacial tension reached is similar to that obtained in the absence of QD_F. The differential behaviour of the studied proteins (bovine serum albumin, fibrinogen and apotransferrin) has been discussed on the basis of the adsorption affinity of each protein towards DCM/water interface and their different sizes. Additionally, it has been clearly demonstrated that the proposed methodology can serve as a complementary technique to other reported direct and indirect methods for the evaluation of nanoparticle-protein interactions at low protein concentrations.

  17. Observation of a new surface mode on a fluid-saturated permeable solid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagy, Peter B.

    1992-06-01

    Almost ten years ago, S. Feng and D. L. Johnson predicted the presence of a new surface mode on a fluid/fluid-saturated porous solid interface with closed surface pores [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 74, 906 (1983)]. We found that, due to surface tension, practically closed-pore boundary conditions can prevail at an interface between a nonwetting fluid (e.g., air) and a porous solid saturated with a wetting fluid (e.g., water or alcohol). Surface wave velocity and attenuation measurements were made on alcohol-saturated porous sintered glass at 100 kHz. The experimental results show clear evidence of the new ``slow'' surface mode predicted by Feng and Johnson.

  18. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fujiwara, K., E-mail: ku.fujiwara@screen.co.jp; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871; Shibahara, M., E-mail: siba@mech.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp

    A classical molecular dynamics simulation was conducted for a system composed of fluid molecules between two planar solid surfaces, and whose interactions are described by the 12-6 Lennard-Jones form. This paper presents a general description of the pressure components and interfacial tension at a fluid-solid interface obtained by the perturbative method on the basis of statistical thermodynamics, proposes a method to consider the pressure components tangential to an interface which are affected by interactions with solid atoms, and applies this method to the calculation system. The description of the perturbative method is extended to subsystems, and the local pressure componentsmore » and interfacial tension at a liquid-solid interface are obtained and examined in one- and two-dimensions. The results are compared with those obtained by two alternative methods: (a) an evaluation of the intermolecular force acting on a plane, and (b) the conventional method based on the virial expression. The accuracy of the numerical results is examined through the comparison of the results obtained by each method. The calculated local pressure components and interfacial tension of the fluid at a liquid-solid interface agreed well with the results of the two alternative methods at each local position in one dimension. In two dimensions, the results showed a characteristic profile of the tangential pressure component which depended on the direction tangential to the liquid-solid interface, which agreed with that obtained by the evaluation of the intermolecular force acting on a plane in the present study. Such good agreement suggests that the perturbative method on the basis of statistical thermodynamics used in this study is valid to obtain the local pressure components and interfacial tension at a liquid-solid interface.« less

  19. Adhesion of bubbles and drops to solid surfaces, and anisotropic surface tensions studied by capillary meniscus dynamometry.

    PubMed

    Danov, Krassimir D; Stanimirova, Rumyana D; Kralchevsky, Peter A; Marinova, Krastanka G; Stoyanov, Simeon D; Blijdenstein, Theodorus B J; Cox, Andrew R; Pelan, Eddie G

    2016-07-01

    Here, we review the principle and applications of two recently developed methods: the capillary meniscus dynamometry (CMD) for measuring the surface tension of bubbles/drops, and the capillary bridge dynamometry (CBD) for quantifying the bubble/drop adhesion to solid surfaces. Both methods are based on a new data analysis protocol, which allows one to decouple the two components of non-isotropic surface tension. For an axisymmetric non-fluid interface (e.g. bubble or drop covered by a protein adsorption layer with shear elasticity), the CMD determines the two different components of the anisotropic surface tension, σs and σφ, which are acting along the "meridians" and "parallels", and vary throughout the interface. The method uses data for the instantaneous bubble (drop) profile and capillary pressure, but the procedure for data processing is essentially different from that of the conventional drop shape analysis (DSA) method. In the case of bubble or drop pressed against a substrate, which forms a capillary bridge, the CBD method allows one to determine also the capillary-bridge force for both isotropic (fluid) and anisotropic (solidified) adsorption layers. The experiments on bubble (drop) detachment from the substrate show the existence of a maximal pulling force, Fmax, that can be resisted by an adherent fluid particle. Fmax can be used to quantify the strength of adhesion of bubbles and drops to solid surfaces. Its value is determined by a competition of attractive transversal tension and repulsive disjoining pressure forces. The greatest Fmax values have been measured for bubbles adherent to glass substrates in pea-protein solutions. The bubble/wall adhesion is lower in solutions containing the protein HFBII hydrophobin, which could be explained with the effect of sandwiched protein aggregates. The applicability of the CBD method to emulsion systems is illustrated by experiments with soybean-oil drops adherent to hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates in egg yolk solutions. The results reveal how the interfacial rigidity, as well as the bubble/wall and drop/wall adhesion forces, can be quantified and controlled in relation to optimizing the properties of foams and emulsions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Deformation of a free interface pierced by a tilted cylinder

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raufaste, C.; Kirstetter, G.; Celestini, F.; Cox, S. J.

    2012-07-01

    We investigate the interaction between an infinite cylinder and a free fluid-fluid interface governed only by its surface tension. We study the deformation of an initially flat interface when it is deformed by the presence of a cylindrical object, tilted at an arbitrary angle, that the interface “totally wets”. Our simulations predict all significant quantities such as the interface shape, the position of the contact line, and the force exerted by the interface on the cylinder. These results are compared with an experimental study of the penetration of a soap film by a cylindrical liquid jet. This dynamic situation exhibits all the characteristics of a totally wetting interface. We show that whatever the inclination, the force is always perpendicular to the plane of the interface, and its amplitude diverges as the inclination angle increases. Such results should bring new insights in both fluid and solid mechanics, from animal locomotion to surface micro-processing.

  1. Multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method for immiscible fluids at high Reynolds numbers.

    PubMed

    Fakhari, Abbas; Lee, Taehun

    2013-02-01

    The lattice Boltzmann method for immiscible multiphase flows with large density ratio is extended to high Reynolds number flows using a multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) collision operator, and its stability and accuracy are assessed by simulating the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The MRT model is successful at damping high-frequency oscillations in the kinetic energy emerging from traveling waves generated by the inclusion of curvature. Numerical results are shown to be in good agreement with prior studies using adaptive mesh refinement techniques applied to the Navier-Stokes equations. Effects of viscosity and surface tension, as well as density ratio, are investigated in terms of the Reynolds and Weber numbers. It is shown that increasing the Reynolds number results in a more chaotic interface evolution and eventually shattering of the interface, while surface tension is shown to have a stabilizing effect.

  2. Effect of buoyancy on appearance and characteristics of surface tension repeated auto-oscillations.

    PubMed

    Kovalchuk, N M; Vollhardt, D

    2005-08-11

    The effect of buoyancy on spontaneous repeated nonlinear oscillations of surface tension, which appear at the free liquid interface by dissolution of a surfactant droplet under the interface, is considered on the basis of direct numerical simulation of the model system behavior. The oscillations are the result of periodically rising and fading Marangoni instability. The buoyancy force per se cannot lead to the oscillatory behavior in the considered system, but it influences strongly both the onset and decay of the instability and therefore, affects appearance and characteristics of the oscillations. If the surfactant solution density is smaller than the density of the pure liquid, then the buoyancy force leads to a considerable decrease of the induction period and the period of oscillations. The buoyancy force affects also the dependence of the oscillation characteristics on the system dimensions. The results of the simulations are compared with the available experimental data.

  3. Pairwise Force Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics model for multiphase flow: Surface tension and contact line dynamics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tartakovsky, Alexandre M.; Panchenko, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    We present a novel formulation of the Pairwise Force Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Model (PF-SPH) and use it to simulate two- and three-phase flows in bounded domains. In the PF-SPH model, the Navier-Stokes equations are discretized with the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method and the Young-Laplace boundary condition at the fluid-fluid interface and the Young boundary condition at the fluid-fluid-solid interface are replaced with pairwise forces added into the Navier-Stokes equations. We derive a relationship between the parameters in the pairwise forces and the surface tension and static contact angle. Next, we demonstrate the accuracy of the model under static andmore » dynamic conditions. Finally, to demonstrate the capabilities and robustness of the model we use it to simulate flow of three fluids in a porous material.« less

  4. Development of DPD coarse-grained models: From bulk to interfacial properties

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Solano Canchaya, José G.; Dequidt, Alain, E-mail: alain.dequidt@univ-bpclermont.fr; Goujon, Florent

    2016-08-07

    A new Bayesian method was recently introduced for developing coarse-grain (CG) force fields for molecular dynamics. The CG models designed for dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) are optimized based on trajectory matching. Here we extend this method to improve transferability across thermodynamic conditions. We demonstrate the capability of the method by developing a CG model of n-pentane from constant-NPT atomistic simulations of bulk liquid phases and we apply the CG-DPD model to the calculation of the surface tension of the liquid-vapor interface over a large range of temperatures. The coexisting densities, vapor pressures, and surface tensions calculated with different CG andmore » atomistic models are compared to experiments. Depending on the database used for the development of the potentials, it is possible to build a CG model which performs very well in the reproduction of the surface tension on the orthobaric curve.« less

  5. STABILITY OF A CYLINDRICAL SOLUTE-SOLVENT INTERFACE: EFFECT OF GEOMETRY, ELECTROSTATICS, AND HYDRODYNAMICS.

    PubMed

    Li, B O; Sun, Hui; Zhou, Shenggao

    The solute-solvent interface that separates biological molecules from their surrounding aqueous solvent characterizes the conformation and dynamics of such molecules. In this work, we construct a solvent fluid dielectric boundary model for the solvation of charged molecules and apply it to study the stability of a model cylindrical solute-solvent interface. The motion of the solute-solvent interface is defined to be the same as that of solvent fluid at the interface. The solvent fluid is assumed to be incompressible and is described by the Stokes equation. The solute is modeled simply by the ideal-gas law. All the viscous force, hydrostatic pressure, solute-solvent van der Waals interaction, surface tension, and electrostatic force are balanced at the solute-solvent interface. We model the electrostatics by Poisson's equation in which the solute-solvent interface is treated as a dielectric boundary that separates the low-dielectric solute from the high-dielectric solvent. For a cylindrical geometry, we find multiple cylindrically shaped equilibrium interfaces that describe polymodal (e.g., dry and wet) states of hydration of an underlying molecular system. These steady-state solutions exhibit bifurcation behavior with respect to the charge density. For their linearized systems, we use the projection method to solve the fluid equation and find the dispersion relation. Our asymptotic analysis shows that, for large wavenumbers, the decay rate is proportional to wavenumber with the proportionality half of the ratio of surface tension to solvent viscosity, indicating that the solvent viscosity does affect the stability of a solute-solvent interface. Consequences of our analysis in the context of biomolecular interactions are discussed.

  6. Nonequilibrium Interfacial Tension in Simple and Complex Fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Truzzolillo, Domenico; Mora, Serge; Dupas, Christelle; Cipelletti, Luca

    2016-10-01

    Interfacial tension between immiscible phases is a well-known phenomenon, which manifests itself in everyday life, from the shape of droplets and foam bubbles to the capillary rise of sap in plants or the locomotion of insects on a water surface. More than a century ago, Korteweg generalized this notion by arguing that stresses at the interface between two miscible fluids act transiently as an effective, nonequilibrium interfacial tension, before homogenization is eventually reached. In spite of its relevance in fields as diverse as geosciences, polymer physics, multiphase flows, and fluid removal, experiments and theoretical works on the interfacial tension of miscible systems are still scarce, and mostly restricted to molecular fluids. This leaves crucial questions unanswered, concerning the very existence of the effective interfacial tension, its stabilizing or destabilizing character, and its dependence on the fluid's composition and concentration gradients. We present an extensive set of measurements on miscible complex fluids that demonstrate the existence and the stabilizing character of the effective interfacial tension, unveil new regimes beyond Korteweg's predictions, and quantify its dependence on the nature of the fluids and the composition gradient at the interface. We introduce a simple yet general model that rationalizes nonequilibrium interfacial stresses to arbitrary mixtures, beyond Korteweg's small gradient regime, and show that the model captures remarkably well both our new measurements and literature data on molecular and polymer fluids. Finally, we briefly discuss the relevance of our model to a variety of interface-driven problems, from phase separation to fracture, which are not adequately captured by current approaches based on the assumption of small gradients.

  7. On the curvature effect of thin membranes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Duo; Jiao, Xiangmin; Conley, Rebecca; Glimm, James

    2013-01-01

    We investigate the curvature effect of a thin, curved elastic interface that separates two subdomains and exerts a pressure due to a curvature effect. This pressure, which we refer to as interface pressure, is similar to the surface tension in fluid mechanics. It is important in some applications, such as the canopy of parachutes, biological membranes of cells, balloons, airbags, etc., as it partially balances a pressure jump between the two sides of an interface. In this paper, we show that the interface pressure is equal to the trace of the matrix product of the curvature tensor and the Cauchy stress tensor in the tangent plane. We derive the theory for interfaces in both 2-D and 3-D, and present numerical discretizations for computing the quality over triangulated surfaces.

  8. Study of the long-time dynamics of a viscous vortex sheet with a fully adaptive nonstiff method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ceniceros, Hector D.; Roma, Alexandre M.

    2004-12-01

    A numerical investigation of the long-time dynamics of two immiscible two-dimensional fluids shearing past one another is presented. The fluids are incompressible and the interface between the bulk phases is subjected to surface tension. The simple case of density and viscosity matched fluids is considered. The two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically with a fully adaptive nonstiff strategy based on the immersed boundary method. Dynamically adaptive mesh refinements are used to cover at all times the separately tracked fluid interface at the finest grid level. In addition, by combining adaptive front tracking, in the form of continuous interface marker equidistribution, with a predictor-corrector discretization an efficient method is introduced to successfully treat the well-known numerical difficulties associated with surface tension. The resulting numerical method can be used to compute stably and with high resolution the flow for wide-ranging Weber numbers but this study focuses on the computationally challenging cases for which elongated fingering and interface roll-up are observed. To assess the importance of the viscous and vortical effects in the interfacial dynamics the full viscous flow simulations are compared with inviscid counterparts computed with a state-of-the-art boundary integral method. In the examined cases of roll-up, it is found that in contrast to the inviscid flow in which the interface undergoes a topological reconfiguration, the viscous interface remarkably escapes self-intersection and rich long-time dynamics due to separation, transport, and diffusion of vorticity is observed. An even more striking motion occurs at an intermediate Weber number for which elongated interpenetrating fingers of fluid develop. In this case, it is found that the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability weakens due to shedding of vorticity and unlike the inviscid counterpart in which there is indefinite finger growth the viscous interface is pulled back by surface tension. As the interface recedes, thin necks connecting pockets of fluid with the rest of the fingers form. Narrow jets are observed at the necking regions but the vorticity there ultimately appears to be insufficient to drain all the fluid and cause reconnection. However, at another point, two disparate portions of the interface come in close proximity as the interface continues to contract. Large curvature points and an intense concentration of vorticity are observed in this region and then the motion is abruptly terminated by the collapse of the interface.

  9. Molecular dynamics shows that ion pairing and counterion anchoring control the properties of triflate micelles: a comparison with triflate at the air/water interface.

    PubMed

    Lima, Filipe S; Chaimovich, Hernan; Cuccovia, Iolanda M; Horinek, Dominik

    2014-02-11

    Micellar properties of dodecyltrimethylammonium triflate (DTA-triflate, DTATf) are very different from those of DTA-bromide (DTAB). DTATf aggregates show high aggregation numbers (Nagg), low degree of counterion dissociation (α), disk-like shape, high packing, ordering, and low hydration. These micellar properties and the low surface tension of NaTf aqueous solutions point to a high affinity of Tf(-) to the micellar and air/water interfaces. Although the micellar properties of DTATf are well defined, the source of the Tf(-) effect upon the DTA aggregates is unclear. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of Tf(-) (and Br(-)) at the air/water interface and as counterion of a DTA aggregate were performed to clarify the nature of Tf(-) preferences for these interfaces. The effect of NaTf or NaBr on surface tension calculated from MD simulations agreed with the reported experimental values. From the MD simulations a high affinity of Tf(-) toward the interface, which occurred in a specific orientation, was calculated. The micellar properties calculated from the MD simulations for DTATf and DTAB were consistent with experimental data: in MD simulations, the DTATf aggregate was more ordered, packed, and dehydrated than the DTAB aggregate. The Tf(-)/alkyltrimethylammonium interaction energies, calculated from the MD simulations, suggested ion pair formation at the micellar interface, stabilized by the preferential orientation of the adsorbed Tf(-) at the micellar interface.

  10. Effect of surface tension on global modes of confined wake flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tammisola, Outi; Lundell, Fredrik; Söderberg, L. Daniel

    2011-01-01

    Many wake flows are susceptible to self-sustained oscillations, such as the well-known von Kármán vortex street behind a cylinder that makes a rope beat against a flagpole at a distinct frequency on a windy day. One appropriate method to study these global instabilities numerically is to look at the growth rates of the linear temporal global modes. If all growth rates for all modes are negative for a certain flow field then a self-sustained oscillation should not occur. On the other hand, if one growth rate for one mode is slightly positive, the oscillation will approximately obtain the frequency and shape of this global mode. In our study, we first introduce surface tension between two fluids to the wake-flow problem. Then we investigate its effects on the global linear instability of a spatially developing wake with two co-flowing immiscible fluids. The inlet profile consists of two uniform layers, which makes the problem easily parametrizable. The fluids are assumed to have the same density and viscosity, with the result that the interface position becomes dynamically important solely through the action of surface tension. Two wakes with different parameter values and surface tension are studied in detail. The results show that surface tension has a strong influence on the oscillation frequency, growth rate, and shape of the global mode(s). Finally, we make an attempt to confirm and explain the surface-tension effect based on a local stability analysis of the same flow field in the streamwise position of maximum reverse flow.

  11. Hyperbolic Interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giomi, Luca

    2012-09-01

    Fluid interfaces, such as soap films, liquid droplets, or lipid membranes, are known to give rise to several special geometries, whose complexity and beauty continue to fascinate us, as observers of the natural world, and challenge us as scientists. Here I show that a special class of surfaces of constant negative Gaussian curvature can be obtained in fluid interfaces equipped with an orientational ordered phase. These arise in various soft and biological materials, such as nematic liquid crystals, cytoskeletal assemblies, or hexatic colloidal suspensions. The purely hyperbolic morphology originates from the competition between surface tension, that reduces the area of the interface at the expense of increasing its Gaussian curvature, and the orientational elasticity of the ordered phase, that in turn suffers for the distortion induced by the underlying curvature.

  12. Equivalent Aqueous Phase Modulation of Domain Segregation in Myelin Monolayers and Bilayer Vesicles

    PubMed Central

    Oliveira, Rafael G.; Schneck, Emanuel; Funari, Sergio S.; Tanaka, Motomu; Maggio, Bruno

    2010-01-01

    Purified myelin can be spread as monomolecular films at the air/aqueous interface. These films were visualized by fluorescence and Brewster angle microscopy, showing phase coexistence at low and medium surface pressures (<20–30 mN/m). Beyond this threshold, the film becomes homogeneous or not, depending on the aqueous subphase composition. Pure water as well as sucrose, glycerol, dimethylsulfoxide, and dimethylformamide solutions (20% in water) produced monolayers that become homogeneous at high surface pressures; on the other hand, the presence of salts (NaCl, CaCl2) in Ringer's and physiological solution leads to phase domain microheterogeneity over the whole compression isotherm. These results show that surface heterogeneity is favored by the ionic milieu. The modulation of the phase-mixing behavior in monolayers is paralleled by the behavior of multilamellar vesicles as determined by small-angle and wide-angle x-ray scattering. The correspondence of the behavior of monolayers and multilayers is achieved only at high surface pressures near the equilibrium adsorption surface pressure; at lower surface pressures, the correspondence breaks down. The equilibrium surface tension on all subphases corresponds to that of the air/alkane interface (27 mN/m), independently on the surface tension of the clean subphase. PMID:20816062

  13. Insights into the complex interaction between hydrophilic nanoparticles and ionic surfactants at the liquid/air interface.

    PubMed

    Jin, Jingyu; Li, Xiaoyan; Geng, Jiafeng; Jing, Dengwei

    2018-06-06

    Combinations of nanoparticles and surfactants have been widely employed in many industrial processes, i.e., boiling and condensation in heat transfer and hydraulic fracturing in shale oil and gas production, etc. However, the underlying mechanism for various phenomena resulting from the addition of nanoparticles into the surfactant solutions is still unclear. For instance, there are contradictory conclusions from the literature regarding the variations of surface tension upon the addition of nanoparticles into surfactant solutions. In this work, the dominating factors determining if the surface activity of the surfactant solution will increase or conversely decrease when adding certain kinds of nanoparticles have been investigated. Two typical hydrophilic nanoparticles, SiO2 and TiO2 with anionic or cationic surfactants, respectively, have been considered. The surface tension has been measured in a wide range of nanoparticle and surfactant concentrations. It was found that the surface tension of the ionic surfactant solution can be further reduced only if nanoparticles of the same charge were added. For instance, a system containing 0.25 CMC SDS and 1 wt% SiO2 behaves similar to a 0.34 CMC SDS-only solution. Interestingly, the observed synergistic effect is found to be more significant if the surfactant concentration is much lower than its CMC for a given nanoparticle content. Moreover, the effect is perfectly reversible. When the nanoparticles were separated from the system, the surface tension values recovered fully to that of the pure surfactants. If nanoparticles of opposite charge were added, however, the surface tension of the surfactant solution increased. Zeta potential measurement and centrifugal treatment have been employed to reveal the interplay between nanoparticles and surfactants and the adsorption behavior of their assemblies at the liquid/air interface. Based on the experimental outcomes, a possible physical mechanism was proposed. It was concluded that the electrostatic repulsion between surfactant molecules and nanoparticles should be the dominant factor responsible for the observed reversible synergistic effect. Our study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the interfacial phenomenon in nanoparticle-surfactant complex systems.

  14. Front Instabilities and Invasiveness of Simulated Avascular Tumors

    PubMed Central

    Popławski, Nikodem J.; Agero, Ubirajara; Gens, J. Scott; Swat, Maciej; Glazier, James A.; Anderson, Alexander R. A.

    2009-01-01

    We study the interface morphology of a 2D simulation of an avascular tumor composed of identical cells growing in an homogeneous healthy tissue matrix (TM), in order to understand the origin of the morphological changes often observed during real tumor growth. We use the GlazierGraner-Hogeweg model, which treats tumor cells as extended, deformable objects, to study the effects of two parameters: a dimensionless diffusion-limitation parameter defined as the ratio of the tumor consumption rate to the substrate transport rate, and the tumor-TM surface tension. We model TM as a nondiffusing field, neglecting the TM pressure and haptotactic repulsion acting on a real growing tumor; thus our model is appropriate for studying tumors with highly motile cells, e.g., gliomas. We show that the diffusion-limitation parameter determines whether the growing tumor develops a smooth (noninvasive) or fingered (invasive) interface, and that the sensitivity of tumor morphology to tumor-TM surface tension increases with the size of the dimensionless diffusion-limitation parameter. For large diffusion-limitation parameters we find a transition (missed in previous work) between dendritic structures, produced when tumor-TM surface tension is high, and seaweed-like structures, produced when tumor-TM surface tension is low. This observation leads to a direct analogy between the mathematics and dynamics of tumors and those observed in nonbiological directional solidification. Our results are also consistent with biological observation that hypoxia promotes invasive growth of tumor cells by inducing higher levels of receptors for scatter factors that weaken cell-cell adhesion and increase cell motility. These findings suggest that tumor morphology may have value in predicting the efficiency of antiangiogenic therapy in individual patients. PMID:19234746

  15. Oxidation-Mediated Fingering in Liquid Metals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eaker, Collin B.; Hight, David C.; O'Regan, John D.; Dickey, Michael D.; Daniels, Karen E.

    2017-10-01

    We identify and characterize a new class of fingering instabilities in liquid metals; these instabilities are unexpected due to the large interfacial tension of metals. Electrochemical oxidation lowers the effective interfacial tension of a gallium-based liquid metal alloy to values approaching zero, thereby inducing drastic shape changes, including the formation of fractals. The measured fractal dimension (D =1.3 ±0.05 ) places the instability in a different universality class than other fingering instabilities. By characterizing changes in morphology and dynamics as a function of droplet volume and applied electric potential, we identify the three main forces involved in this process: interfacial tension, gravity, and oxidative stress. Importantly, we find that electrochemical oxidation can generate compressive interfacial forces that oppose the tensile forces at a liquid interface. The surface oxide layer ultimately provides a physical and electrochemical barrier that halts the instabilities at larger positive potentials. Controlling the competition between interfacial tension and oxidative (compressive) stresses at the interface is important for the development of reconfigurable electronic, electromagnetic, and optical devices that take advantage of the metallic properties of liquid metals.

  16. Effects of lengthscales and attractions on the collapse of hydrophobic polymers in water

    PubMed Central

    Athawale, Manoj V.; Goel, Gaurav; Ghosh, Tuhin; Truskett, Thomas M.; Garde, Shekhar

    2007-01-01

    We present results from extensive molecular dynamics simulations of collapse transitions of hydrophobic polymers in explicit water focused on understanding effects of lengthscale of the hydrophobic surface and of attractive interactions on folding. Hydrophobic polymers display parabolic, protein-like, temperature-dependent free energy of unfolding. Folded states of small attractive polymers are marginally stable at 300 K and can be unfolded by heating or cooling. Increasing the lengthscale or decreasing the polymer–water attractions stabilizes folded states significantly, the former dominated by the hydration contribution. That hydration contribution can be described by the surface tension model, ΔG = γ(T)ΔA, where the surface tension, γ, is lengthscale-dependent and decreases monotonically with temperature. The resulting variation of the hydration entropy with polymer lengthscale is consistent with theoretical predictions of Huang and Chandler [Huang DM, Chandler D (2000) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:8324–8327] that explain the blurring of entropy convergence observed in protein folding thermodynamics. Analysis of water structure shows that the polymer–water hydrophobic interface is soft and weakly dewetted, and is characterized by enhanced interfacial density fluctuations. Formation of this interface, which induces polymer folding, is strongly opposed by enthalpy and favored by entropy, similar to the vapor–liquid interface. PMID:17215352

  17. Surface tension and quasi-emulsion of cavitation bubble cloud.

    PubMed

    Bai, Lixin; Chen, Xiaoguang; Zhu, Gang; Xu, Weilin; Lin, Weijun; Wu, Pengfei; Li, Chao; Xu, Delong; Yan, Jiuchun

    2017-03-01

    A quasi-emulsion phenomenon of cavitation structure in a thin liquid layer (the thin liquid layer is trapped between a radiating surface and a hard reflector) is investigated experimentally with high-speed photography. The transformation from cloud-in-water (c/w) emulsion to water-in-cloud (w/c) emulsion is related to the increase of cavitation bubble cloud. The acoustic field in the thin liquid layer is analyzed. It is found that the liquid region has higher acoustic pressure than the cloud region. The bubbles are pushed from liquid region to cloud region by the primary Bjerknes forces. The rate of change of CSF increased with the increase of CSF. The cavitation bubbles on the surface of cavitation cloud are attracted by the cavitation bubbles inside the cloud due to secondary Bjerknes forces. The existence of surface tension on the interface of liquid region and cloud region is proved. The formation mechanism of disc-shaped liquid region and cloud region are analysed by surface tension and incompressibility of cavitation bubble cloud. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Long-wavelength Instability in Surface-tension-driven Bénard Convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Hook, Stephen J.

    1997-03-01

    Laboratory experiments and numerical simulations reveal that a liquid layer heated from below and possessing a free upper surface can undergo a long-wavelength deformational instability that causes rupture of the interface.(S. J. VanHook, M. F. Schatz, W. D. McCormick, J. B. Swift, and H. L. Swinney, Phys. Rev. Lett.) 75, 4397 (1995). Depending on the depth and thermal conductivity of the liquid and the overlying gas layer, the interface can rupture downwards and form a dry spot or rupture upwards and form a high spot. This long-wavelength instability competes with the formation of Bénard hexagons for thin or viscous liquid layers, or for liquid layers in microgravity.

  19. A boundary element method for Stokes flows with interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alinovi, Edoardo; Bottaro, Alessandro

    2018-03-01

    The boundary element method is a widely used and powerful technique to numerically describe multiphase flows with interfaces, satisfying Stokes' approximation. However, low viscosity ratios between immiscible fluids in contact at an interface and large surface tensions may lead to consistency issues as far as mass conservation is concerned. A simple and effective approach is described to ensure mass conservation at all viscosity ratios and capillary numbers within a standard boundary element framework. Benchmark cases are initially considered demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed technique in satisfying mass conservation, comparing with approaches and other solutions present in the literature. The methodology developed is finally applied to the problem of slippage over superhydrophobic surfaces.

  20. Poly(ethylene oxide) surfactant polymers.

    PubMed

    Vacheethasanee, Katanchalee; Wang, Shuwu; Qiu, Yongxing; Marchant, Roger E

    2004-01-01

    We report on a series of structurally well-defined surfactant polymers that undergo surface-induced self-assembly on hydrophobic biomaterial surfaces. The surfactant polymers consist of a poly(vinyl amine) backbone with poly(ethylene oxide) and hexanal pendant groups. The poly(vinyl amine) (PVAm) was synthesized by hydrolysis of poly(N-vinyl formamide) following free radical polymerization of N-vinyl formamide. Hexanal and aldehyde-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were simultaneously attached to PVAm via reductive amination. Surfactant polymers with different PEO:hexanal ratios and hydrophilic/hydrophobic balances were prepared, and characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR and XPS spectroscopies. Surface active properties at the air/water interface were determined by surface tension measurements. Surface activity at a solid surface/water interface was demonstrated by atomic force microscopy, showing epitaxially molecular alignment for surfactant polymers adsorbed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. The surfactant polymers described in this report can be adapted for simple non-covalent surface modification of biomaterials and hydrophobic surfaces to provide highly hydrated interfaces.

  1. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhuang, Jinda; Ju, Y. Sungtaek, E-mail: just@seas.ucla.edu

    One major challenge in incorporating flexible electronics or optoelectronics on curved surfaces is the requirement of significant stretchability. We report a tunable platform for incorporating flexible and yet non-stretching device layers on a hemisphere. In this configuration, an array of planar petals contractively maps onto the surface of an inflatable hemisphere through elastocapillary interactions mediated by an interface liquid. A mechanical model is developed to elucidate the dependence of the conformality of the petal structures on their elastic modulus and thickness and the liquid surface tension. The modeling results are validated against experimental results obtained using petal structures of differentmore » thicknesses, restoring elastic spring elements of different spring constants, and liquids with different surface tension coefficients. Our platform will enable facile integration of non-stretching electronic and optoelectronic components prepared using established planar fabrication techniques on tunable hemispherical surfaces.« less

  2. multiUQ: An intrusive uncertainty quantification tool for gas-liquid multiphase flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turnquist, Brian; Owkes, Mark

    2017-11-01

    Uncertainty quantification (UQ) can improve our understanding of the sensitivity of gas-liquid multiphase flows to variability about inflow conditions and fluid properties, creating a valuable tool for engineers. While non-intrusive UQ methods (e.g., Monte Carlo) are simple and robust, the cost associated with these techniques can render them unrealistic. In contrast, intrusive UQ techniques modify the governing equations by replacing deterministic variables with stochastic variables, adding complexity, but making UQ cost effective. Our numerical framework, called multiUQ, introduces an intrusive UQ approach for gas-liquid flows, leveraging a polynomial chaos expansion of the stochastic variables: density, momentum, pressure, viscosity, and surface tension. The gas-liquid interface is captured using a conservative level set approach, including a modified reinitialization equation which is robust and quadrature free. A least-squares method is leveraged to compute the stochastic interface normal and curvature needed in the continuum surface force method for surface tension. The solver is tested by applying uncertainty to one or two variables and verifying results against the Monte Carlo approach. NSF Grant #1511325.

  3. The role of electrolyte and polyelectrolyte on the adsorption of the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, at the air-water interface.

    PubMed

    Zhang, X L; Taylor, D J F; Thomas, R K; Penfold, J

    2011-04-15

    The role of the polyelectrolyte, poly(ethyleneimine), PEI, and the electrolytes NaCl and CaCl(2), on the adsorption of the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, LAS, at the air-water interface have been investigated by neutron reflectivity and surface tension. The surface tension data for the PEI/LAS mixtures are substantially affected by pH and the addition of electrolyte, and are consistent with a strong adsorption of surface polymer/surfactant complexes down to relatively low surfactant concentrations. The effects are most pronounced at high pH, and this is confirmed by the adsorption data obtained directly from neutron reflectivity. However, the effects of the addition of PEI and electrolyte on the LAS adsorption are not as pronounced as previously reported for PEI/SDS mixtures. This is attributed primarily to the steric hindrance of the LAS phenyl group resulting in a reduction in the ion-dipole attraction between the LAS sulfonate and amine groups that dominates the interaction at high pH. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Influence of surfactant on the drop bag breakup in a continuous air jet stream

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Hui; Zhang, Wen-Bin; Xu, Jian-Liang; Li, Wei-Feng; Liu, Hai-Feng

    2016-05-01

    The deformation and breakup of surfactant-laden drops is a common phenomenon in nature and numerous practical applications. We investigate influence of surfactant on the drop bag breakup in a continuous air jet stream. The airflow would induce the advection diffusion of surfactant between interface and bulk of drop. Experiments indicate that the convective motions of deforming drop would induce the non-equilibrium distribution of surfactant, which leads to the change of surface tension. When the surfactant concentration is smaller than critical micelle concentration (CMC), with the increase of surface area of drop, the surface tension of liquid-air interface and the critical Weber number will increase. When the surfactant concentration is bigger than CMC, the micelle can be considered as the source term, which can supply the monomers. So in the presence of surfactant, there would be the significant nonlinear variation on the critical Weber number of bag breakup. We build the dynamic non-monotonic relationship between concentrations of surfactant and critical Weber number theoretically. In the range of parameters studied, the experimental results are consistent with the model estimates.

  5. Visualizing the shape of soft solid and fluid contacts between two surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pham, Jonathan; Schellenberger, Frank; Kappl, Michael; Vollmer, Doris; Butt, Hans-Jürgen

    The soft contact between two surfaces is fundamentally interesting for soft materials and fluid mechanics and relevant for friction and wear. The deformation of soft solid interfaces has received much interest because it interestingly reveals similarities to fluid wetting. We present an experimental route towards visualizing the three-dimensional contact geometry of either liquid-solid (i.e., oil and glass) or solid-solid (i.e., elastomer and glass) interfaces using a home-built combination of confocal microscopy and atomic force microscopy. We monitor the shape of a fluid capillary bridge and the depth of indentation in 3D while simultaneously measuring the force. In agreement with theoretical predictions, the height of the capillary bridge depends on the interfacial tensions. By using a slowly evaporating solvent, we quantify the temporal evolution of the capillary bridge and visualized the influence of pinning points on its shape. The position dependence of the advancing and receding contact angle along the three-phase contact line, particle-liquid-air, is resolved. Extending our system, we explore the contact deformation of soft solids where elasticity, in addition to surface tension, becomes an important factor.

  6. Simulation of Two-Fluid Flows by the Least-Squares Finite Element Method Using a Continuum Surface Tension Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, Jie; Yu, Sheng-Tao; Jiang, Bo-nan

    1996-01-01

    In this paper a numerical procedure for simulating two-fluid flows is presented. This procedure is based on the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method proposed by Hirt and Nichols and the continuum surface force (CSF) model developed by Brackbill, et al. In the VOF method fluids of different properties are identified through the use of a continuous field variable (color function). The color function assigns a unique constant (color) to each fluid. The interfaces between different fluids are distinct due to sharp gradients of the color function. The evolution of the interfaces is captured by solving the convective equation of the color function. The CSF model is used as a means to treat surface tension effect at the interfaces. Here a modified version of the CSF model, proposed by Jacqmin, is used to calculate the tension force. In the modified version, the force term is obtained by calculating the divergence of a stress tensor defined by the gradient of the color function. In its analytical form, this stress formulation is equivalent to the original CSF model. Numerically, however, the use of the stress formulation has some advantages over the original CSF model, as it bypasses the difficulty in approximating the curvatures of the interfaces. The least-squares finite element method (LSFEM) is used to discretize the governing equation systems. The LSFEM has proven to be effective in solving incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and pure convection equations, making it an ideal candidate for the present applications. The LSFEM handles all the equations in a unified manner without any additional special treatment such as upwinding or artificial dissipation. Various bench mark tests have been carried out for both two dimensional planar and axisymmetric flows, including a dam breaking, oscillating and stationary bubbles and a conical liquid sheet in a pressure swirl atomizer.

  7. Interfacial properties of acidified skim milk.

    PubMed

    Cases, E; Rampini, C; Cayot, Ph

    2005-02-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the tension properties and dilatational viscoelastic modulus of various skim milk proteins (whole milk, EDTA-treated milk, beta-casein, and beta-lactoglobulin) at an oil/water interface at 20 degrees C. Measurements are performed using a dynamic drop tensiometer for 15,000 s. The aqueous bulk phase is a skim milk simulated ultrafiltrate containing 11 x 10(-3) g L(-1) milk protein. At pH 6.7, beta-casein appears as the best to decrease the interfacial tension, whereas beta-lactoglobulin leads to the highest interfacial viscoelastic modulus value. Whole milk was almost as surface-active as individual beta-casein in terms of the final (steady-state) lowering of the interfacial tension, but the rate of tension lowering was smaller. EDTA treatment improved the rate of tension lowering of whole milk. The acidification of milk, from previous measurements, would lead to the enhancement of surface activity. At t=15,000 s, the order of effectiveness is pH 4.3 > pH 5.3 = pH 5.6 > pH 6.7 whole milk, suggesting that pH 4.3 whole milk is the best surface active. As compared to pH 6.7 whole milk, the use of pH 5.3 and pH 5.6 milk as surface active would result in the use of milk containing more free beta-casein born of pH-dissociated casein micelles.

  8. An accurate density functional theory for the vapor-liquid interface of associating chain molecules based on the statistical associating fluid theory for potentials of variable range

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gloor, Guy J.; Jackson, George; Blas, Felipe J.; del Río, Elvira Martín; de Miguel, Enrique

    2004-12-01

    A Helmholtz free energy density functional is developed to describe the vapor-liquid interface of associating chain molecules. The functional is based on the statistical associating fluid theory with attractive potentials of variable range (SAFT-VR) for the homogenous fluid [A. Gil-Villegas, A. Galindo, P. J. Whitehead, S. J. Mills, G. Jackson, and A. N. Burgess, J. Chem. Phys. 106, 4168 (1997)]. A standard perturbative density functional theory (DFT) is constructed by partitioning the free energy density into a reference term (which incorporates all of the short-range interactions, and is treated locally) and an attractive perturbation (which incorporates the long-range dispersion interactions). In our previous work [F. J. Blas, E. Martín del Río, E. de Miguel, and G. Jackson, Mol. Phys. 99, 1851 (2001); G. J. Gloor, F. J. Blas, E. Martín del Río, E. de Miguel, and G. Jackson, Fluid Phase Equil. 194, 521 (2002)] we used a mean-field version of the theory (SAFT-HS) in which the pair correlations were neglected in the attractive term. This provides only a qualitative description of the vapor-liquid interface, due to the inadequate mean-field treatment of the vapor-liquid equilibria. Two different approaches are used to include the correlations in the attractive term: in the first, the free energy of the homogeneous fluid is partitioned such that the effect of correlations are incorporated in the local reference term; in the second, a density averaged correlation function is incorporated into the perturbative term in a similar way to that proposed by Toxvaerd [S. Toxvaerd, J. Chem. Phys. 64, 2863 (1976)]. The latter is found to provide the most accurate description of the vapor-liquid surface tension on comparison with new simulation data for a square-well fluid of variable range. The SAFT-VR DFT is used to examine the effect of molecular chain length and association on the surface tension. Different association schemes (dimerization, straight and branched chain formation, and network structures) are examined separately. The surface tension of the associating fluid is found to be bounded between the nonassociating and fully associated limits (both of which correspond to equivalent nonassociating systems). The temperature dependence of the surface tension is found to depend strongly on the balance between the strength and range of the association, and on the particular association scheme. In the case of a system with a strong but very localized association interaction, the surface tension exhibits the characteristic "s shaped" behavior with temperature observed in fluids such as water and alkanols. The various types of curves observed in real substances can be reproduced by the theory. It is very gratifying that a DFT based on SAFT-VR free energy can provide an accurate quantitative description of the surface tension of both the model and experimental systems.

  9. Stability of Electrodeposition at Solid-Solid Interfaces and Implications for Metal Anodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmad, Zeeshan; Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian

    2017-08-01

    We generalize the conditions for stable electrodeposition at isotropic solid-solid interfaces using a kinetic model which incorporates the effects of stresses and surface tension at the interface. We develop a stability diagram that shows two regimes of stability: a previously known pressure-driven mechanism and a new density-driven stability mechanism that is governed by the relative density of metal in the two phases. We show that inorganic solids and solid polymers generally do not lead to stable electrodeposition, and provide design guidelines for achieving stable electrodeposition.

  10. Tension-Tension Fatigue Behavior of Unidirectional C/Sic Ceramic-Matrix Composite at Room Temperature and 800 °C in Air Atmosphere

    PubMed Central

    Li, Longbiao

    2015-01-01

    The tension-tension fatigue behavior of unidirectional C/SiC ceramic-matrix composite at room temperature and 800 °C under air has been investigated. The fatigue hysteresis modulus and fatigue hysteresis loss energy corresponding to different number of applied cycles have been analyzed. The fatigue hysteresis loops models for different interface slip cases have been derived based on the fatigue damage mechanism of fiber slipping relative to matrix in the interface debonded region upon unloading and subsequent reloading. The fiber/matrix interface shear stress has been estimated for different numbers of applied cycles. By combining the interface shear stress degradation model and fibers strength degradation model with fibers failure model, the tension-tension fatigue life S-N curves of unidirectional C/SiC composite at room temperature and 800 °C under air have been predicted.

  11. Quantification of the Mass Transfer at Fluid Interfaces in Microfluidic Channels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wismeth, Carina; Manhart, Michael; Niessner, Reinhard; Baumann, Thomas

    2017-04-01

    Mass transfer rates at interfaces in a complex porous media are relevant in many environmental applications and control the functions of natural filter systems in subsurface environments. The mass transfer at fluid interfaces is associated with interface convection caused by local inhomogeneities in interface tension and hydrodynamic instabilities at the interface. If there is a surface tension gradient along the surface a shear stress jump is generated that results in fluid motion along the surface that is called Marangoni effect. These spontaneous convection currents can lead to an increased mass transfer of the transition component at the phase boundary and to an increased mixing of the phases. Therefore compensatory currents at the interface can have a significant influence on the subsurface transport of contaminants in the groundwater area, especially in the vadose zone. Using microfluidic channels and advanced experimental techniques it is possible to measure the fluid flow and mass transfer rates directly and to quantify the effect of the Marangoni convection on the mass transfer at interfaces between a non-aqueous liquid and water with high temporal and spatial resolution. The use of fluorescent particles as well as the recording and analysis of their trajectories is intended to visualize interfacial processes and to quantify the mass transfer at fluid phase boundaries. Concentration gradients at the interface are analysed by spectroscopic methods and allow an assessment of the enrichment and depletion at the phase boundaries. Extensive test series provide the experimental basis for quantifying and analysing the impact of the Marangoni effect on the mass transfer rates at interfaces in porous media in subsurface aquatic environments. Within this research project we concentrate on the effect of Marangoni convection on the mass transfer near an 1-octanol-water interface, which serves as a well defined proxy for non-aqueous phase liquids in porous media. Experiments and a numerical simulation are closely coupled to provide a generic data set with high reproducibility and used to obtain highly resolved three-dimensional data of mass transfer in two- and three-phase systems to foster the understanding of subsurface transport, especially in the vadose zone.

  12. Simulation of fundamental atomization mechanisms in fuel sprays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Childs, Robert, E.; Mansour, Nagi N.

    1988-01-01

    Growth of instabilities on the liquid/gas interface in the initial region of fuel sprays is studied by means of numerical simulations. The simulations are based on solutions of the variable-density incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, which are obtained with a new numerical algorithm. The simulations give good agreement with analytical results for the instabilities on a liquid cylinder induced by surface tension and wind-induced instabilities. The effects of boundary layers on the wind-induced instabilities are investigated. It is found that a boundary layer reduces the growth rate for a single interface, and a comparison with inviscid theory suggests that boundary layer effects may be significantly more important than surface tension effects. The results yield a better estimate than inviscid theory for the drop sizes as reported for diesel sprays. Results for the planar jet show that boundary layer effects hasten the growth of Squire's 'symmetric' mode, which is responsible for jet disintegration. This result helps explain the rapid atomization which occurs in swirl and air-blast atomizers.

  13. Governing Influence of Thermodynamic and Chemical Equilibria on the Interfacial Properties in Complex Fluids.

    PubMed

    Harikrishnan, A R; Dhar, Purbarun; Gedupudi, Sateesh; Das, Sarit K

    2018-04-12

    We propose a comprehensive analysis and a quasi-analytical mathematical formalism to predict the surface tension and contact angles of complex surfactant-infused nanocolloids. The model rests on the foundations of the interaction potentials for the interfacial adsorption-desorption dynamics in complex multicomponent colloids. Surfactant-infused nanoparticle-laden interface problems are difficult to deal with because of the many-body interactions and interfaces involved at the meso-nanoscales. The model is based on the governing role of thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium parameters in modulating the interfacial energies. The influence of parameters such as the presence of surfactants, nanoparticles, and surfactant-capped nanoparticles on interfacial dynamics is revealed by the analysis. Solely based on the knowledge of interfacial properties of independent surfactant solutions and nanocolloids, the same can be deduced for complex surfactant-based nanocolloids through the proposed approach. The model accurately predicts the equilibrium surface tension and contact angle of complex nanocolloids available in the existing literature and present experimental findings.

  14. Structure and Dynamics of Interfaces: Drops and Films

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mann, J. Adin, Jr.; Mann, Elizabeth K.; Meyer, William V.; Neumann, A. Wilhelm; Tavana, Hossein

    2015-01-01

    We aim to acquire measurements of the structure and dynamics of certain liquid-fluid interfaces using an ensemble of techniques in collaboration: (1) Total internal reflection (TIR) Surface light scattering spectroscopy (SLSS), (2) Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), and (3) Drop-shape analysis. SLSS and BAM can be done on a shared interfacial footprint. Results using a 50-50 mixture of pentane-isohexane, which extends the range of NASA's Confined Vapor Bubble (CVB) experiment, yield surface tension results that differ from the expected Langmuir Fit. These results were confirmed using both the SLSS and drop-shape analysis approaches.

  15. Restraint of Liquid Jets by Surface Tension in Microgravity Modeled

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chato, David J.

    2001-01-01

    Tension in Microgravity Modeled Microgravity poses many challenges to the designer of spacecraft tanks. Chief among these are the lack of phase separation and the need to supply vapor-free liquid or liquidfree vapor to the spacecraft processes that require fluid. One of the principal problems of phase separation is the creation of liquid jets. A jet can be created by liquid filling, settling of the fluid to one end of the tank, or even closing a valve to stop the liquid flow. Anyone who has seen a fountain knows that jets occur in normal gravity also. However, in normal gravity, the gravity controls and restricts the jet flow. In microgravity, with gravity largely absent, jets must be contained by surface tension forces. Recent NASA experiments in microgravity (Tank Pressure Control Experiment, TPCE, and Vented Tank Pressure Experiment, VTRE) resulted in a wealth of data about jet behavior in microgravity. VTRE was surprising in that, although it contained a complex geometry of baffles and vanes, the limit on liquid inflow was the emergence of a liquid jet from the top of the vane structure. Clearly understanding the restraint of liquid jets by surface tension is key to managing fluids in low gravity. To model this phenomenon, we need a numerical method that can track the fluid motion and the surface tension forces. The fluid motion is modeled with the Navier-Stokes equation formulated for low-speed incompressible flows. The quantities of velocity and pressure are placed on a staggered grid, with velocity being tracked at cell faces and pressure at cell centers. The free surface is tracked via the introduction of a color function that tracks liquid as 1/2 and gas as -1/2. A phase model developed by Jacqmin is used. This model converts the discrete surface tension force into a barrier function that peaks at the free surface and decays rapidly. Previous attempts at this formulation have been criticized for smearing the interface. However, by sharpening the phase function, double gridding the fluid function, and using a higher order solution for the fluid function, interface smearing is avoided. These equations can be rewritten as two coupled Poisson equations that also include the velocity. The method of solution is as follows: first, the phase equations are solved from this solution, a velocity field is generated, then a successive overrelaxation scheme is used to solve for a pressure field consistent with the velocity solution. After the code was implemented in axisymmetric form and verified by several test cases, the drop tower runs of Aydelott were modeled. The model handed the free-surface deformation quite nicely, even to the point of modeling geyser growth in the regime where the free surface was no longer restrained. A representative run is shown.

  16. Line tension effects on the wetting of nanostructures: an energy method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Hao-Yuan; Li, Bo; Feng, Xi-Qiao

    2017-09-01

    The superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning property of micro/nano-structured solid surfaces require a stable Cassie-Baxter (CB) wetting state at the liquid-solid interface. We present an energy method to investigate how the three-phase line tension affects the CB wetting state on nanostructured materials. For some nanostructures, the line tension may engender a distinct energy barrier, which restricts the position of the three-phase contact line and affects the stability of the CB wetting state. We ascertain the upper and lower limits of the critical pressure at the CB-Wenzel transition. Our results suggest that superhydrophobicity on nanostructures can be modulated by tailoring the line tension and harnessing the curvature effect. This study also provides new insights into the sinking phenomena observed in the nanoparticle-floating experiment.

  17. Structural and Interfacial Properties of Hyperbranched-Linear Polymer Surfactant.

    PubMed

    Qiang, Taotao; Bu, Qiaoqiao; Huang, Zhaofeng; Wang, Xuechuan

    2014-01-01

    With oleic acid grafting modification, a series of hyperbranched-linear polymer surfactants (HLPS) were prepared by hydroxyl-terminated hyperbranched polymer (HBP), which was gained through a step synthesis method using trimethylolpropane and AB 2 monomer. The AB 2 monomers were obtained through the Michael addition reaction of methyl acrylate and diethanol amine. The structures of HLPS were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which indicated that HBP was successfully modified by oleic acid. Furthermore, the properties of surface tension and critical micelle concentration of HLPS solution showed that HLPS can significantly reduce the surface tension of water. The morphology of the HLPS solution was characterised by dynamic light scattering, which revealed that HLPS exhibited a nonmonotonic appearance in particle size at different scattering angles owing to the different replaced linear portions. The relationships of the surface pressure to monolayer area and time were measured using the Langmuir-Blodgett instrument, which showed that the surface tension of monolayer molecules increased with the increasing of hydrophobic groups. In addition, the interface conditions of different replaced HLPS solutions were simulated.

  18. Controlling the Mobility of the Fluid Interface of Moving Gas Bubbles or Liquid Drops by Using Micellar Solutions of Surfactants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maldarelli, Charles; Papageorgiou, Demetrios

    1998-01-01

    Microgravity processes must rely on mechanisms other than buoyancy to move bubbles or droplets from one region to another in a continuous liquid phase. One suggested method is thermocapillary migration in which a temperature gradient is applied to the continuous phase. A significant and as yet unresolved impediment to the use of thermocapillary migration to direct bubble or drop motion is that these migrations can be significantly retarded by the adsorption onto the fluid particle surface of surface active impurities unavoidably present in the continuous or (if the particle is a liquid) droplet phases. The focus of our research was to develop a theory for remobilizing fluid particle interfaces retarded by a surfactant impurity in an effort to make more viable the use of thermocapillary migrations for the management of bubbles and drops in microgravity. We postulated that a surfactant at high bulk concentration which kinetically exchanges rapidly with the surface can restore interface mobility. The scaling arguments along with a discussion of the previous literature is reviewed in the context of the scaling framework. The specific objectives of the research were twofold. The first was to prove the remobilization theory by studying a model problem. As the mechanism for remobilization is independent of the force which drives the particle, the fluid particle shape and the presence of fluid inertia, we chose the simplest model consisting of a spherical bubble rising steadily by buoyancy in creeping flow. We solved the hydrodynamic and surfactant transport equations for rapid kinetic exchange to demonstrate that as the concentration increases, the Marangoni retardation at first increases (the low k behavior) and then decreases (the high k behavior). The second objective was to develop a method to determine the kinetic rate constants of a surfactant molecule, since this information is necessary to select surfactants which will exchange rapidly enough relative to the convective rate in the thermocapillary process of interest. To measure the kinetic rate, we measure the dynamic tension change accompanying adsorption onto an initially clean interface, or the re-equilibration in tension when an equilibrium interface is compressed. The dynamic tension measurements are made by a pendant bubble method, in which surfactant adsorbs onto a pendant bubble, and the tension is measured by analyzing the shape change in the bubble. We conclude this report by detailing the publications, presentations and doctoral thesis completed under the auspices of this grant.

  19. Interfacial activity of polymeric surfactants at the polystyrene-carbon dioxide interface

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Harrison, K.L.; Rocha, S.R.P. da; Yates, M.Z.

    1998-11-24

    The reduction of the interfacial tension at the polystyrene (PS, M{sub n} = 1850)-supercritical CO{sub 2} interface is reported for poly(1,1-dihydroperfluorooctyl acrylate)(PFOA) and the block copolymers PS-b-PFOA(3.7K/27K) and PS-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) (2K/16K, 500/10K) at 45 C. PS-b-PDMS (2K/16K) lowers the interfacial tension to 0.5 dyn/cm at 45 C and 238 bar, more than that of any of the other copolymers. On the basis of the dynamics of the lowering of the interfacial tension, the apparent diffusion coefficient of PS-b-PDMS (2K/16K) is 8 {times} 10{sup {minus}6} cm{sup 2}/s. The critical micelle concentration of PS-b-PFOA (3.7K/27K) is 9 {times} 10{sup {minus}4} wt %.more » Whereas both the PDMS- and PFOA-based copolymers studied adsorb on the PS surface, PS-b-PFOA is much more effective in stabilizing the PS emulsions. The difference in stabilization is discussed in terms of the surfactant adsorption and the interactions of the anchor and buoy blocks with CO{sub 2} and the PS surface.« less

  20. Adsorption and Retardation of PFASs in Soil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, W.; Yan, N.; Fu, X.; Carroll, K. C.; Holguin, F. O. O.; Brusseau, M. L.

    2017-12-01

    Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are emerging contaminants of concern that are present in the subsurface at numerous military and industrial facilities. Knowledge of the retention behavior of these compounds in the subsurface environment is critical for effective risk characterization and remediation. The objective of this research is to investigate the role of adsorption at the air-water interface on PFAS retention in vadose-zone systems. Surface tensions were measured for select PFAS to determine interfacial adsorption coefficients. Column experiments were conducted to characterize retardation and transport under saturated and unsaturated flow conditions. The impact of soil properties and groundwater constituents on surface tension, solid-phase adsorption, and interfacial adsorption was investigated.

  1. New sensitive micro-measurements of dynamic surface tension and diffusion coefficients: Validated and tested for the adsorption of 1-Octanol at a microscopic air-water interface and its dissolution into water.

    PubMed

    Kinoshita, Koji; Parra, Elisa; Needham, David

    2017-02-15

    Currently available dynamic surface tension (DST) measurement methods, such as Wilhelmy plate, droplet- or bubble-based methods, still have various experimental limitations such as the large size of the interface, convection in the solution, or a certain "dead time" at initial measurement. These limitations create inconsistencies for the kinetic analysis of surfactant adsorption/desorption, especially significant for ionic surfactants. Here, the "micropipette interfacial area-expansion method" was introduced and validated as a new DST measurement having a high enough sensitivity to detect diffusion controlled molecular adsorption at the air-water interfaces. To validate the new technique, the diffusion coefficient of 1-Octanol in water was investigated with existing models: the Ward Tordai model for the long time adsorption regime (1-100s), and the Langmuir and Frumkin adsorption isotherm models for surface excess concentration. We found that the measured diffusion coefficient of 1-Octanol, 7.2±0.8×10 -6 cm 2 /s, showed excellent agreement with the result from an alternative method, "single microdroplet catching method", to measure the diffusion coefficient from diffusion-controlled microdroplet dissolution, 7.3±0.1×10 -6 cm 2 /s. These new techniques for determining adsorption and diffusion coefficients can apply for a range of surface active molecules, especially the less-characterized ionic surfactants, and biological compounds such as lipids, peptides, and proteins. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Influence of spray drying and dispersing agent on surface and dissolution properties of griseofulvin micro and nanocrystals.

    PubMed

    Shah, Dhaval A; Patel, Manan; Murdande, Sharad B; Dave, Rutesh H

    2016-11-01

    The purpose for the current research is to compare and evaluate physiochemical properties of spray-dried (SD) microcrystals (MCs), nanocrystals (NCs), and nanocrystals with a dispersion agent (NCm) from a poorly soluble compound. The characterization was carried out by performing size and surface analysis, interfacial tension (at particle moisture interface), and in-vitro drug dissolution rate experiments. Nanosuspensions were prepared by media milling and were spray-dried. The SD powders that were obtained were characterized morphologically using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized light microscopy (PLM), and Flowchem. Solid-state characterization was performed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for the identification of the crystalline nature of all the SD powders. The powders were characterized for their redispersion tendency in the water and in pH 1.2. Significant differences in redispersion were noted for both the NCs in both dissolution media. The interfacial tension for particle moisture interface was determined by applying the BET (Braunauer-Emmett-Teller) equation to the vapor sorption data. No significant reduction in the interfacial tension was observed between MCs and NCs; however, a significant reduction in the interfacial tension was observed for NCm at both 25 °C and 35 °C temperatures. The difference in interfacial tension and redispersion behavior can be attributed to a difference in the wetting tendency for all the SD powders. The dissolution studies were carried out under sink and under non-sink conditions. The non-sink dissolution approach was found suitable for quantification of the dissolution rate enhancement, and also for providing the rank order to the SD formulations.

  3. Colloidal systems and interfaces

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ross, S.; Morrison, E.D.

    1988-01-01

    This book is an excellent, four-part introductory text and sourcebook for those who want to acquire a quick background in , or brush up on, the physical properties and behavior of colloidal dispersions and interfaces. Part I covers properties of particles and techniques for determining particle size and surface area. Part II concentrates on the properties of interfaces, with brief subsections on insoluble monolayers, surface active solutes in aqueous and non-aqueous media, and the thermodynamics of adsorption at interfaces. Part III considers attractive and repulsive interactions, colloid stability (DLVO theory), and kinetics of coagulation. Part IV applies these concepts tomore » emulsions, foams, and suspensions. The sections on colloid rheology, interfacial tensions, Marangoni effects, and calculation of Hamaker constants are particularly good, as are Part IV and the numerous examples of practical applications used throughout the book to illustrate the concepts.« less

  4. Smart nanogels at the air/water interface: structural studies by neutron reflectivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zielińska, Katarzyna; Sun, Huihui; Campbell, Richard A.; Zarbakhsh, Ali; Resmini, Marina

    2016-02-01

    The development of effective transdermal drug delivery systems based on nanosized polymers requires a better understanding of the behaviour of such nanomaterials at interfaces. N-Isopropylacrylamide-based nanogels synthesized with different percentages of N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as cross-linker, ranging from 10 to 30%, were characterized at physiological temperature at the air/water interface, using neutron reflectivity (NR), with isotopic contrast variation, and surface tension measurements; this allowed us to resolve the adsorbed amount and the volume fraction of nanogels at the interface. A large conformational change for the nanogels results in strong deformations at the interface. As the percentage of cross-linker incorporated in the nanogels becomes higher, more rigid matrices are obtained, although less deformed, and the amount of adsorbed nanogels is increased. The data provide the first experimental evidence of structural changes of nanogels as a function of the degree of cross-linking at the air/water interface.The development of effective transdermal drug delivery systems based on nanosized polymers requires a better understanding of the behaviour of such nanomaterials at interfaces. N-Isopropylacrylamide-based nanogels synthesized with different percentages of N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as cross-linker, ranging from 10 to 30%, were characterized at physiological temperature at the air/water interface, using neutron reflectivity (NR), with isotopic contrast variation, and surface tension measurements; this allowed us to resolve the adsorbed amount and the volume fraction of nanogels at the interface. A large conformational change for the nanogels results in strong deformations at the interface. As the percentage of cross-linker incorporated in the nanogels becomes higher, more rigid matrices are obtained, although less deformed, and the amount of adsorbed nanogels is increased. The data provide the first experimental evidence of structural changes of nanogels as a function of the degree of cross-linking at the air/water interface. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr07538f

  5. Synthesis, Surface Parameters, and Biodegradability of Water-soluble Surfactants for Various Applications.

    PubMed

    El-Sayed, Refat; Alotaibi, Hawazin H; Elhady, Heba A

    2018-01-01

    The synthesis of water-soluble heterocyclic compounds was verified on the basis of nonionic surfactants for use as surface-active agents. Surface characteristics such as surface and interfacial tensions, cloud point, wetting time, emulsion stability, foaming height and foaming stability were measured for these surface factors in aqueous solutions. In addition, the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the surface pressure at CMC (π cmc ), the effectiveness of surface tension reduction (pC 20 ), the maximum surface concentration (Γ ma. ) and the minimum area/molecule at the aqueous solution/air interface (A min ) were calculated. Moreover, the biodegradability for these nonionic surfactants has been investigated. Furthermore, the antimicrobial evaluation has been evaluated with some surfactants that have demonstrated a potent cytotoxicity as antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer. These surfactants have a good water solubility, low toxicity, environmentally friendly environment, high foam, good emulsifier and easy production that will be used them in various fields such as medical drugs, insecticides, detergents, emulsifiers, cosmetics, inks clothing, leather industry and oil recovery.

  6. Nested Dissection Interface Reconstruction in Pececillo

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jibben, Zechariah Joel; Carlson, Neil N.; Francois, Marianne M.

    A nested dissection method for interface reconstruction in a volume tracking framework has been implemented in Pececillo, a mini-app for Truchas, which is the ASC code for casting and additive manufacturing. This method provides a significant improvement over the traditional onion-skin method, which does not appropriately handle T-shaped multimaterial intersections and dynamic contact lines present in additive manufacturing simulations. The resulting implementation lays the groundwork for further research in contact angle estimates and surface tension calculations.

  7. Adsorption of mixtures of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers and sodium dodecyl sulfate at the air-water interface.

    PubMed

    Arteta, Marianna Yanez; Campbell, Richard A; Nylander, Tommy

    2014-05-27

    We relate the adsorption from mixtures of well-defined poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers of generations 4 and 8 with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at the air-water interface to the bulk solution properties. The anionic surfactant shows strong attractive interactions with the cationic dendrimers at pH 7, and electrophoretic mobility measurements indicate that the association is primarily driven by electrostatic interactions. Optical density measurements highlight the lack of colloidal stability of the formed bulk aggregates at compositions close to charge neutrality, the time scale of which is dependent on the dendrimer generation. Adsorption at the air-water interface was followed from samples immediately after mixing using a combination of surface tension, neutron reflectometry, and ellipsometry measurements. In the phase separation region for dendrimers of generation 4, we observed high surface tension corresponding to a depleted surfactant solution but only when the aggregates carried an excess of surfactant. Interestingly, these depleted adsorption layers contained spontaneously adsorbed macroscopic aggregates, and these embedded particles do not rearrange to spread monomeric material at the interface. These findings are discussed in relation to the interfacial properties of mixtures involving dendrimers of generation 8 as well as polydisperse linear and hyperbranched polyelectrolytes where there is polyelectrolyte bound to a surfactant monolayer. The results presented here demonstrate the capability of dendrimers to sequester anionic surfactants in a controllable manner, with potential applications as demulsification and antifoaming agents.

  8. Capillary waves in the subcritical nonlinear Schroedinger equation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kozyreff, G.

    2010-01-15

    We expand recent results on the nonlinear Schroedinger equation with cubic-quintic nonlinearity to show that some solutions are described by the Bernoulli equation in the presence of surface tension. As a consequence, capillary waves are predicted and found numerically at the interface between regions of large and low amplitude.

  9. Synergistic foaming and surface properties of a weakly interacting mixture of soy glycinin and biosurfactant stevioside.

    PubMed

    Wan, Zhi-Li; Wang, Li-Ying; Wang, Jin-Mei; Yuan, Yang; Yang, Xiao-Quan

    2014-07-16

    The adsorption of the mixtures of soy glycinin (11S) with a biosurfactant stevioside (STE) at the air-water interface was studied to understand its relation with foaming properties. A combination of several techniques such as dynamic surface tension, dilatational rheology, fluorescence spectroscopy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used. In the presence of intermediate STE concentrations (0.25-0.5%), the weak binding of STE with 11S in bulk occurred by hydrophobic interactions, which could induce conformational changes of 11S, as evidenced by fluorescence and ITC. Accordingly, the strong synergy in reducing surface tension and the plateau in surface elasticity for mixed 11S-STE layers formed from the weakly interacting mixtures were clearly observed. This effect could be explained by the complexation with STE, which might facilitate the partial dissociation and further unfolding of 11S upon adsorption, thus enhancing the protein-protein and protein-STE interfacial interactions. These surface properties were positively reflected in foams produced by the weakly interacting system, which exhibited good foaming capacity and considerable stability probably due to better response to external stresses. However, at high STE concentrations (1-2%), as a consequence of the interface dominated by STE due to the preferential adsorption of STE molecules, the surface elasticity of layers dramatically decreased, and the resultant foams became less stable.

  10. Structure and property relations of macromolecular self-assemblies at interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Zhihao

    Hydrophilic polymer chains, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), are attached to glass surfaces by silylation of the silanol groups on glass surfaces with the omega-(methoxyl terminated PEG) trimethoxysilanes. These tethered polymer chains resemble the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of PEG, which exhibit excellent biocompatibility and provide a model system for studying the interactions of proteins with polymer surfaces. The low molecular weight PEGs tend to extend, forming a brush-like monolayer, whereas the longer polymer chains tend to interpenetrate each other, forming a mushroom-like PEG monolayer at the interface. Interactions between a plasma protein, bovine serum albumin, and the PEG-SAMs are investigated in terms of protein adsorption and diffusion on the surfaces by the technique of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). The diffusion and aggregation behaviors of the protein on the two monolayers are found to be quite different despite the similarities in adsorption and desorption behaviors. The results are analyzed with a hypothesis of the hydrated surface dynamics. A method of covalently bonding phospholipid molecules to silica substrates followed by loading with free phospholipids is demonstrated to form well organized and stable phospholipid self-assembled monolayers. Surfaces of such SAMs structurally mimic the aqueous sides of phospholipid bilayer membranes. The dynamics of phospholipids and an adsorbed protein, lipase, in the SAMs are probed with FRAP, in terms of lateral diffusion of both phospholipids and protein molecules. The esterase activity of lipase on the SAM surfaces is confirmed by the hydrolysis reaction of a substrate, umbelliferone stearate, showing such lipid SAMs posess biomembrane functionality in terms of interfacial activation of the membranous enzymes. Dynamics of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide tri-block copolymers, PEO-PPO-PEO and PPO-PEO-PPO, at the air/water interface upon thermal stimulation is studied by surface light scattering, in terms of the dynamic surface tension changes in response to a temperature jump. The characteristic of the surface tension relaxation is found to be highly related to the molecular structure and concentration of the copolymers at the interface.

  11. Implicit mesh discontinuous Galerkin methods and interfacial gauge methods for high-order accurate interface dynamics, with applications to surface tension dynamics, rigid body fluid-structure interaction, and free surface flow: Part I

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saye, Robert

    2017-09-01

    In this two-part paper, a high-order accurate implicit mesh discontinuous Galerkin (dG) framework is developed for fluid interface dynamics, facilitating precise computation of interfacial fluid flow in evolving geometries. The framework uses implicitly defined meshes-wherein a reference quadtree or octree grid is combined with an implicit representation of evolving interfaces and moving domain boundaries-and allows physically prescribed interfacial jump conditions to be imposed or captured with high-order accuracy. Part one discusses the design of the framework, including: (i) high-order quadrature for implicitly defined elements and faces; (ii) high-order accurate discretisation of scalar and vector-valued elliptic partial differential equations with interfacial jumps in ellipticity coefficient, leading to optimal-order accuracy in the maximum norm and discrete linear systems that are symmetric positive (semi)definite; (iii) the design of incompressible fluid flow projection operators, which except for the influence of small penalty parameters, are discretely idempotent; and (iv) the design of geometric multigrid methods for elliptic interface problems on implicitly defined meshes and their use as preconditioners for the conjugate gradient method. Also discussed is a variety of aspects relating to moving interfaces, including: (v) dG discretisations of the level set method on implicitly defined meshes; (vi) transferring state between evolving implicit meshes; (vii) preserving mesh topology to accurately compute temporal derivatives; (viii) high-order accurate reinitialisation of level set functions; and (ix) the integration of adaptive mesh refinement. In part two, several applications of the implicit mesh dG framework in two and three dimensions are presented, including examples of single phase flow in nontrivial geometry, surface tension-driven two phase flow with phase-dependent fluid density and viscosity, rigid body fluid-structure interaction, and free surface flow. A class of techniques known as interfacial gauge methods is adopted to solve the corresponding incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, which, compared to archetypical projection methods, have a weaker coupling between fluid velocity, pressure, and interface position, and allow high-order accurate numerical methods to be developed more easily. Convergence analyses conducted throughout the work demonstrate high-order accuracy in the maximum norm for all of the applications considered; for example, fourth-order spatial accuracy in fluid velocity, pressure, and interface location is demonstrated for surface tension-driven two phase flow in 2D and 3D. Specific application examples include: vortex shedding in nontrivial geometry, capillary wave dynamics revealing fine-scale flow features, falling rigid bodies tumbling in unsteady flow, and free surface flow over a submersed obstacle, as well as high Reynolds number soap bubble oscillation dynamics and vortex shedding induced by a type of Plateau-Rayleigh instability in water ripple free surface flow. These last two examples compare numerical results with experimental data and serve as an additional means of validation; they also reveal physical phenomena not visible in the experiments, highlight how small-scale interfacial features develop and affect macroscopic dynamics, and demonstrate the wide range of spatial scales often at play in interfacial fluid flow.

  12. Implicit mesh discontinuous Galerkin methods and interfacial gauge methods for high-order accurate interface dynamics, with applications to surface tension dynamics, rigid body fluid-structure interaction, and free surface flow: Part II

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saye, Robert

    2017-09-01

    In this two-part paper, a high-order accurate implicit mesh discontinuous Galerkin (dG) framework is developed for fluid interface dynamics, facilitating precise computation of interfacial fluid flow in evolving geometries. The framework uses implicitly defined meshes-wherein a reference quadtree or octree grid is combined with an implicit representation of evolving interfaces and moving domain boundaries-and allows physically prescribed interfacial jump conditions to be imposed or captured with high-order accuracy. Part one discusses the design of the framework, including: (i) high-order quadrature for implicitly defined elements and faces; (ii) high-order accurate discretisation of scalar and vector-valued elliptic partial differential equations with interfacial jumps in ellipticity coefficient, leading to optimal-order accuracy in the maximum norm and discrete linear systems that are symmetric positive (semi)definite; (iii) the design of incompressible fluid flow projection operators, which except for the influence of small penalty parameters, are discretely idempotent; and (iv) the design of geometric multigrid methods for elliptic interface problems on implicitly defined meshes and their use as preconditioners for the conjugate gradient method. Also discussed is a variety of aspects relating to moving interfaces, including: (v) dG discretisations of the level set method on implicitly defined meshes; (vi) transferring state between evolving implicit meshes; (vii) preserving mesh topology to accurately compute temporal derivatives; (viii) high-order accurate reinitialisation of level set functions; and (ix) the integration of adaptive mesh refinement. In part two, several applications of the implicit mesh dG framework in two and three dimensions are presented, including examples of single phase flow in nontrivial geometry, surface tension-driven two phase flow with phase-dependent fluid density and viscosity, rigid body fluid-structure interaction, and free surface flow. A class of techniques known as interfacial gauge methods is adopted to solve the corresponding incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, which, compared to archetypical projection methods, have a weaker coupling between fluid velocity, pressure, and interface position, and allow high-order accurate numerical methods to be developed more easily. Convergence analyses conducted throughout the work demonstrate high-order accuracy in the maximum norm for all of the applications considered; for example, fourth-order spatial accuracy in fluid velocity, pressure, and interface location is demonstrated for surface tension-driven two phase flow in 2D and 3D. Specific application examples include: vortex shedding in nontrivial geometry, capillary wave dynamics revealing fine-scale flow features, falling rigid bodies tumbling in unsteady flow, and free surface flow over a submersed obstacle, as well as high Reynolds number soap bubble oscillation dynamics and vortex shedding induced by a type of Plateau-Rayleigh instability in water ripple free surface flow. These last two examples compare numerical results with experimental data and serve as an additional means of validation; they also reveal physical phenomena not visible in the experiments, highlight how small-scale interfacial features develop and affect macroscopic dynamics, and demonstrate the wide range of spatial scales often at play in interfacial fluid flow.

  13. Faraday wave lattice as an elastic metamaterial.

    PubMed

    Domino, L; Tarpin, M; Patinet, S; Eddi, A

    2016-05-01

    Metamaterials enable the emergence of novel physical properties due to the existence of an underlying subwavelength structure. Here, we use the Faraday instability to shape the fluid-air interface with a regular pattern. This pattern undergoes an oscillating secondary instability and exhibits spontaneous vibrations that are analogous to transverse elastic waves. By locally forcing these waves, we fully characterize their dispersion relation and show that a Faraday pattern presents an effective shear elasticity. We propose a physical mechanism combining surface tension with the Faraday structured interface that quantitatively predicts the elastic wave phase speed, revealing that the liquid interface behaves as an elastic metamaterial.

  14. Unified molecular picture of the surfaces of aqueous acid, base, and salt solutions.

    PubMed

    Mucha, Martin; Frigato, Tomaso; Levering, Lori M; Allen, Heather C; Tobias, Douglas J; Dang, Liem X; Jungwirth, Pavel

    2005-04-28

    The molecular structure of the interfacial regions of aqueous electrolytes is poorly understood, despite its crucial importance in many biological, technological, and atmospheric processes. A long-term controversy pertains between the standard picture of an ion-free surface layer and the strongly ion specific behavior indicating in many cases significant propensities of simple inorganic ions for the interface. Here, we present a unified and consistent view of the structure of the air/solution interface of aqueous electrolytes containing monovalent inorganic ions. Molecular dynamics calculations show that in salt solutions and bases the positively charged ions, such as alkali cations, are repelled from the interface, whereas the anions, such as halides or hydroxide, exhibit a varying surface propensity, correlated primarily with the ion polarizability and size. The behavior of acids is different due to a significant propensity of hydronium cations for the air/solution interface. Therefore, both cations and anions exhibit enhanced concentrations at the surface and, consequently, these acids (unlike bases and salts) reduce the surface tension of water. The results of the simulations are supported by surface selective nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy, which reveals among other things that the hydronium cations are present at the air/solution interface. The ion specific propensities for the air/solution interface have important implications for a whole range of heterogeneous physical and chemical processes, including atmospheric chemistry of aerosols, corrosion processes, and bubble coalescence.

  15. Surface tension prevails over solute effect in organic-influenced cloud droplet activation.

    PubMed

    Ovadnevaite, Jurgita; Zuend, Andreas; Laaksonen, Ari; Sanchez, Kevin J; Roberts, Greg; Ceburnis, Darius; Decesari, Stefano; Rinaldi, Matteo; Hodas, Natasha; Facchini, Maria Cristina; Seinfeld, John H; O' Dowd, Colin

    2017-06-29

    The spontaneous growth of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) into cloud droplets under supersaturated water vapour conditions is described by classic Köhler theory. This spontaneous activation of CCN depends on the interplay between the Raoult effect, whereby activation potential increases with decreasing water activity or increasing solute concentration, and the Kelvin effect, whereby activation potential decreases with decreasing droplet size or increases with decreasing surface tension, which is sensitive to surfactants. Surface tension lowering caused by organic surfactants, which diminishes the Kelvin effect, is expected to be negated by a concomitant reduction in the Raoult effect, driven by the displacement of surfactant molecules from the droplet bulk to the droplet-vapour interface. Here we present observational and theoretical evidence illustrating that, in ambient air, surface tension lowering can prevail over the reduction in the Raoult effect, leading to substantial increases in cloud droplet concentrations. We suggest that consideration of liquid-liquid phase separation, leading to complete or partial engulfing of a hygroscopic particle core by a hydrophobic organic-rich phase, can explain the lack of concomitant reduction of the Raoult effect, while maintaining substantial lowering of surface tension, even for partial surface coverage. Apart from the importance of particle size and composition in droplet activation, we show by observation and modelling that incorporation of phase-separation effects into activation thermodynamics can lead to a CCN number concentration that is up to ten times what is predicted by climate models, changing the properties of clouds. An adequate representation of the CCN activation process is essential to the prediction of clouds in climate models, and given the effect of clouds on the Earth's energy balance, improved prediction of aerosol-cloud-climate interactions is likely to result in improved assessments of future climate change.

  16. Measurement and computation of hydrodynamic coupling at an air/water interface with an insoluble monolayer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hirsa, Amir H.; Lopez, Juan M.; Miraghaie, Reza

    2001-09-01

    The coupling between a bulk vortical flow and a surfactant-influenced air/water interface has been examined in a canonical flow geometry through experiments and computations. The flow in an annular region bounded by stationary inner and outer cylinders is driven by the constant rotation of the floor and the free surface is initially covered by a uniformly distributed insoluble monolayer. When driven slowly, this geometry is referred to as the deep-channel surface viscometer and the flow is essentially azimuthal. The only interfacial property that affects the flow in this regime is the surface shear viscosity, [mu]s, which is uniform on the surface due to the vanishingly small concentration gradient. However, when operated at higher Reynolds number, secondary flow drives the surfactant film towards the inner cylinder until the Marangoni stress balances the shear stress on the bulk fluid. In general, the flow can be influenced by the surface tension, [sigma], and the surface dilatational viscosity, [kappa]s, as well as [mu]s. However, because of the small capillary number of the present flow, the effects of surface tension gradients dominate the surface viscosities in the radial stress balance, and the effect of [mu]s can only come through the azimuthal stress. Vitamin K1 was chosen for this study since it forms a well-behaved insoluble monolayer on water and [mu]s is essentially zero in the range of concentration on the surface, c, encountered. Thus the effect of Marangoni elasticity on the interfacial stress could be isolated. The flow near the interface was measured in an optical channel using digital particle image velocimetry. Steady axisymmetric flow was observed at the nominal Reynolds number of 8500. A numerical model has been developed using the axisymmetric Navier Stokes equations to examine the details of the coupling between the bulk and the interface. The nonlinear equation of state, [sigma](c), for the vitamin K1 monolayer was measured and utilized in the computations. Agreement was demonstrated between the measurements and computations, but the flow is critically dependent on the nonlinear equation of state.

  17. The Processing and Mechanical Properties of High Temperature/High Performance Composites. Book 2, Section 2: Strength and Fracture Resistance

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-10-15

    tensions of. the integral equawin methods used in these earlier papers. Cook and Erdogan (1972) and Erdogan and Diniakolo (1973) investigate the...main crack impinging the interface at right angles. Additional work along these same lines is reported by Lu and Erdogan (1963). The tendency for a...crack approaching an interface or a free surface at 3n oblique unlet to be deflected one way or the other has been elucidated by itudics or Erdogan and

  18. Continuous versus Arrested Spreading of Biofilms at Solid-Gas Interfaces: The Role of Surface Forces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trinschek, Sarah; John, Karin; Lecuyer, Sigolène; Thiele, Uwe

    2017-08-01

    We introduce and analyze a model for osmotically spreading bacterial colonies at solid-air interfaces that includes wetting phenomena, i.e., surface forces. The model is based on a hydrodynamic description for liquid suspensions which is supplemented by bioactive processes. We show that surface forces determine whether a biofilm can expand laterally over a substrate and provide experimental evidence for the existence of a transition between continuous and arrested spreading for Bacillus subtilis biofilms. In the case of arrested spreading, the lateral expansion of the biofilm is confined, albeit the colony is biologically active. However, a small reduction in the surface tension of the biofilm is sufficient to induce spreading. The incorporation of surface forces into our hydrodynamic model allows us to capture this transition in biofilm spreading behavior.

  19. Discrete Fractional Component Monte Carlo Simulation Study of Dilute Nonionic Surfactants at the Air-Water Interface.

    PubMed

    Yoo, Brian; Marin-Rimoldi, Eliseo; Mullen, Ryan Gotchy; Jusufi, Arben; Maginn, Edward J

    2017-09-26

    We present a newly developed Monte Carlo scheme to predict bulk surfactant concentrations and surface tensions at the air-water interface for various surfactant interfacial coverages. Since the concentration regimes of these systems of interest are typically very dilute (≪10 -5 mol. frac.), Monte Carlo simulations with the use of insertion/deletion moves can provide the ability to overcome finite system size limitations that often prohibit the use of modern molecular simulation techniques. In performing these simulations, we use the discrete fractional component Monte Carlo (DFCMC) method in the Gibbs ensemble framework, which allows us to separate the bulk and air-water interface into two separate boxes and efficiently swap tetraethylene glycol surfactants C 10 E 4 between boxes. Combining this move with preferential translations, volume biased insertions, and Wang-Landau biasing vastly enhances sampling and helps overcome the classical "insertion problem", often encountered in non-lattice Monte Carlo simulations. We demonstrate that this methodology is both consistent with the original molecular thermodynamic theory (MTT) of Blankschtein and co-workers, as well as their recently modified theory (MD/MTT), which incorporates the results of surfactant infinite dilution transfer free energies and surface tension calculations obtained from molecular dynamics simulations.

  20. Improvements, testing and development of the ADM-τ sub-grid surface tension model for two-phase LES

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aniszewski, Wojciech

    2016-12-01

    In this paper, a specific subgrid term occurring in Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of two-phase flows is investigated. This and other subgrid terms are presented, we subsequently elaborate on the existing models for those and re-formulate the ADM-τ model for sub-grid surface tension previously published by these authors. This paper presents a substantial, conceptual simplification over the original model version, accompanied by a decrease in its computational cost. At the same time, it addresses the issues the original model version faced, e.g. introduces non-isotropic applicability criteria based on resolved interface's principal curvature radii. Additionally, this paper introduces more throughout testing of the ADM-τ, in both simple and complex flows.

  1. Effects of a semi-infinite stratification on the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in an interface with surface tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Andrea González, Ángel; González-Gutiérrez, Leo M.

    2017-09-01

    The Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) in an infinite slab where a constant density lower fluid is initially separated from an upper stratified fluid is discussed in linear regime. The upper fluid is of increasing exponential density and surface tension is considered between both of them. It was found useful to study stability by using the initial value problem approach (IVP), so that we ensure the inclusion of certain continuum modes, otherwise neglected. This methodology includes the branch cut in the complex plane, consequently, in addition to discrete modes (surface RTI modes), a set of continuum modes (internal RTI modes) also appears. As a result, the usual information given by the normal mode method is now complete. Furthermore, a new role is found for surface tension: to transform surface RTI modes (discrete spectrum) into internal RTI modes belonging to a continuous spectrum at a critical wavenumber. As a consequence, the cut-off wavenumber disappears: i.e. the growth rate of the RTI surface mode does not decay to zero at the cut-off wavenumber, as previous researchers used to believe. Finally, we found that, due to the continuum, the asymptotic behavior of the perturbation with respect to time is slower than the exponential when only the continuous spectrum exists.

  2. Viscous Fingering on an Immiscible Reactive Interface with Variation of Interfacial Tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsuzuki, Reiko; Nagatsu, Yuichiro; Li, Qian; Chen, Ching-Yao

    2017-11-01

    The effects of chemical reaction, in which surfactants are produced on the interface of two immiscible fluids, on viscous fingering in a radial Hele-Shaw flow are numerically investigated. The presence of surfactants reduces interfacial tension, which is an important factor to the fingering pattern formation. In the present study, influences of reaction rate and dispersion of produced surfactants, represented respectively by dimensionless parameters of Damkohler number and Peclet number, are evaluated systematically. Secondary fingering instability, e.g., tip-splitting and side-branching, is triggered by chemical reactions. Weaker surface tension generally induces tip-splitting. For the case of high Damkohler number, because of the vortex pairs generated within each finger, surfactant tends to accumulate significantly on the side of finger, so that side-branching is preferred. Nevertheless, side-branching is suppressed in the cases associated with low Peclet number, in which strong dispersion reduces the local variation of surfactant concentration. Considering the coupled effects by Damkohler number and Peclet number, the patterns obtained by the simulations qualitatively agree with the observations in the experiments.

  3. Counter-current thermocapillary migration of bubbles in self-rewetting liquids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nazareth, R.; Saenz, P.; Sefiane, K.; Kim, J.; Valluri, P.

    2016-11-01

    In this work, we study the counter-current thermocapillary propulsion of a suspended bubble in the fluid flowing inside a channel subject to an axial temperature gradient when the surface tension dependence on temperature is non-monotonic. We use direct numerical simulations to address the two-phase conservation of mass, momentum and energy with a volume-of-fluid method to resolve the deformable interface. Two distinct regimes of counter-current bubble migration are characterized: i) "exponential decay" where the bubble decelerates rapidly until it comes to a halt at the spatial position corresponding to the minimum surface tension and ii) "sustained oscillations" where the bubble oscillates about the point of minimum surface tension. We illustrate how these sustained oscillations arise at low capillary number O(10-5) and moderate Reynolds number O(10) and, they are dampened by viscosity at lower Reynolds number. These results are in agreement with the experiments by Shanahan and Sefiane (Sci. Rep. 4, 2014). The work was supported by the Science without Borders program from CAPES agency of Brazilian Ministry of Education and the European Commission's Thermapower Project (294905).

  4. Dynamics of a camphoric acid boat at the air-water interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akella, V. S.; Singh, Dhiraj K.; Mandre, Shreyas; Bandi, M. M.

    2018-05-01

    We report experiments on an agarose gel tablet loaded with camphoric acid (c-boat) spontaneously set into motion by surface tension gradients on the water surface. We observe three distinct modes of c-boat motion: harmonic mode where the c-boat speed oscillates sinusoidally in time, a steady mode where the c-boat maintains constant speed, and an intermittent mode where the c-boat maintains near-zero speed between sudden jumps in speed. Whereas all three modes have been separately reported before in different systems, controlled release of Camphoric Acid (CA) from the agarose gel matrix allowed the observation of all the three modes in the same system. These three modes are a result of a competition between the driving (surface tension gradients) and drag forces acting on the c-boat. Moreover we suggest that there exist two time scales corresponding to spreading of CA and boat motion and the mismatch of these two time scales give rise to the three modes in boat motion. We reproduced all the modes of motion by varying the air-water interfacial tension using Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS).

  5. Numerical investigation of performance of vane-type propellant management device by VOF methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, J. T.; Zhou, C.; Wu, Y. L.; Zhuang, B. T.; Li, Y.

    2015-01-01

    The orbital propellant management performance of the vane-type tank is so important for the propellant system and it determines the lifetime of the satellite. The propellant in the tank can be extruded by helium gas. To study the two phase distribution in the vane-type surface tension tank and the capability of the vane-type propellant management device (PMD), a large volume vane-type surface tension tank is analysed using 3-D unsteady numerical simulations. VOF methods are used to analyse the location of the interface of the two phase. Performances of the propellant acquisition vanes and propellant refillable reservoir in the tank are investigated. The flow conductivity of the propellant acquisition vanes and the liquid storage capacity of propellant refillable reservoir can be affected by the value of the gravity and the volume of the propellant in the tank. To avoid the large resistance causing by surface tension in an outflow of a small hole, the design of the vanes in a propellant refillable reservoir should have suitable space.

  6. Interface stability in a slowly rotating, low gravity tank Experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leslie, F.; Gans, R. F.

    1986-01-01

    Analytical models of liquid in partially-filled rotating tanks predict both the shape of the interface between the liquid and its vapor, and the stability of that interface. The models are of necessity incomplete and experimental data are needed to assess the approximations made. Presented are preliminary experimental studies both in the laboratory and in the low-gravity environment of a free-falling aircraft. Emphasis is placed on bubbles which intersect the container boundaries. Measurements of rotating equilibrium bubble shapes are in agreement with theoretical profiles derived from Laplace's formula. The interface shape depends on the contact angle, the radius of intersection with container, and the ratio of centrifugal force to surface tension.

  7. The Tension-Stiffening Contribution of NSM CFRP to the Behavior of Strengthened RC Beams

    PubMed Central

    Shukri, Ahmad Azim; Darain, Kh Mahfuz ud; Jumaat, Mohd Zamin

    2015-01-01

    Tension stiffening is a characteristic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams which is directly affected by the bond-slip property of steel bar and concrete interfaces. A beam strengthened with a near-surface mounted (NSM) technique would be even more affected by tension stiffening, as the NSM reinforcement also possess a bond-slip property. Yet assessing how much the tension stiffening of NSM contributes to the behavior of RC beams is difficult due to the fact that bond-slip effects cannot be directly incorporated into a strain-based moment-curvature analysis. As such, the tension stiffening is typically incorporated through various empirical formulations, which can require a great deal of testing and calibrations to be done. In this paper a relatively new method, which can be called the mechanics-based segmental approach, is used to directly simulate the tension stiffening effect of NSM reinforcements on RC beams, without the need for empirical formulations to indirectly simulate the tension stiffening. Analysis shows that the tension stiffening of NSM fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) contributes a significant portion to the stiffness and strength of the strengthened RC beam not only during serviceability, but at all load levels. PMID:28793429

  8. The Tension-Stiffening Contribution of NSM CFRP to the Behavior of Strengthened RC Beams.

    PubMed

    Shukri, Ahmad Azim; Darain, Kh Mahfuz Ud; Jumaat, Mohd Zamin

    2015-07-08

    Tension stiffening is a characteristic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams which is directly affected by the bond-slip property of steel bar and concrete interfaces. A beam strengthened with a near-surface mounted (NSM) technique would be even more affected by tension stiffening, as the NSM reinforcement also possess a bond-slip property. Yet assessing how much the tension stiffening of NSM contributes to the behavior of RC beams is difficult due to the fact that bond-slip effects cannot be directly incorporated into a strain-based moment-curvature analysis. As such, the tension stiffening is typically incorporated through various empirical formulations, which can require a great deal of testing and calibrations to be done. In this paper a relatively new method, which can be called the mechanics-based segmental approach, is used to directly simulate the tension stiffening effect of NSM reinforcements on RC beams, without the need for empirical formulations to indirectly simulate the tension stiffening. Analysis shows that the tension stiffening of NSM fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) contributes a significant portion to the stiffness and strength of the strengthened RC beam not only during serviceability, but at all load levels.

  9. ‘GREENER’ SURFACTANTS FROM BIO-BASED WASTE AS EFFICIENT ALTERNATIVES TO NONYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    All bio-based surfactants synthesized over the course of the project will be tested for their ability to lower the surface tension at the air-water interface using a Du Nüoy ring tensiometer. The cleaning efficiency of the surfactants will be tested at the Toxics Use Reduc...

  10. Diffuse interface method for a compressible binary fluid.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jiewei; Amberg, Gustav; Do-Quang, Minh

    2016-01-01

    Multicomponent, multiphase, compressible flows are very important in real life, as well as in scientific research, while their modeling is in an early stage. In this paper, we propose a diffuse interface model for compressible binary mixtures, based on the balance of mass, momentum, energy, and the second law of thermodynamics. We show both analytically and numerically that this model is able to describe the phase equilibrium for a real binary mixture (CO_{2} + ethanol is considered in this paper) very well by adjusting the parameter which measures the attraction force between molecules of the two components in the model. We also show that the calculated surface tension of the CO_{2} + ethanol mixture at different concentrations match measurements in the literature when the mixing capillary coefficient is taken to be the geometric mean of the capillary coefficient of each component. Three different cases of two droplets in a shear flow, with the same or different concentration, are simulated, showing that the higher concentration of CO_{2} the smaller the surface tension and the easier the drop deforms.

  11. Critical conditions for the buoyancy-driven detachment of a wall-bound pendant drop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lamorgese, A.; Mauri, R.

    2016-03-01

    We investigate numerically the critical conditions for detachment of an isolated, wall-bound emulsion droplet acted upon by surface tension and wall-normal buoyancy forces alone. To that end, we present a simple extension of a diffuse-interface model for partially miscible binary mixtures that was previously employed for simulating several two-phase flow phenomena far and near the critical point [A. G. Lamorgese et al. "Phase-field approach to multiphase flow modeling," Milan J. Math. 79(2), 597-642 (2011)] to allow for static contact angles other than 90°. We use the same formulation of the Cahn boundary condition as first proposed by Jacqmin ["Contact-line dynamics of a diffuse fluid interface," J. Fluid Mech. 402, 57-88 (2000)], which accommodates a cubic (Hermite) interpolation of surface tensions between the wall and each phase at equilibrium. We show that this model can be successfully employed for simulating three-phase contact line problems in stable emulsions with nearly immiscible components. We also show a numerical determination of critical Bond numbers as a function of static contact angle by phase-field simulation.

  12. Remobilizing the Interface of Thermocapillary Driven Bubbles Retarded By the Adsorption of a Surfactant Impurity on the Bubble Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palaparthi, Ravi; Maldarelli, Charles; Papageorgiou, Dimitri; Singh, Bhim (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Thermocapillary migration is a method for moving bubbles in space in the absence of buoyancy. A temperature gradient is the continuous phase in which a bubble is situated, and the applied gradient impressed on the bubble surface causes one pole of the drop to be cooler than the opposite pole. As the surface tension is a decreasing function of temperature, the cooler pole pulls at the warmer pole, creating a flow that propels the bubble in the direction of the warmer fluid. A major impediment to the practical use of thermocapillary to direct the movement of bubbles in space is the fact that surfactant impurities, which are unavoidably present in the continuous phase, can significantly reduce the migration velocity. A surfactant impurity adsorbed onto the bubble interface is swept to the trailing end of the bubble. When bulk concentrations are low (which is the case with an impurity), diffusion of surfactant to the front end is slow relative to convection, and surfactant collects at the back end of the bubble. Collection at the back lowers the surface tension relative to the front end setting up a reverse tension gradient. (This can also be the case if kinetic desorption of surfactant at the back end of the bubble is much slower than convection.) For buoyancy driven bubble motions in the absence of a thermocapillarity, the tension gradient opposes the surface flow, and reduces the surface and terminal velocities (the interface becomes more solid-like and bubbles translate as solid particles). When thermocapillary forces are present, the reverse tension gradient set up by the surfactant accumulation reduces the temperature-induced tension gradient, and can decrease to near zero the bubble's thermocapillary velocity. The objective of our research is to develop a method for enhancing the thermocapillary migration of bubbles which have be retarded by the adsorption onto the bubble surface of a surfactant impurity. Our remobilization theory proposes to use surfactant molecules which kinetically rapidly exchange between the bulk and the surface and are at high bulk concentrations. Because the remobilizing surfactant is present at much higher concentrations than the impurity, it adsorbs to the bubble surface much faster than the impurity when the bubble is formed, and thereby prevents the impurity from adsorbing onto the surface. In addition, the rapid kinetic exchange and high bulk concentration maintain a saturated surface with uniform surface concentrations. This prevents retarding surface tension gradients and keeps the thermocapillary velocity high. In our reports over the first 2 years, we presented numerical simulations of the bubble motion and surfactant transport which verified theoretically the concept of remobilization, and the development of an apparatus to track and measure the velocity of rising bubbles in a glycerol/water surfactant solution. This year, we detail experimental observations of remobilization. Two polyethylene oxide surfactants were studied, C12E6 (CH3(CH2)11(OCH2)6OH) and C10E8 (CH3(CH2)4(OCH2CH2)8OH). Measurements of the kinetic exchange for these surfactants show that the one with the longer hydrophobe chain C12E6 has a lower rate of kinetic exchange. In addition, this surfactant is much less soluble in the glycerol/water mixture because of the shorter ethoxylate chain. As a result, we found that C12E6 had only a very limited ability to remobilize rising bubbles because of the limited kinetic exchange and reduced solubility. However, C10E8, with its higher solubility and more rapid exchange was found to dramatically remobilize rising bubbles. We also compared our theoretical calculations to the experimental measurements of velocity for both the non-remobilizing and remobilizing surfactants and found excellent agreement. We further observed that for C10E8 at high concentrations, which exceeded the critical micelle concentrations, additional remobilization was measured. In this case the rapid exchange of monomer between micelle and surfactant provides an additional mechanism for maintaining a uniform surface concentrations.

  13. Remobilizing the Interfaces of Thermocapillary Driven Bubbles Retarded by the Adsorption of a Surfactant Impurity on the Bubble Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palaparthi, Ravi; Maldarelli, Charles; Papageorgiou, Dimitri; Singh, Bhim S. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Thermocapillary migration is a method for moving bubbles in space in the absence of buoyancy. A temperature gradient is applied to the continuous phase in which a bubble is situated, and the applied gradient impressed on the bubble surface causes one pole of the drop to be cooler than the opposite pole. As the surface tension is a decreasing function of temperature, the cooler pole pulls at the warmer pole, creating a flow which propels the bubble in the direction of the warmer fluid. A major impediment to the practical use of thermocapillarity to direct the movement of bubbles in space is the fact that surfactant impurities which are unavoidably present in the continuous phase can significantly reduce the migration velocity. A surfactant impurity adsorbed onto the bubble interface is swept to the trailing end of the bubble. When bulk concentrations are low (which is the case with an impurity), diffusion of surfactant to the front end is slow relative to convection, and surfactant collects at the back end of the bubble. Collection at the back lowers the surface tension relative to the front end setting up a reverse tension gradient. For buoyancy driven bubble motions in the absence of a thermocapillarity, the tension gradient opposes the surface flow, and reduces the surface and terminal velocities (the interface becomes more solid-like). When thermocapillary forces are present, the reverse tension gradient set up by the surfactant accumulation reduces the temperature tension gradient, and decreases to near zero the thermocapillary velocity. The objective of our research is to develop a method for enhancing the thermocapillary migration of bubbles which have been retarded by the adsorption onto the bubble surface of a surfactant impurity, Our remobilization theory proposes to use surfactant molecules which kinetically rapidly exchange between the bulk and the surface and are at high bulk concentrations. Because the remobilizing surfactant is present at much higher concentrations than the impurity, it adsorbs to the bubble much faster than the impurity when the bubble is formed, and thereby prevents the impurity from adsorbing onto the surface. In addition the rapid kinetic exchange and high bulk concentration maintain a saturated surface with a uniform surface concentrations. This prevents retarding surface tension gradients and keeps the velocity high. In our first report last year, we detailed experimental results which verified the theory of remobilization in ground based experiments in which the steady velocity of rising bubbles was measured in a continuous phase consisting of a glycerol/water mixture containing a polyethylene glycol surfactant C12E6 (CH3(CH2)11(OCH2CH2)6OH). In our report this year, we detail our efforts to describe theoretically the remobilization observed. We construct a model in which a bubble rises steadily by buoyancy in a continuous (Newtonian) viscous fluid containing surfactant with a uniform far field bulk concentration. We account for the effects of inertia as well as viscosity in the flow in the continuous phase caused by the bubble motion (order one Reynolds number), and we assume that the bubble shape remains spherical (viscous and inertial forces are smaller than capillary forces, i e. small Weber and capillary numbers). The surfactant distribution is calculated by solving the mass transfer equations including convection and diffusion in the bulk, and finite kinetic exchange the bulk and the surface. Convective effects dominate diffusive mass transfer in the bulk of the liquid (high Peclet numbers) except in a thin boundary layer near the surface. A finite volume method is used to numerically solve the hydrodynamic and mass transfer equations on a staggered grid which accounts specifically for the thin boundary layer. We present the results of the nondimensional drag as a function of the bulk concentration of surfactant for different rates of kinetic exchange, from which we develop criteria for the concentration necessary to develop a prescribed degree of remobilization. The criteria compare favorably with the experimental results.

  14. Hydrodynamic instabilities in miscible fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Truzzolillo, Domenico; Cipelletti, Luca

    2018-01-01

    Hydrodynamic instabilities in miscible fluids are ubiquitous, from natural phenomena up to geological scales, to industrial and technological applications, where they represent the only way to control and promote mixing at low Reynolds numbers, well below the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. As for immiscible fluids, the onset of hydrodynamic instabilities in miscible fluids is directly related to the physics of their interfaces. The focus of this review is therefore on the general mechanisms driving the growth of disturbances at the boundary between miscible fluids, under a variety of forcing conditions. In the absence of a regularizing mechanism, these disturbances would grow indefinitely. For immiscible fluids, interfacial tension provides such a regularizing mechanism, because of the energy cost associated to the creation of new interface by a growing disturbance. For miscible fluids, however, the very existence of interfacial stresses that mimic an effective surface tension is debated. Other mechanisms, however, may also be relevant, such as viscous dissipation. We shall review the stabilizing mechanisms that control the most common hydrodynamic instabilities, highlighting those cases for which the lack of an effective interfacial tension poses deep conceptual problems in the mathematical formulation of a linear stability analysis. Finally, we provide a short overview on the ongoing research on the effective, out of equilibrium interfacial tension between miscible fluids.

  15. Molecular Gibbs Surface Excess and CO2-Hydrate Density Determine the Strong Temperature- and Pressure-Dependent Supercritical CO2-Brine Interfacial Tension.

    PubMed

    Ji, Jiayuan; Zhao, Lingling; Tao, Lu; Lin, Shangchao

    2017-06-29

    In CO 2 geological storage, the interfacial tension (IFT) between supercritical CO 2 and brine is critical for the storage capacitance design to prevent CO 2 leakage. IFT relies not only on the interfacial molecule properties but also on the environmental conditions at different storage sites. In this paper, supercritical CO 2 -NaCl solution systems are modeled at 343-373 K and 6-35 MPa under the salinity of 1.89 mol/L using molecular dynamics simulations. After computing and comparing the molecular density profile across the interface, the atomic radial distribution function, the molecular orientation distribution, the molecular Gibbs surface excess (derived from the molecular density profile), and the CO 2 -hydrate number density under the above environmental conditions, we confirm that only the molecular Gibbs surface excess of CO 2 molecules and the CO 2 -hydrate number density correlate strongly with the temperature- and pressure-dependent IFTs. We also compute the populations of two distinct CO 2 -hydrate structures (T-type and H-type) and attribute the observed dependence of IFTs to the dominance of the more stable, surfactant-like T-type CO 2 -hydrates at the interface. On the basis of these new molecular mechanisms behind IFT variations, this study could guide the rational design of suitable injecting environmental pressure and temperature conditions. We believe that the above two molecular-level metrics (Gibbs surface excess and hydrate number density) are of great fundamental importance for understanding the supercritical CO 2 -water interface and engineering applications in geological CO 2 storage.

  16. Binary breath figures for straightforward and controllable self-assembly of microspherical caps.

    PubMed

    Gong, Jianliang; Xu, Bingang; Tao, Xiaoming; Li, Lei

    2016-05-11

    The intense interest surrounding asymmetrical microparticles originates from their unique anisotropic properties and promising applications. In this work, direct self-assembly of polymeric microspherical caps without the assistance of any additives has been achieved by using low-surface-tension methanol (MeOH) and high-surface-tension water as binary breath figures (BFs). With the evaporation of polystyrene (PS) solution containing low-boiling-point solvent in the binary vapors, the formed MeOH BFs could quickly diffuse into solution, while water BFs tended to remain at the solution surface. This led to the formation of a gradient nonsolvent layer at the vapor/solution interface, which induced the formation of nuclei and guided further asymmetrical growth of polymer particles. After the spontaneous removal of MeOH, water and residual solvent by evaporation, polymeric microspherical caps were left on the substrate. Through controlling the proportion of water introduced by adjusting the ratios of MeOH and water, polymeric microspherical caps with a range of controllable shapes (divided at different positions of a sphere) were successfully obtained. The formation mechanism was explained based on the difference of vapor pressure, surface tension and miscibility between the employed solvents and nonsolvents. A solvent possessing a high vapor pressure, low surface tension and good miscibility with MeOH contributed to the formation of microspherical caps. This flexible, green and straightforward technique is a nondestructive strategy, and avoids complicated work on design, preparation and removal of hard templates and additives.

  17. Ion size effects upon ionic exclusion from dielectric interfaces and slit nanopores

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buyukdagli, Sahin; Achim, C. V.; Ala-Nissila, T.

    2011-05-01

    A previously developed field-theoretic model (Coalson et al 1995 J. Chem. Phys. 102 4584) that treats core collisions and Coulomb interactions on the same footing is investigated in order to understand ion size effects on the partition of neutral and charged particles at planar interfaces and the ionic selectivity of slit nanopores. We introduce a variational scheme that can go beyond the mean-field (MF) regime and couple in a consistent way pore-modified core interactions, steric effects, electrostatic solvation and image-charge forces, and surface charge induced electrostatic potential. Density profiles of neutral particles in contact with a neutral hard wall, obtained from Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are compared with the solutions of mean-field and variational equations. A recently proposed random-phase approximation (RPA) method is tested as well. We show that in the dilute limit, the MF and the variational theories agree well with simulation results, in contrast to the RPA method. The partition of charged Yukawa particles at a neutral dielectric interface (e.g. an air-water or protein-water interface) is investigated. It is shown that as a result of the competition between core collisions that push the ions toward the surface, and repulsive solvation and image forces that exclude them from the interface, a concentration peak of finite size ions sets in close to the dielectric interface. This effect is amplified with increasing ion size and bulk concentration. An integral expression for the surface tension that accounts for excluded volume effects is computed and the decrease of the surface tension with increasing ion size is illustrated. We also characterize the role played by the ion size in the ionic selectivity of neutral slit nanopores. We show that the complex interplay between electrostatic forces, excluded volume effects induced by core collisions and steric effects leads to an unexpected reversal in the ionic selectivity of the pore with varying pore size: while large pores exhibit a higher conductivity for large ions, narrow pores exclude large ions more efficiently than small ones.

  18. Pulmonary surfactant protein C containing lipid films at the air-water interface as a model for the surface of lung alveoli.

    PubMed

    Post, A; Nahmen, A V; Schmitt, M; Ruths, J; Riegler, H; Sieber, M; Galla, H J

    1995-01-01

    The pulmonary surfactant lines as a complex monolayer of lipids and proteins the alveolar epithelial surface. The monolayer dynamically adapts the surface tension of this interface to the varying surface areas during inhalation and exhalation. Its presence in the alveoli is thus a prerequisite for a proper lung function. The lipid moiety represents about 90% of the surfactant and contains mainly dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). The surfactant proteins involved in the surface tension adaption are called SP-A, SP-B and SP-C. The aim of the present investigation is to analyse the properties of monolayer films made from pure SP-C and from mixtures of DPPC, DPPG and SP-C in order to mimic the surfactant monolayer with minimal compositional requirement. Pressure-area diagrams were taken. Ellipsometric measurements at the air-water interface of a Langmuir film balance allowed measurement of the changes in monolayer thickness upon compression. Isotherms of pure SP-C monolayers exhibit a plateau between 22 and 25 mN/m. A further plateau is reached at higher compression. Structures of the monolayer formed during compression are reversible during expansion. Together with ellipsometric data which show a stepwise increase in film thickness (coverage) during compression, we conclude that pure SP-C films rearrange reversibly into multilayers of homogenous thickness. Lipid monolayers collapse locally and irreversibly if films are compressed to approximately 0.4 nm2/molecule. In contrast, mixed DPPG/SP-C monolayers with less than 5 mol% protein collapse in a controlled and reversible way. The pressure-area diagrams exhibit a plateau at 20 mN/m, indicating partial demixing of SP-C and DPPG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  19. First-Principles Prediction of Liquid/Liquid Interfacial Tension.

    PubMed

    Andersson, M P; Bennetzen, M V; Klamt, A; Stipp, S L S

    2014-08-12

    The interfacial tension between two liquids is the free energy per unit surface area required to create that interface. Interfacial tension is a determining factor for two-phase liquid behavior in a wide variety of systems ranging from water flooding in oil recovery processes and remediation of groundwater aquifers contaminated by chlorinated solvents to drug delivery and a host of industrial processes. Here, we present a model for predicting interfacial tension from first principles using density functional theory calculations. Our model requires no experimental input and is applicable to liquid/liquid systems of arbitrary compositions. The consistency of the predictions with experimental data is significant for binary, ternary, and multicomponent water/organic compound systems, which offers confidence in using the model to predict behavior where no data exists. The method is fast and can be used as a screening technique as well as to extend experimental data into conditions where measurements are technically too difficult, time consuming, or impossible.

  20. The chemical (not mechanical) paradigm of thermodynamics of colloid and interface science.

    PubMed

    Kaptay, George

    2018-06-01

    In the most influential monograph on colloid and interfacial science by Adamson three fundamental equations of "physical chemistry of surfaces" are identified: the Laplace equation, the Kelvin equation and the Gibbs adsorption equation, with a mechanical definition of surface tension by Young as a starting point. Three of them (Young, Laplace and Kelvin) are called here the "mechanical paradigm". In contrary it is shown here that there is only one fundamental equation of the thermodynamics of colloid and interface science and all the above (and other) equations of this field follow as its derivatives. This equation is due to chemical thermodynamics of Gibbs, called here the "chemical paradigm", leading to the definition of surface tension and to 5 rows of equations (see Graphical abstract). The first row is the general equation for interfacial forces, leading to the Young equation, to the Bakker equation and to the Laplace equation, etc. Although the principally wrong extension of the Laplace equation formally leads to the Kelvin equation, using the chemical paradigm it becomes clear that the Kelvin equation is generally incorrect, although it provides right results in special cases. The second row of equations provides equilibrium shapes and positions of phases, including sessile drops of Young, crystals of Wulff, liquids in capillaries, etc. The third row of equations leads to the size-dependent equations of molar Gibbs energies of nano-phases and chemical potentials of their components; from here the corrected versions of the Kelvin equation and its derivatives (the Gibbs-Thomson equation and the Freundlich-Ostwald equation) are derived, including equations for more complex problems. The fourth row of equations is the nucleation theory of Gibbs, also contradicting the Kelvin equation. The fifth row of equations is the adsorption equation of Gibbs, and also the definition of the partial surface tension, leading to the Butler equation and to its derivatives, including the Langmuir equation and the Szyszkowski equation. Positioning the single fundamental equation of Gibbs into the thermodynamic origin of colloid and interface science leads to a coherent set of correct equations of this field. The same provides the chemical (not mechanical) foundation of the chemical (not mechanical) discipline of colloid and interface science. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Overcoming Rapid Inactivation of Lung Surfactant: Analogies Between Competitive Adsorption and Colloid Stability

    PubMed Central

    Zasadzinski, Joseph A.; Stenger, Patrick C.; Shieh, Ian; Dhar, Prajnaparamita

    2009-01-01

    Lung surfactant (LS) is a mixture of lipids and proteins that line the alveolar air-liquid interface, lowering the interfacial tension to levels that make breathing possible. In acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), inactivation of LS is believed to play an important role in the development and severity of the disease. This review examines the competitive adsorption of LS and surface-active contaminants, such as serum proteins, present in the alveolar fluids of ARDS patients, and how this competitive adsorption can cause normal amounts of otherwise normal LS to be ineffective in lowering the interfacial tension. LS and serum proteins compete for the air-water interface when both are present in solution either in the alveolar fluids or in a Langmuir trough. Equilibrium favors LS as it has the lower equilibrium surface pressure, but the smaller proteins are kinetically favored over multi-micron LS bilayer aggregates by faster diffusion. If albumin reaches the interface, it creates an energy barrier to subsequent LS adsorption that slows or prevents the adsorption of the necessary amounts of LS required to lower surface tension. This process can be understood in terms of classic colloid stability theory in which an energy barrier to diffusion stabilizes colloidal suspensions against aggregation. This analogy provides qualitative and quantitative predictions regarding the origin of surfactant inactivation. An important corollary is that any additive that promotes colloid coagulation, such as increased electrolyte concentration, multivalent ions, hydrophilic non-adsorbing polymers such as PEG, dextran, etc. or polyelectrolytes such as chitosan, added to LS, also promotes LS adsorption in the presence of serum proteins and helps reverse surfactant inactivation. The theory provides quantitative tools to determine the optimal concentration of these additives and suggests that multiple additives may have a synergistic effect. A variety of physical and chemical techniques including isotherms, fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction show that LS adsorption is enhanced by this mechanism without substantially altering the structure or properties of the LS monolayer. PMID:20026298

  2. Development of a New Method to Investigate the Dynamic Friction Behavior of Interfaces Using a Kolsky Tension Bar

    DOE PAGES

    Sanborn, B.; Song, B.; Nishida, E.

    2017-11-02

    In order to understand interfacial interaction of a bi-material during an impact loading event, the dynamic friction coefficient is one of the key parameters that must be characterized and quantified. In this study, a new experimental method to determine the dynamic friction coefficient between two metals was developed by using a Kolsky tension bar and a custom-designed friction fixture. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) force sensors were used to measure the normal force applied to the friction tribo pairs and the friction force was measured with conventional Kolsky tension bar method. To evaluate the technique, the dynamic friction coefficient between 4340 steelmore » and 7075-T6 aluminum was investigated at an impact speed of approximately 8 m/s. Additionally, the dynamic friction coefficient of the tribo pairs with varied surface roughness was also investigated. The data suggest that higher surface roughness leads to higher friction coefficients at the same speed of 8 m/s.« less

  3. Holographic optical tweezers for object manipulations at an air-liquid surface.

    PubMed

    Jesacher, Alexander; Fürhapter, Severin; Maurer, Christian; Bernet, Stefan; Ritsch-Marte, Monika

    2006-06-26

    We investigate holographic optical tweezers manipulating micro-beads at a suspended air-liquid interface. Axial confinement of the particles in the two-dimensional interface is maintained by the interplay between surface tension and gravity. Therefore, optical trapping of the micro-beads is possible even with a long distance air objective. Efficient micro-circulation of the liquid can be induced by fast rotating beads, driven by the orbital angular momentum transfer of incident Laguerre-Gaussian (doughnut) laser modes. Our setup allows various ways of creating a tailored dynamic flow of particles and liquid within the surface. We demonstrate examples of surface manipulations like efficient vortex pumps and mixers, interactive particle flow steering by arrays of vortex pumps, the feasibility of achieving a "clocked" traffic of micro beads, and size-selective guiding of beads along optical "conveyor belts".

  4. Numerical studies of singularity formation at free surfaces and fluid interfaces in two-dimensional Stokes flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pozrikidis, C.

    1997-01-01

    We consider the analytic structure of interfaces in several families of steady and unsteady two-dimensional Stokes flows, focusing on the formation of corners and cusps. Previous experimental and theoretical studies have suggested that, without surface tension, the interfaces spontaneously develop such singular points. We investigate whether and how corners and cusps actually develop in a time-dependent flow, and assess the stability of stationary cusped shapes predicted by previous authors. The motion of the interfaces is computed with high resolution using a boundary integral method for three families of flows. In the case of a bubble that is subjected to the family of straining flows devised by Antanovskii, we find that a stationary cusped shape is not likely to occur as the asymptotic limit of a transient deformation. Instead, the pointed ends of the bubble disintegrate in a process that is reminiscent of tip streaming. In the case of the flow due to an array of point-source dipoles immersed beneath a free surface, which is the periodic version of a flow proposed by Jeong & Moffatt, we find evidence that a cusped shape indeed arises as the result of a transient deformation. In the third part of the numerical study, we show that, under certain conditions, the free surface of a liquid film that is levelling under the action of gravity on a horizontal or slightly inclined surface develops an evolving corner or cusp. In certain cases, the film engulfs a small air bubble of ambient fluid to obtain a composite shape. The structure of a corner or a cusp in an unsteady flow does not have a unique shape, as it does at steady state. In all cases, a small amount of surface tension is able to prevent the formation of a singularity, but replacing the inviscid gas with a viscous liquid does not have a smoothing effect. The ability of the thin-film lubrication equation to produce mathematical singularities at the free surface of a levelling film is also discussed.

  5. Density profile of nitrogen in cylindrical pores of MCM-41

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soper, Alan K.; Bowron, Daniel T.

    2017-09-01

    A straightforward approach using radiation scattering (X-ray or neutron) combined with atomistic modelling is used to accurately assess the pore dimensions in the porous silica, MCM-41. The method is used to calculate the density profile of nitrogen absorbed in this material at a variety of fractional pressures, p/p0, where p0 is the saturated vapour pressure, up to p/p0 = 0.36 at T = 87 K in the present instance. At this pressure two distinct layers of liquid nitrogen occur on the silica surface, with a relatively sharp gas-liquid interface. It is suggested surface tension effects at this interface strongly influence the growth of further layers.

  6. 3D lithography by rapid curing of the liquid instabilities at nanoscale

    PubMed Central

    Coppola, Sara; Vespini, Veronica; Merola, Francesco; Finizio, Andrea; Ferraro, Pietro

    2011-01-01

    In liquids realm, surface tension and capillarity are the key forces driving the formation of the shapes pervading the nature. The steady dew drops appearing on plant leaves and spider webs result from the minimization of the overall surface energy [Zheng Y, et al. (2010) Nature 463:640–643]. Thanks to the surface tension, the interfaces of such spontaneous structures exhibit extremely good spherical shape and consequently worthy optical quality. Also nanofluidic instabilities generate a variety of fascinating liquid silhouettes, but they are however intrinsically short-lived. Here we show that such unsteady liquid structures, shaped in polymeric liquids by an electrohydrodynamic pressure, can be rapidly cured by appropriate thermal treatments. The fabrication of many solid microstructures exploitable in photonics is demonstrated, thus leading to a new concept in 3D lithography. The applicability of specific structures as optical tweezers and as novel remotely excitable quantum dots–embedded microresonators is presented. PMID:21896720

  7. Propelling a water drop with the vapor-mediated Marangoni effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Seungho; Kim, Ho-Young

    2013-11-01

    We show that a water drop on solid surfaces can be propelled just by placing a volatile alcohol drop nearby. It is found to be because the water-air interface near the alcohol drop mixes with alcohol vapor, thereby locally lowering the surface tension. The surface-tension-gradient induces the motion of the water drop, enabling the trajectory control of water drops through the motion of remote alcohol drops. This vapor-mediated Marangoni effect also gives rise to other interesting interfacial flow phenomena, such as nucleation of holes on a water film and ballooning of a water drop hanging from a syringe needle with the approach of an alcohol drop. We visualize such interfacial dynamics with a high-speed camera and rationalize their salient features by scaling analysis. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (grant no. 2012-008023).

  8. Effect of hydration of sugar groups on adsorption of Quillaja bark saponin at air/water and Si/water interfaces.

    PubMed

    Wojciechowski, Kamil; Orczyk, Marta; Marcinkowski, Kuba; Kobiela, Tomasz; Trapp, Marcus; Gutberlet, Thomas; Geue, Thomas

    2014-05-01

    Adsorption of a natural glycoside surfactant Quillaja bark saponin ("QBS", Sigma Aldrich 84510) was studied at the air/water and Si/water interfaces using a combination of surface pressure (SP), surface dilatational rheology, neutron reflectivity (NR), Infra-Red Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy (IR ATR) and Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM). The adsorbed layers formed at the air/water interface are predominantly elastic, with the dilatational surface storage modulus reaching the maximum value of E'=184 mN/m. The NR results point to a strong hydration of the adsorbed layers (about 65% hydration, corresponding to about 60 molecules of water per one QBS molecule), most likely related to the presence of multiple sugar groups constituting the glycone part of the QBS molecules. With a layer thickness of 19 Å, the adsorbed amount obtained from NR seems largely underestimated in comparison to the value obtained from the surface tension isotherm. While this high extent of hydration does not prevent formation of dense and highly elastic layers at the air-water surface, QBS adsorption at the Si/water interface is much weaker. The adsorption isotherm of QBS on Si obtained from the QCM study reflects much lower affinity of highly hydrated and negatively charged saponin molecules to the Si/water interface. We postulate that at the air/water interface, QBS adsorbs through the triterpene aglycone moiety. In contrast, weak hydrogen bonding between the glycone part and the surface silanol groups of Si is responsible for QBS adsorption on more polar Si/water interface. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Effect of lipid/polysaccharide ratio on surface activity of model root mucilage in its solid and liquid states

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Fengxian; Arye, Gilboa

    2016-04-01

    The rhizosphere can be defined as the volume of soil around living roots, which is influenced by root activity. The biological, chemical and physical conditions that prevail in the rhizosphere are significantly different from those of the bulk soil. Plant roots can release diverse organic materials in the rhizosphere which may have different effects on its bio-chemo-physical activity. Among these exudates is the root mucilage which can play a role on the maintenance of root-soil contact, lubrication of the root tip, protection of roots from desiccation and disease, stabilization of soil micro-aggregates and the selective absorption and storage of ions. The surface activity of the root mucilage at the liquid-air interface deduced from its surface tension depression relative to water, implying on its amphiphilic nature. Consequently as the rhizosphere dry out, hydrophobic functional groups may exhibit orientation at the solid-air interface and thus, the wettability of the rhizosphere may temporarily decrease. The major fraction of the root mucilage comprise of polysaccharides and to a much lesser extent, amino acids, organic acids, and phospholipids. The most frequent polysaccharide and phospholipids detected in root mucilage are polygalacturonic acid (PGA) and Phosphatidylcholine (PC), respectively. The latter, is thought to be main cause for the surface active nature of root mucilage. Nevertheless, the role and function of root mucilage in the rhizosphere is commonly studied based on model root mucilage that comprise of only one component, where the most frequent ones are PGA or PC (or lecithin). The main objective of this study was to quantify the effect of concentration and PGA/PC ratios on the wettability of a model rhizosphere soil and the surface tension of the model root mucilage at the liquid-air interface. The PGA/PC mixtures were measured for their equilibrium and dynamic surface tension using the Wilhelmy-Plate method. Quartz sand or glass slides were coated with PGA and/or PC using the above solutions and measured for their initial advancing contact angle and dynamic one, using the capillary rise and sessile drop methods, respectively. The results of this study will be presented and their implications for the wettability of the rhizosphere will be discussed.

  10. Adaptive mesh refinement techniques for the immersed interface method applied to flow problems

    PubMed Central

    Li, Zhilin; Song, Peng

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we develop an adaptive mesh refinement strategy of the Immersed Interface Method for flow problems with a moving interface. The work is built on the AMR method developed for two-dimensional elliptic interface problems in the paper [12] (CiCP, 12(2012), 515–527). The interface is captured by the zero level set of a Lipschitz continuous function φ(x, y, t). Our adaptive mesh refinement is built within a small band of |φ(x, y, t)| ≤ δ with finer Cartesian meshes. The AMR-IIM is validated for Stokes and Navier-Stokes equations with exact solutions, moving interfaces driven by the surface tension, and classical bubble deformation problems. A new simple area preserving strategy is also proposed in this paper for the level set method. PMID:23794763

  11. Phase diagram and universality of the Lennard-Jones gas-liquid system.

    PubMed

    Watanabe, Hiroshi; Ito, Nobuyasu; Hu, Chin-Kun

    2012-05-28

    The gas-liquid phase transition of the three-dimensional Lennard-Jones particles system is studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The gas and liquid densities in the coexisting state are determined with high accuracy. The critical point is determined by the block density analysis of the Binder parameter with the aid of the law of rectilinear diameter. From the critical behavior of the gas-liquid coexisting density, the critical exponent of the order parameter is estimated to be β = 0.3285(7). Surface tension is estimated from interface broadening behavior due to capillary waves. From the critical behavior of the surface tension, the critical exponent of the correlation length is estimated to be ν = 0.63(4). The obtained values of β and ν are consistent with those of the Ising universality class.

  12. A reconsideration for forming mechanism of optic fiber probe fabricated by static chemical etching

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yiru; Shen, Ruiqi

    2016-07-01

    The studies on the mechanism of static chemical etching are supplemented in this paper. Surface tension and diffusion effect are both taken into account. Theoretical analysis and data fitting show that the slant angle of the liquid-liquid interface leads to the maximum liquid rising, when diffusion effect is negligible.

  13. Theoretical analysis for the optical deformation of emulsion droplets.

    PubMed

    Tapp, David; Taylor, Jonathan M; Lubansky, Alex S; Bain, Colin D; Chakrabarti, Buddhapriya

    2014-02-24

    We propose a theoretical framework to predict the three-dimensional shapes of optically deformed micron-sized emulsion droplets with ultra-low interfacial tension. The resulting shape and size of the droplet arises out of a balance between the interfacial tension and optical forces. Using an approximation of the laser field as a Gaussian beam, working within the Rayleigh-Gans regime and assuming isotropic surface energy at the oil-water interface, we numerically solve the resulting shape equations to elucidate the three-dimensional droplet geometry. We obtain a plethora of shapes as a function of the number of optical tweezers, their laser powers and positions, surface tension, initial droplet size and geometry. Experimentally, two-dimensional droplet silhouettes have been imaged from above, but their full side-on view has not been observed and reported for current optical configurations. This experimental limitation points to ambiguity in differentiating between droplets having the same two-dimensional projection but with disparate three-dimensional shapes. Our model elucidates and quantifies this difference for the first time. We also provide a dimensionless number that indicates the shape transformation (ellipsoidal to dumbbell) at a value ≈ 1.0, obtained by balancing interfacial tension and laser forces, substantiated using a data collapse.

  14. A Theoretical Study of Remobilizing Surfactant Retarded Fluid Particle Interfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Yanping; Papageorgiou, Dimitri; Maldarelli, Charles

    1996-01-01

    Microgravity processes must rely on mechanisms other than bouyancy to move bubbles or droplets from one region to another in a continuous liquid phase. One suggested method is thermocapillary migration in which a temperature gradient is applied to the continuous phase. When a fluid particle contacts this gradient, one pole of the particle becomes warmer than the opposing pole. The interfacial tension between the drop or bubble phase and the continuous phase usually decreases with temperature. Thus the cooler pole is of higher interfacial tension than the warmer pole, and the interface is tugged in the direction of the cooler end. This thermocapillary or thermally induced Marangoni surface stress causes a fluid streaming in the continuous phase from which develops a viscous shear traction and pressure gradient which together propel the particle in the direction of the warmer fluid. In this paper, we provide a theoretical basis for remobilizing surfactant retarded fluid particle interfaces in an effort to make viable the use of thermocapillary migrations for the management of bubbles and drops in microgravity,

  15. Molecular dynamics of the water liquid-vapor interface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, M. A.; Pohorille, A.; Pratt, L. R.; MacElroy, R. D. (Principal Investigator)

    1987-01-01

    The results of molecular dynamics calculations on the equilibrium interface between liquid water and its vapor at 325 K are presented. For the TIP4P model of water intermolecular pair potentials, the average surface dipole density points from the vapor to the liquid. The most common orientations of water molecules have the C2 nu molecular axis roughly parallel to the interface. The distributions are quite broad and therefore compatible with the intermolecular correlations characteristic of bulk liquid water. All near-neighbor pairs in the outermost interfacial layers are hydrogen bonded according to the common definition adopted here. The orientational preferences of water molecules near a free surface differ from those near rigidly planar walls which can be interpreted in terms of patterns found in hexagonal ice 1. The mean electric field in the interfacial region is parallel to the mean polarization which indicates that attention cannot be limited to dipolar charge distributions in macroscopic descriptions of the electrical properties of this interface. The value of the surface tension obtained is 132 +/- 46 dyn/cm, significantly different from the value for experimental water of 68 dyn/cm at 325 K.

  16. Interfacial gauge methods for incompressible fluid dynamics

    PubMed Central

    Saye, Robert

    2016-01-01

    Designing numerical methods for incompressible fluid flow involving moving interfaces, for example, in the computational modeling of bubble dynamics, swimming organisms, or surface waves, presents challenges due to the coupling of interfacial forces with incompressibility constraints. A class of methods, denoted interfacial gauge methods, is introduced for computing solutions to the corresponding incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. These methods use a type of “gauge freedom” to reduce the numerical coupling between fluid velocity, pressure, and interface position, allowing high-order accurate numerical methods to be developed more easily. Making use of an implicit mesh discontinuous Galerkin framework, developed in tandem with this work, high-order results are demonstrated, including surface tension dynamics in which fluid velocity, pressure, and interface geometry are computed with fourth-order spatial accuracy in the maximum norm. Applications are demonstrated with two-phase fluid flow displaying fine-scaled capillary wave dynamics, rigid body fluid-structure interaction, and a fluid-jet free surface flow problem exhibiting vortex shedding induced by a type of Plateau-Rayleigh instability. The developed methods can be generalized to other types of interfacial flow and facilitate precise computation of complex fluid interface phenomena. PMID:27386567

  17. Translational and rotational diffusion of Janus nanoparticles at liquid interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rezvantalab, Hossein; Shojaei-Zadeh, Shahab

    2014-11-01

    We use molecular dynamics simulations to understand the thermal motion of nanometer-sized Janus particles at the interface between two immiscible fluids. We consider spherical nanoparticles composed of two sides with different affinity to fluid phases, and evaluate their dynamics and changes in fluid structure as a function of particle size and surface chemistry. We show that as the amphiphilicity increases upon enhancing the wetting of each side with its favored fluid, the in-plane diffusivity at the interface becomes slower. Detail analysis of the fluid structure reveals that this is mainly due to formation of a denser adsorption layer around more amphiphilic particles, which leads to increased drag acting against nanoparticle motion. Similarly, the rotational thermal motion of Janus particles is reduced compared to their homogeneous counterparts as a result of the higher resistance of neighboring fluid species against rotation. We also incorporate the influence of fluid density and surface tension on the interfacial dynamics of such Janus nanoparticles. Our findings may have implications in understanding the adsorption mechanism of drugs and protein molecules with anisotropic surface properties to biological interfaces including cell membranes.

  18. Surfactant effects on heat transfer at gas/liquid interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lopez, J. M.; Hirsa, A. H.

    2000-01-01

    A formulation of a canonical model to elucidate the interplay and competition between three primary sources of heat and mass transfer in non-isothermal systems with gas/liquid interfaces is presented. The nonlinear interaction between (i) buoyancy driven flow in the bulk, (ii) thermal Marangoni flow at the gas/liquid interface, and (iii) surfactant Marangoni flow at the interface is considered. A numerical model of the Navier-Stokes and energy equations is being developed for a simple, axisymmetric flow geometry. The boundary conditions for the Navier-Stokes equations are functions of the intrinsic viscoelastic properties of the interface, specifically the surface tension and the surface viscosities. A flow geometry which is amenable to both experiments and computations for elucidating the separate effects of the three mechanisms consists of an annular region bounded by a stationary inner and an outer cylinder and floor, and a free surface. The flow is driven by the temperature difference between the inner and outer cylinder which are set independently, and the floor is insulated. The predictions of the model for earth-g can be compared to laboratory measurements of the velocity field, and the surface temperature distribution. The predictions of the model for arbitrary gravity may be subsequently tested in the microgravity environment. .

  19. Liquid management in low gravity using baffled rotating containers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gans, R. F.

    1985-01-01

    Possible static configurations of liquids in rotating cylindrical containers with baffles evenly spaced in the axial direction are found. The force balance is among surface tension, centrifugal force and gravity. Two instabilities are found in this parameter space: type 1 is the inability of the liquid to form an interface attached to the baffles; type 2 is the inability for multi-baffled configurations to sustain interfaces between each pair of baffles. The type 1 analysis is confirmed through laboratory based equipment. Applications to orbiting containers are discussed.

  20. Liquid management in low gravity using baffled rotating containers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gans, R. F.

    1984-01-01

    Possible static configurations of liquids in rotating cylindrical containers with baffles evenly spaced in the axial direction are found. The force balance is among surface tension, centrifugal force and gravity. Two instabilities are found in this parameter space: type 1 is the inability of the liquid to form an interface attached to the baffles; type 2 is the inability for multi-baffled configurations to sustain interfaces between each pair of baffles. The type 1 analysis is confirmed through laboratory based equipment. Applications to orbiting containers are discussed.

  1. Effects of bulk colloidal stability on adsorption layers of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)/sodium dodecyl sulfate at the air-water interface studied by neutron reflectometry.

    PubMed

    Campbell, Richard A; Yanez Arteta, Marianna; Angus-Smyth, Anna; Nylander, Tommy; Varga, Imre

    2011-12-29

    We show for the oppositely charged system poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)/sodium dodecyl sulfate that the cliff edge peak in its surface tension isotherm results from the comprehensive precipitation of bulk complexes into sediment, leaving a supernatant that is virtually transparent and a depleted adsorption layer at the air/water interface. The aggregation and settling processes take about 3 days to reach completion and occur at bulk compositions around charge neutrality of the complexes which lack long-term colloidal stability. We demonstrate excellent quantitative agreement between the measured surface tension values and a peak calculated from the surface excess of surfactant in the precipitation region measured by neutron reflectometry, using the approximation that there is no polymer left in the liquid phase. The nonequilibrium nature of the system is emphasized by the production of very different interfacial properties from equivalent aged samples that are handled differently. We go on to outline our perspective on the "true equilibrium" state of this intriguing system and conclude with a comment on its practical relevance given that the interfacial properties can be so readily influenced by the handling of kinetically trapped bulk aggregates. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  2. A hybrid interface tracking - level set technique for multiphase flow with soluble surfactant

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shin, Seungwon; Chergui, Jalel; Juric, Damir; Kahouadji, Lyes; Matar, Omar K.; Craster, Richard V.

    2018-04-01

    A formulation for soluble surfactant transport in multiphase flows recently presented by Muradoglu and Tryggvason (JCP 274 (2014) 737-757) [17] is adapted to the context of the Level Contour Reconstruction Method, LCRM, (Shin et al. IJNMF 60 (2009) 753-778, [8]) which is a hybrid method that combines the advantages of the Front-tracking and Level Set methods. Particularly close attention is paid to the formulation and numerical implementation of the surface gradients of surfactant concentration and surface tension. Various benchmark tests are performed to demonstrate the accuracy of different elements of the algorithm. To verify surfactant mass conservation, values for surfactant diffusion along the interface are compared with the exact solution for the problem of uniform expansion of a sphere. The numerical implementation of the discontinuous boundary condition for the source term in the bulk concentration is compared with the approximate solution. Surface tension forces are tested for Marangoni drop translation. Our numerical results for drop deformation in simple shear are compared with experiments and results from previous simulations. All benchmarking tests compare well with existing data thus providing confidence that the adapted LCRM formulation for surfactant advection and diffusion is accurate and effective in three-dimensional multiphase flows with a structured mesh. We also demonstrate that this approach applies easily to massively parallel simulations.

  3. Computational analysis of microbubble flows in bifurcating airways: role of gravity, inertia, and surface tension.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiaodong; Zielinski, Rachel; Ghadiali, Samir N

    2014-10-01

    Although mechanical ventilation is a life-saving therapy for patients with severe lung disorders, the microbubble flows generated during ventilation generate hydrodynamic stresses, including pressure and shear stress gradients, which damage the pulmonary epithelium. In this study, we used computational fluid dynamics to investigate how gravity, inertia, and surface tension influence both microbubble flow patterns in bifurcating airways and the magnitude/distribution of hydrodynamic stresses on the airway wall. Direct interface tracking and finite element techniques were used to simulate bubble propagation in a two-dimensional (2D) liquid-filled bifurcating airway. Computational solutions of the full incompressible Navier-Stokes equation were used to investigate how inertia, gravity, and surface tension forces as characterized by the Reynolds (Re), Bond (Bo), and Capillary (Ca) numbers influence pressure and shear stress gradients at the airway wall. Gravity had a significant impact on flow patterns and hydrodynamic stress magnitudes where Bo > 1 led to dramatic changes in bubble shape and increased pressure and shear stress gradients in the upper daughter airway. Interestingly, increased pressure gradients near the bifurcation point (i.e., carina) were only elevated during asymmetric bubble splitting. Although changes in pressure gradient magnitudes were generally more sensitive to Ca, under large Re conditions, both Re and Ca significantly altered the pressure gradient magnitude. We conclude that inertia, gravity, and surface tension can all have a significant impact on microbubble flow patterns and hydrodynamic stresses in bifurcating airways.

  4. Interfacial behaviour of sodium stearoyllactylate (SSL) as an oil-in-water pickering emulsion stabiliser.

    PubMed

    Kurukji, D; Pichot, R; Spyropoulos, F; Norton, I T

    2013-11-01

    The ability of a food ingredient, sodium stearoyllactylate (SSL), to stabilise oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions against coalescence was investigated, and closely linked to its capacity to act as a Pickering stabiliser. Results showed that emulsion stability could be achieved with a relatively low SSL concentration (≥0.1 wt%), and cryogenic-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) visualisation of emulsion structure revealed the presence of colloidal SSL aggregates adsorbed at the oil-water interface. Surface properties of SSL could be modified by altering the size of these aggregates in water; a faster decrease in surface tension was observed when SSL dispersions were subjected to high pressure homogenisation (HPH). The rate of SSL adsorption at the sunflower oil-water interface also increased after HPH, and a higher interfacial tension (IFT) was observed with increasing SSL concentration. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) enabled a comparison of the thermal behaviour of SSL in aqueous dispersions with SSL-stabilised O/W emulsions. SSL melting enthalpy depended on emulsion interfacial area and the corresponding DSC data was used to determine the amount of SSL adsorbed at the oil-water interface. An idealised theoretical interfacial coverage calculation based on Pickering emulsion theory was in general agreement with the mass of SSL adsorbed as predicted by DSC. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Role of Marangoni stress during breakup of surfactant-covered liquid threads: Reduced rates of thinning and microthread cascades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamat, Pritish M.; Wagoner, Brayden W.; Thete, Sumeet S.; Basaran, Osman A.

    2018-04-01

    Adsorption onto and lowering of surface tension σ of fluid interfaces by surfactants is exploited in drop formation (e.g., inkjet printing) where a thinning liquid thread (radius h ) connects an about-to-form drop to the liquid that remains hanging from the nozzle when the former falls from it. Surfactants can affect thread pinch-off in two ways: first, by lowering σ , they lower capillary pressure (σ /h ), and second, as surfactant concentration along the interface can be nonuniform, they cause the interface to be subjected to a surface tension gradient or Marangoni stress. Recent studies show that the location where the thread breaks is devoid of surfactant, and others assert that the influence of Marangoni stress on pinch-off is negligible. We demonstrate by simulations and experiments that surfactants play a major role in drop formation and that Marangoni stresses acting near but not at the pinch point give rise to reduced rates of thread thinning and formation of multiple microthreads that distinguish pinch-off of surfactant-covered threads from surfactant-free ones. Thinning at finite Reynolds and Peclet numbers, Re and Pe, is shown to exhibit intermediate scaling regimes that have heretofore only been observed during pinch-off of threads undergoing creeping flow (Re=0 ) while convection of surfactant is weak compared to its diffusion (Pe<1 ).

  6. Environmental Pollutant Ozone Causes Damage to Lung Surfactant Protein B (SP-B)

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Lung surfactant protein B (SP-B) is an essential protein found in the surfactant fluid at the air–water interface of the lung. Exposure to the air pollutant ozone could potentially damage SP-B and lead to respiratory distress. We have studied two peptides, one consisting of the N-terminus of SP-B [SP-B(1–25)] and the other a construct of the N- and C-termini of SP-B [SP-B(1–25,63–78)], called SMB. Exposure to dilute levels of ozone (∼2 ppm) of monolayers of each peptide at the air–water interface leads to a rapid reaction, which is evident from an increase in the surface tension. Fluorescence experiments revealed that this increase in surface tension is accompanied by a loss of fluorescence from the tryptophan residue at the interface. Neutron and X-ray reflectivity experiments show that, in contrast to suggestions in the literature, the peptides are not solubilized upon oxidation but rather remain at the interface with little change in their hydration. Analysis of the product material reveals that no cleavage of the peptides occurs, but a more hydrophobic product is slowly formed together with an increased level of oligomerization. We attributed this to partial unfolding of the peptides. Experiments conducted in the presence of phospholipids reveal that the presence of the lipids does not prevent oxidation of the peptides. Our results strongly suggest that exposure to low levels of ozone gas will damage SP-B, leading to a change in its structure. The implication is that the oxidized protein will be impaired in its ability to interact at the air–water interface with negatively charged phosphoglycerol lipids, thus compromising what is thought to be its main biological function. PMID:26270023

  7. Characterization of the interaction between AFM tips and surface nanobubbles.

    PubMed

    Walczyk, Wiktoria; Schönherr, Holger

    2014-06-24

    While the presence of gaseous enclosures observed at various solid-water interfaces, the so-called "surface nanobubles", has been confirmed by many groups in recent years, their formation, properties, and stability have not been convincingly and exhaustively explained. Here we report on an atomic force microscopy (AFM) study of argon nanobubbles on highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) in water to elucidate the properties of nanobubble surfaces and the mechanism of AFM tip-nanobubble interaction. In particular, the deformation of the nanobubble-water interface by the AFM tip and the question whether the AFM tip penetrates the nanobubble during scanning were addressed by this combined intermittent contact (tapping) mode and force volume AFM study. We found that the stiffness of nanobubbles was smaller than the cantilever spring constant and comparable with the surface tension of water. The interaction with the AFM tip resulted in severe quasi-linear deformation of the bubbles; however, in the case of tip-bubble attraction, the interface deformed toward the tip. We tested two models of tip-bubble interaction, namely, the capillary force and the dynamic interaction model, and found, depending on the tip properties, good agreement with experimental data. The results showed that the tip-bubble interaction strength and the magnitude of the bubble deformation depend strongly on tip and bubble geometry and on tip and substrate material, and are very sensitive to the presence of contaminations that alter the interfacial tension. In particular, nanobubbles interacted differently with hydrophilic and hydrophobic AFM tips, which resulted in qualitatively and quantitatively different force curves measured on the bubbles in the experiments. To minimize bubble deformation and obtain reliable AFM results, nanobubbles must be measured with a sharp hydrophilic tip and with a cantilever having a very low spring constant in a contamination-free system.

  8. Critical stresses for extension of filament-bridged matrix cracks in ceramic-matrix composites: An assessment with a model composite with tailored interfaces

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Danchaivijit, S.; Shetty, D.K.; Eldridge, J.

    Matrix cracking was studied in a model unidirectional composite of SiC filaments in an epoxy-bonded alumina matrix. The residual clamping stress on the filaments due to the shrinkage of the epoxy was moderated with the addition of the alumina filler, and the filament surface was coated with a releasing agent to produce unbonded frictional interfaces. Uniaxial tension specimens with controlled through-cracks with bridging filaments were fabricated by a two-step casting technique. Critical stresses for extension of the filament-bridged cracks of various lengths were measured in uniaxial tension using a high-sensitivity extensometer. The measured crack-length dependence of the critical stress wasmore » in good agreement with the prediction of a stress-intensity analysis that employed a new force-displacement law for the bridging filaments. The analysis required independent experimental evaluation of the matrix fracture toughness, the interfacial sliding friction stress, and the residual tension in the matrix. The matrix-cracking stress for the test specimens without the deliberately introduced cracks was significantly higher than the steady-state cracking stress measured for the long, filament-bridged cracks.« less

  9. Driving forces for adsorption of amphiphilic peptides to the air-water interface.

    PubMed

    Engin, Ozge; Villa, Alessandra; Sayar, Mehmet; Hess, Berk

    2010-09-02

    We have studied the partitioning of amphiphilic peptides at the air-water interface. The free energy of adsorption from bulk to interface was calculated by determining the potential of mean force via atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. To this end a method is introduced to restrain or constrain the center of mass of a group of molecules in a periodic system. The model amphiphilic peptides are composed of alternating valine and asparagine residues. The decomposition of the free energy difference between the bulk and interface is studied for different peptide block lengths. Our analysis revealed that for short amphiphilic peptides the surface driving force dominantly stems from the dehydration of hydrophobic side chains. The only opposing force is associated with the loss of orientational freedom of the peptide at the interface. For the peptides studied, the free energy difference scales linearly with the size of the molecule, since the peptides mainly adopt extended conformations both in bulk and at the interface. The free energy difference depends strongly on the water model, which can be rationalized through the hydration thermodynamics of hydrophobic solutes. Finally, we measured the reduction of the surface tension associated with complete coverage of the interface with peptides.

  10. Blowing bubbles in Lennard-Jonesium along the saturation curve.

    PubMed

    Ashbaugh, Henry S

    2009-05-28

    Extensive molecular simulations of the Lennard-Jones fluid have been performed to determine its liquid-vapor coexistence properties and solvent contact densities with cavities up to ten times the diameter of the solvent from the triple point to the critical point. These simulations are analyzed using a revised scaled-particle theory [H. S. Ashbaugh and L. R. Pratt, Rev. Mod. Phys. 78, 159 (2006)] to evaluate the thermodynamics of cavity solvation and curvature dependent interfacial properties along the saturation curve. While the thermodynamic signatures of cavity solvation are distinct from those in water, exhibiting a chemical potential dominated by a large temperature independent enthalpy, the solvent dewets cavities of increasing size similar with water near coexistence. The interfacial tension for forming a liquid-wall interface is found to be consistently greater than the liquid-vapor surface tension of the Lennard-Jones fluid by up to 10% and potentially reflects the suppression of high amplitude fluctuations at the cavity surface. The first-order curvature correction for the surface tension is negative and appears to diverge to negative infinity at temperatures approaching the critical point. Our results point to the success of the revised scaled-particle theory at bridging molecular and macroscopic descriptions of cavity solvation.

  11. Multiphase mean curvature flows with high mobility contrasts: A phase-field approach, with applications to nanowires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bretin, Elie; Danescu, Alexandre; Penuelas, José; Masnou, Simon

    2018-07-01

    The structure of many multiphase systems is governed by an energy that penalizes the area of interfaces between phases weighted by surface tension coefficients. However, interface evolution laws depend also on interface mobility coefficients. Having in mind some applications where highly contrasted or even degenerate mobilities are involved, for which classical phase field models are inapplicable, we propose a new effective phase field approach to approximate multiphase mean curvature flows with mobilities. The key aspect of our model is to incorporate the mobilities not in the phase field energy (which is conventionally the case) but in the metric which determines the gradient flow. We show the consistency of such an approach by a formal analysis of the sharp interface limit. We also propose an efficient numerical scheme which allows us to illustrate the advantages of the model on various examples, as the wetting of droplets on solid surfaces or the simulation of nanowires growth generated by the so-called vapor-liquid-solid method.

  12. Simultaneous Measurements of Harmonic Waves at Fatigue-Cracked Interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hyunjo, Jeong; Dan, Barnard

    2011-08-01

    Nonlinear harmonic waves generated at cracked interfaces are investigated theoretically and experimentally. A compact tension specimen is fabricated and the amplitude of the transmitted wave is analyzed as a function of position along the fatigued crack surface. In order to measure as many nonlinear harmonic components as possible, broadband lithium niobate (LiNbO3) transducers are employed together with a calibration technique for making absolute amplitude measurements with fluid-coupled receiving transducers. Cracked interfaces are shown to generate high acoustic nonlinearities, which are manifested as harmonics in the power spectrum of the received signal. The first subharmonic f/2 and the second harmonic 2f waves are found to be dominant nonlinear components for an incident toneburst signal of frequency f. To explain the observed nonlinear behavior, a partially closed crack is modeled by planar half interfaces that can account for crack parameters, such as crack opening displacement and crack surface conditions. The simulation results show reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

  13. Dynamics of premelted liquid films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Worster, Grae

    2005-11-01

    On small scales, surface tension forces are enormously powerful. When such forces act on every grain of a fine soil, they can move mountains, quite literally, in a process called frost heave. In fact, it is not surface tension per se but the intermolecular forces that underlie surface tension that also cause frost heave in partially solidified soils. In detail, these forces cause the premelting of solids. For example, at temperatures below 0^oC, water is solid (ice) in bulk but remains liquid in thin films adjacent to surfaces in contact with many other materials, such as silica. The intermolecular forces, such as the van der Waals force, acting between the materials on either side of an interface can cause interfacial premelting and simultaneously produce a strong normal stress across the premelted film. Whether these stresses cause large-scale motions relies significantly on the fluid mechanics of the microscopic films. I shall introduce the fundamental thermodynamic principles of premelting and illustrate its fluid mechanical consequences with simple theoretical models and experimental results. Applications of these ideas include the rejection of particulate matter during solidification, with consequences for the fabrication of composite materials, the freezing of colloidal suspensions, with consequences for the cryopreservation of biological systems, and the evolution of grain boundaries, with consequences for the redistribution of climate proxies sequestered in the Earth's ice sheets.

  14. Contact Angle Influence on Geysering Jets in Microgravity Investigated

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chato, David J.

    2004-01-01

    Microgravity poses many challenges to the designer of spacecraft tanks. Chief among these are the lack of phase separation and the need to supply vapor-free liquid or liquid-free vapor to the spacecraft processes that require fluid. One of the principal problems of phase separation is the creation of liquid jets. A jet can be created by liquid filling, settling of the fluid to one end of the tank, or even closing a valve to stop the liquid flow. Anyone who has seen a fountain knows that jets occur in normal gravity also. However, in normal gravity, the gravity controls and restricts the jet flow. In microgravity, with gravity largely absent, surface tension forces must be used to contain jets. To model this phenomenon, a numerical method that tracks the fluid motion and the surface tension forces is required. Jacqmin has developed a phase model that converts the discrete surface tension force into a barrier function that peaks at the free surface and decays rapidly away. Previous attempts at this formulation were criticized for smearing the interface. This can be overcome by sharpening the phase function, double gridding the fluid function, and using a higher-order solution for the fluid function. The solution of this equation can be rewritten as two coupled Poisson equations that also include the velocity.

  15. Amine Chemistry at Aqueous Interfaces: The Study of Organic Amines in Neutralizing Acidic Gases at an Air/Water Surface Using Vibrational Sum Frequency Spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McWilliams, L.; Wren, S. N.; Valley, N. A.; Richmond, G.

    2014-12-01

    Small organic bases have been measured in atmospheric samples, with their sources ranging from industrial processing to animal husbandry. These small organic amines are often highly soluble, being found in atmospheric condensed phases such as fogwater and rainwater. Additionally, they display acid-neutralization ability often greater than ammonia, yet little is known regarding their kinetic and thermodynamic properties. This presentation will describe the molecular level details of a model amine system at the vapor/liquid interface in the presence of acidic gas. We find that this amine system shows very unique properties in terms of its bonding, structure, and orientation at aqueous surfaces. The results of our studies using a combination of computation, vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy, and surface tension will report the properties inherent to these atmospherically relevant species at aqueous surfaces.

  16. Equilibrium of adsorption of mixed milk protein/surfactant solutions at the water/air interface.

    PubMed

    Kotsmar, C; Grigoriev, D O; Xu, F; Aksenenko, E V; Fainerman, V B; Leser, M E; Miller, R

    2008-12-16

    Ellipsometry and surface profile analysis tensiometry were used to study and compare the adsorption behavior of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG)/C10DMPO, beta-casein (BCS)/C10DMPO and BCS/C12DMPO mixtures at the air/solution interface. The adsorption from protein/surfactant mixed solutions is of competitive nature. The obtained adsorption isotherms suggest a gradual replacement of the protein molecules at the interface with increasing surfactant concentration for all studied mixed systems. The thickness, refractive index, and the adsorbed amount of the respective adsorption layers, determined by ellipsometry, decrease monotonically and reach values close to those for a surface covered only by surfactant molecules, indicating the absence of proteins from a certain surfactant concentration on. These results correlate with the surface tension data. A continuous increase of adsorption layer thickness was observed up to this concentration, caused by the desorption of segments of the protein and transforming the thin surface layer into a rather diffuse and thick one. Replacement and structural changes of the protein molecules are discussed in terms of protein structure and surface activity of surfactant molecules. Theoretical models derived recently were used for the quantitative description of the equilibrium state of the mixed surface layers.

  17. Liquid bridges at the root-soil interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carminati, Andrea; Benard, Pascal; Ahmed, Mutez; Zarebanadkouki, Mohsen

    2017-04-01

    The role of the root-soil interface on soil-plant water relations is unclear. Despite many experimental studies proved that the soil close to the root surface, the rhizosphere, has different properties compared to the adjacent bulk soil, the mechanisms underlying such differences are poorly understood and the implications for plant-water relations remain largely speculative. The objective of this contribution is to discuss the key elements affecting water dynamics in the rhizosphere. Special attention is dedicated to the role of mucilage exuded by roots in shaping the hydraulic properties of the rhizosphere. We identified three key properties: 1) mucilage adsorbs water decreasing its water potential; 2) mucilage decreases the surface tension of the soil solution; 3) mucilage increases the viscosity of the soil solution. These three properties determine the retention and spatial configuration of the liquid phase in porous media. The increase in viscosity and the decrease in surface tension (quantified by the Ohnesorge number) allow the persistence of long liquid filaments even at very negative water potentials. At high mucilage concentrations these filaments form a network that creates an additional matric potential and maintains the continuity of the liquid phase during drying. The biophysical interactions between mucilage and the pore space determine the physical properties of the rhizosphere. Mucilage forms a network that provides mechanical stability to soils upon drying and that maintains the continuity of the liquid phase across the soil-root interface. Such biophysical properties are functional to create an interconnected matrix that maintains the roots in contact with the soil, which is of particular importance when the soil is drying and the transpiration rate is high.

  18. The ensemble switch method for computing interfacial tensions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schmitz, Fabian; Virnau, Peter

    2015-04-14

    We present a systematic thermodynamic integration approach to compute interfacial tensions for solid-liquid interfaces, which is based on the ensemble switch method. Applying Monte Carlo simulations and finite-size scaling techniques, we obtain results for hard spheres, which are in agreement with previous computations. The case of solid-liquid interfaces in a variant of the effective Asakura-Oosawa model and of liquid-vapor interfaces in the Lennard-Jones model are discussed as well. We demonstrate that a thorough finite-size analysis of the simulation data is required to obtain precise results for the interfacial tension.

  19. Design criteria for developing low-resource magnetic bead assays using surface tension valves

    PubMed Central

    Adams, Nicholas M.; Creecy, Amy E.; Majors, Catherine E.; Wariso, Bathsheba A.; Short, Philip A.; Wright, David W.; Haselton, Frederick R.

    2013-01-01

    Many assays for biological sample processing and diagnostics are not suitable for use in settings that lack laboratory resources. We have recently described a simple, self-contained format based on magnetic beads for extracting infectious disease biomarkers from complex biological samples, which significantly reduces the time, expertise, and infrastructure required. This self-contained format has the potential to facilitate the application of other laboratory-based sample processing assays in low-resource settings. The technology is enabled by immiscible fluid barriers, or surface tension valves, which stably separate adjacent processing solutions within millimeter-diameter tubing and simultaneously permit the transit of magnetic beads across the interfaces. In this report, we identify the physical parameters of the materials that maximize fluid stability and bead transport and minimize solution carryover. We found that fluid stability is maximized with ≤0.8 mm i.d. tubing, valve fluids of similar density to the adjacent solutions, and tubing with ≤20 dyn/cm surface energy. Maximizing bead transport was achieved using ≥2.4 mm i.d. tubing, mineral oil valve fluid, and a mass of 1-3 mg beads. The amount of solution carryover across a surface tension valve was minimized using ≤0.2 mg of beads, tubing with ≤20 dyn/cm surface energy, and air separators. The most favorable parameter space for valve stability and bead transport was identified by combining our experimental results into a single plot using two dimensionless numbers. A strategy is presented for developing additional self-contained assays based on magnetic beads and surface tension valves for low-resource diagnostic applications. PMID:24403996

  20. Direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow over a liquid-infused micro-grooved surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Jaehee; Jung, Taeyong; Choi, Haecheon; Kim, John

    2016-11-01

    Recently a superhydrophobic surface has drawn much attention as a passive device to achieve high drag reduction. Despite the high performance promised at ideal conditions, maintaining the interface in real flow conditions is an intractable problem. A non-wetting surface, known as the slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) or the lubricant-impregnated surface (LIS), has shown a potential for drag reduction, as the working fluid slips at the interface but cannot penetrate into the lubricant layer. In the present study, we perform direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow over a liquid-infused micro-grooved surface to investigate the effects of this surface on the interfacial slip and drag reduction. The flow rate of water is maintained constant corresponding to Reτ 180 in a fully developed turbulent channel flow, and the lubricant layer is shear-driven by the turbulent water flow. The lubricant layer is also simulated with the assumption that the interface is flat (i.e. the surface tension effect is neglected). The solid substrate in which the lubricant is infused is modelled as straight ridges using an immersed boundary method. DNS results show that drag reduction by the liquid-infused surface is highly dependent on the viscosity of the lubricant.

  1. Chiral interface at the finite temperature transition point of QCD

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frei, Z.; Patkos, A.

    1990-01-01

    The domain wall between coexisting chirally symmetric and broken symmetry regions is studied in a saddle point approximation to the effective three-flavor sigma model. In the chiral limit the surface tension varies in the range ((40 to -50)MeV)(exp 3). The width of the domain wall is estimated to be approximately or equal to 4.5 fm.

  2. Atomization and dense-fluid breakup regimes in liquid rocket engines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Oefelein, Joseph; Dahms, Rainer Norbert Uwe

    Until recently, modern theory has lacked a fundamentally based model to predict the operating pressures where classical sprays transition to dense-fluid mixing with diminished surface tension. In this paper, such a model is presented to quantify this transition for liquid-oxygen–hydrogen and n-decane–gaseous-oxygen injection processes. The analysis reveals that respective molecular interfaces break down not necessarily because of vanishing surface tension forces but instead because of the combination of broadened interfaces and a reduction in mean free molecular path. When this occurs, the interfacial structure itself enters the continuum regime, where transport processes rather than intermolecular forces dominate. Using this model,more » regime diagrams for the respective systems are constructed that show the range of operating pressures and temperatures where this transition occurs. The analysis also reveals the conditions where classical spray dynamics persists even at high supercritical pressures. As a result, it demonstrates that, depending on the composition and temperature of the injected fluids, the injection process can exhibit either classical spray atomization, dense-fluid diffusion-dominated mixing, or supercritical mixing phenomena at chamber pressures encountered in state-of-the-art liquid rocket engines.« less

  3. Atomization and dense-fluid breakup regimes in liquid rocket engines

    DOE PAGES

    Oefelein, Joseph; Dahms, Rainer Norbert Uwe

    2015-04-20

    Until recently, modern theory has lacked a fundamentally based model to predict the operating pressures where classical sprays transition to dense-fluid mixing with diminished surface tension. In this paper, such a model is presented to quantify this transition for liquid-oxygen–hydrogen and n-decane–gaseous-oxygen injection processes. The analysis reveals that respective molecular interfaces break down not necessarily because of vanishing surface tension forces but instead because of the combination of broadened interfaces and a reduction in mean free molecular path. When this occurs, the interfacial structure itself enters the continuum regime, where transport processes rather than intermolecular forces dominate. Using this model,more » regime diagrams for the respective systems are constructed that show the range of operating pressures and temperatures where this transition occurs. The analysis also reveals the conditions where classical spray dynamics persists even at high supercritical pressures. As a result, it demonstrates that, depending on the composition and temperature of the injected fluids, the injection process can exhibit either classical spray atomization, dense-fluid diffusion-dominated mixing, or supercritical mixing phenomena at chamber pressures encountered in state-of-the-art liquid rocket engines.« less

  4. Thermocapillary flow and melt/solid interfaces in floating-zone crystal growth under microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lan, C. W.; Kou, Sindo

    1990-01-01

    Computer simulation of steady-state axisymmetrical heat transfer and fluid flow was conducted to study thermocapillary flow and melt/solid interfaces in floating-zone crystal growth under microgravity. The effects of key variables on the extent of thermocapillary flow in the melt zone, the shapes of melt/solid interfaces and the length of the melt zone were discussed. These variables are: (1) the temperature coefficient of surface tension (or the Marangoni number), (2) the pulling speed (or the Peclet number), (3) the feed rod radius, (4) the ambient temperature distribution, (5) the heat transfer coefficient (or the Biot number), and (6) the thermal diffusivity of the material (or the Prandtl number).

  5. Specific interface area in a thin layer system of two immiscible liquids with vapour generation at the contact interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pimenova, Anastasiya V.; Gazdaliev, Ilias M.; Goldobin, Denis S.

    2017-06-01

    For well-stirred multiphase fluid systems the mean interface area per unit volume, or “specific interface area” SV, is a significant characteristic of the system state. In particular, it is important for the dynamics of systems of immiscible liquids experiencing interfacial boiling. We estimate the value of parameter SV as a function of the heat influx {\\dot{Q}}V to the system or the average system overheat <Θ> above the interfacial boiling point. The derived results can be reformulated for the case of an endothermic chemical reaction between two liquid reagents with the gaseous form of one of the reaction products. The final results are restricted to the case of thin layers, where the potential gravitational energy of bubbles leaving the contact interface is small compared to their surface tension energy.

  6. bioLights: light emitting wear for visualizing lower-limb muscle activity.

    PubMed

    Igarashi, Naoto; Suzuki, Kenji; Kawamoto, Hiroaki; Sankai, Yoshiyuki

    2010-01-01

    Analysis of muscle activity by electrophysiological techniques is commonly used to analyze biomechanics. Although the simultaneous and intuitive understanding of both muscle activity and body motion is important in various fields, it is difficult to realize. This paper proposes a novel technique for visualizing physiological signals related to muscle activity by means of surface electromyography. We developed a wearable light-emitting interface that indicates lower-limb muscle activity or muscular tension on the surface of the body in real time by displaying the shape of the activated muscle. The developed interface allows users to perceive muscle activity in an intuitive manner by relating the level of the muscle activity to the brightness level of the glowing interface placed on the corresponding muscle. In order to verify the advantage of the proposed method, a cognitive experiment was conducted to evaluate the system performance. We also conducted an evaluation experiment using the developed interface in conjunction with an exoskeleton robot, in order to investigate the possible applications of the developed interface in the field of neurorehabilitation.

  7. Entropy of adsorption of mixed surfactants from solutions onto the air/water interface

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chen, L.-W.; Chen, J.-H.; Zhou, N.-F.

    1995-01-01

    The partial molar entropy change for mixed surfactant molecules adsorbed from solution at the air/water interface has been investigated by surface thermodynamics based upon the experimental surface tension isotherms at various temperatures. Results for different surfactant mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium tetradecyl sulfate, decylpyridinium chloride and sodium alkylsulfonates have shown that the partial molar entropy changes for adsorption of the mixed surfactants were generally negative and decreased with increasing adsorption to a minimum near the maximum adsorption and then increased abruptly. The entropy decrease can be explained by the adsorption-orientation of surfactant molecules in the adsorbed monolayer and the abrupt entropy increase at the maximum adsorption is possible due to the strong repulsion between the adsorbed molecules.

  8. Spiers Memorial Lecture. Ions at aqueous interfaces.

    PubMed

    Jungwirth, Pavel

    2009-01-01

    Studies of aqueous interfaces and of the behavior of ions therein have been profiting from a recent remarkable progress in surface selective spectroscopies, as well as from developments in molecular simulations. Here, we summarize and place in context our investigations of ions at aqueous interfaces employing molecular dynamics simulations and electronic structure methods, performed in close contact with experiment. For the simplest of these interfaces, i.e. the open water surface, we demonstrate that the traditional picture of an ion-free surface is not valid for large, soft (polarizable) ions such as the heavier halides. Both simulations and spectroscopic measurements indicate that these ions can be present and even enhanced at surface of water. In addition we show that the ionic product of water exhibits a peculiar surface behavior with hydronium but not hydroxide accumulating at the air/water and alkane/water interfaces. This result is supported by surface-selective spectroscopic experiments and surface tension measurements. However, it contradicts the interpretation of electrophoretic and titration experiments in terms of strong surface adsorption of hydroxide; an issue which is further discussed here. The applicability of the observed behavior of ions at the water surface to investigations of their affinity for the interface between proteins and aqueous solutions is explored. Simulations show that for alkali cations the dominant mechanism of specific interactions with the surface of hydrated proteins is via ion pairing with negatively charged amino acid residues and with the backbone amide groups. As far as halide anions are concerned, the lighter ones tend to pair with positively charged amino acid residues, while heavier halides exhibit affinity to the amide group and to non-polar protein patches, the latter resembling their behavior at the air/water interface. These findings, together with results for more complex molecular ions, allow us to formulate a local model of interactions of ions with proteins with the aim to rationalize at the molecular level ion-specific Hofmeister effects, e.g. the salting out of proteins.

  9. Effects of non-uniform temperature gradients on surface tension driven two component magneto convection in a porous- fluid system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manjunatha, N.; Sumithra, R.

    2018-04-01

    The problem of surface tension driven two component magnetoconvection is investigated in a Porous-Fluid system, consisting of anincompressible two component electrically conducting fluid saturatedporous layer above which lies a layer of the same fluid in the presence of a uniform vertical magnetic field. The lower boundary of the porous layeris rigid and the upper boundary of the fluid layer is free with surfacetension effects depending on both temperature and concentration, boththese boundaries are insulating to heat and mass. At the interface thevelocity, shear and normal stress, heat and heat flux, mass and mass fluxare assumed to be continuous suitable for Darcy-Brinkman model. Theeigenvalue problem is solved in linear, parabolic and inverted parabolictemperature profiles and the corresponding Thermal Marangoni Numberis obtained for different important physical parameters.

  10. Microfluidic ultralow interfacial tensiometry with magnetic particles.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Scott S H; Wexler, Jason S; Wan, Jiandi; Stone, Howard A

    2013-01-07

    We describe a technique that measures ultralow interfacial tensions using paramagnetic spheres in a co-flow microfluidic device designed with a magnetic section. Our method involves tuning the distance between the co-flowing interface and the magnet's center, and observing the behavior of the spheres as they approach the liquid-liquid interface-the particles either pass through or are trapped by the interface. Using threshold values of the magnet-to-interface distance, we make estimates of the two-fluid interfacial tension. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique for measuring very low interfacial tensions, O(10(-6)-10(-5)) N m(-1), by testing solutions of different surfactant concentrations, and we show that our results are comparable with measurements made using a spinning drop tensiometer.

  11. Collective Cell Migration in Embryogenesis Follows the Laws of Wetting.

    PubMed

    Wallmeyer, Bernhard; Trinschek, Sarah; Yigit, Sargon; Thiele, Uwe; Betz, Timo

    2018-01-09

    Collective cell migration is a fundamental process during embryogenesis and its initial occurrence, called epiboly, is an excellent in vivo model to study the physical processes involved in collective cell movements that are key to understanding organ formation, cancer invasion, and wound healing. In zebrafish, epiboly starts with a cluster of cells at one pole of the spherical embryo. These cells are actively spreading in a continuous movement toward its other pole until they fully cover the yolk. Inspired by the physics of wetting, we determine the contact angle between the cells and the yolk during epiboly. By choosing a wetting approach, the relevant scale for this investigation is the tissue level, which is in contrast to other recent work. Similar to the case of a liquid drop on a surface, one observes three interfaces that carry mechanical tension. Assuming that interfacial force balance holds during the quasi-static spreading process, we employ the physics of wetting to predict the temporal change of the contact angle. Although the experimental values vary dramatically, the model allows us to rescale all measured contact-angle dynamics onto a single master curve explaining the collective cell movement. Thus, we describe the fundamental and complex developmental mechanism at the onset of embryogenesis by only three main parameters: the offset tension strength, α, that gives the strength of interfacial tension compared to other force-generating mechanisms; the tension ratio, δ, between the different interfaces; and the rate of tension variation, λ, which determines the timescale of the whole process. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Dynamics of Wetting of Ultra Hydrophobic Surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohammad Karim, Alireza; Kim, Jeong-Hyun; Rothstein, Jonathan; Kavehpour, Pirouz; Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Collaboration

    2013-11-01

    Controlling the surface wettability of hydrophobic and super hydrophobic surfaces has extensive industrial applications ranging from coating, painting and printing technology and waterproof clothing to efficiency increase in power and water plants. This requires enhancing the knowledge about the dynamics of wetting on these hydrophobic surfaces. We have done experimental investigation on the dynamics of wetting on hydrophobic surfaces by looking deeply in to the dependency of the dynamic contact angles both advancing and receding on the velocity of the three-phase boundary (Solid/Liquid/Gas interface) using the Wilhelmy plate method with different ultra-hydrophobic surfaces. Several fluids with different surface tension and viscosity are used to study the effect of physical properties of liquids on the governing laws.

  13. Flying fish accelerate at 5 G to leap from the water surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Patricia; Phonekeo, Sulisay; Xu, Ke; Chang, Shui-Kai; Hu, David

    2013-11-01

    Flying fish can both swim underwater and glide in air. Transitioning from swimming to gliding requires penetration of the air-water interface, or breaking the ``surface tension barrier,'' a formidable task for juvenile flying fish measuring 1 to 5 cm in length. In this experimental investigation, we use high-speed videography to characterize the kinematics of juvenile flying fish as they leap from the water surface. During this process, which lasts 0.05 seconds, flying fish achieve body accelerations of 5 times earth's gravity and gliding speeds of 1.3 m/s, an order of magnitude higher than their steady swimming speed. We rationalize this anomalously high speed on the basis of the hydrodynamic and surface tension forces and torques experienced by the fish. Specifically, leaping fish experience skin friction forces only on the submerged part of their body, permitting them to achieve much higher speeds than in steady underwater swimming. We also perform experiments using a towed flying fish mimc to determine optimality of various parameters in this process, including body angle and start position with respect to the water surface.

  14. Matching refractive indices of two fluids and finding interfacial tension for the purpose of fuel spray imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Y. H.

    2017-06-01

    This study attempts to prepare a fluid pair for use in spray dynamics investigations. Better understanding the behavior of fuel sprays is one of the things that can help improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines. To address the scattering issue in current imaging methods, the refractive index difference between the injected fluid and the medium that it is injected into is eliminated. Two immiscible fluids (sucrose solution and silicone oil) with the same refractive index was identified, their surface tension to build a model fluid engine system injection was also studied. At the same time, Weber number is found to help correct the difference. Results show that 63.7% mass sucrose solution has the same refractive index as silicone oil, and the sucrose solution/silicone oil interface has a surface tension of 0.08941 N/m, which is roughly four times larger than that of ethanol/air. This means using the sucrose/silicone oil fluid pair to model fuel spray will involve some adjustments to be accurate.

  15. Adsorption kinetics of alkanethiol-capped gold nanoparticles at the hexane-water interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferdous, Sultana; Ioannidis, Marios A.; Henneke, Dale

    2011-12-01

    The pendant drop technique was used to characterize the adsorption behavior of n-dodecane-1-thiol and n-hexane-1-thiol-capped gold nanoparticles at the hexane-water interface. The adsorption process was studied by analyzing the dynamic interfacial tension versus nanoparticle concentration, both at early times and at later stages (i.e., immediately after the interface between the fluids is made and once equilibrium has been established). A series of gold colloids were made using nanoparticles ranging in size from 1.60 to 2.85 nm dissolved in hexane for the interfacial tension analysis. Following free diffusion of nanoparticles from the bulk hexane phase, adsorption leads to ordering and rearrangement of the nanoparticles at the interface and formation of a dense monolayer. With increasing interfacial coverage, the diffusion-controlled adsorption for the nanoparticles at the interface was found to change to an interaction-controlled assembly and the presence of an adsorption barrier was experimentally verified. At the same bulk concentration, different sizes of n-dodecane-1-thiol nanoparticles showed different absorption behavior at the interface, in agreement with the findings of Kutuzov et al. (Phys Chem Chem Phys 9:6351-6358, 2007). The experiments additionally demonstrated the important role played by the capping agent. At the same concentration, gold nanoparticles stabilized by n-hexane-1-thiol exhibited greater surface activity than gold nanoparticles of the same size stabilized by n-dodecane-1-thiol. These findings contribute to the design of useful supra-colloidal structures by the self-assembly of alkane-thiol-capped gold nanoparticles at liquid-liquid interfaces.

  16. 2D-HB-Network at the air-water interface: A structural and dynamical characterization by means of ab initio and classical molecular dynamics simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pezzotti, Simone; Serva, Alessandra; Gaigeot, Marie-Pierre

    2018-05-01

    Following our previous work where the existence of a special 2-Dimensional H-Bond (2D-HB)-Network was revealed at the air-water interface [S. Pezzotti et al., J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 8, 3133 (2017)], we provide here a full structural and dynamical characterization of this specific arrangement by means of both Density Functional Theory based and Force Field based molecular dynamics simulations. We show in particular that water at the interface with air reconstructs to maximize H-Bonds formed between interfacial molecules, which leads to the formation of an extended and non-interrupted 2-Dimensional H-Bond structure involving on average ˜90% of water molecules at the interface. We also show that the existence of such an extended structure, composed of H-Bonds all oriented parallel to the surface, constrains the reorientional dynamics of water that is hence slower at the interface than in the bulk. The structure and dynamics of the 2D-HB-Network provide new elements to possibly rationalize several specific properties of the air-water interface, such as water surface tension, anisotropic reorientation of interfacial water under an external field, and proton hopping.

  17. Linear stability of an active fluid interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagilla, Amarender; Prabhakar, Ranganathan; Jadhav, Sameer

    2018-02-01

    Motivated by studies suggesting that the patterns exhibited by the collectively expanding fronts of thin cells during the closing of a wound [S. Mark et al., "Physical model of the dynamic instability in an expanding cell culture," Biophys. J. 98(3), 361-370 (2010)] and the shapes of single cells crawling on surfaces [A. C. Callan-Jones et al., "Viscous-fingering-like instability of cell fragments," Phys. Rev. Lett. 100(25), 258106 (2008)] are due to fingering instabilities, we investigate the stability of actively driven interfaces under the Hele-Shaw confinement. An initially radial interface between a pair of viscous fluids is driven by active agents. Surface tension and bending rigidity resist the deformation of the interface. A point source at the origin and a distributed source are also included to model the effects of injection or suction and growth or depletion, respectively. Linear stability analysis reveals that for any given initial radius of the interface, there are two key dimensionless driving rates that determine interfacial stability. We discuss stability regimes in a state space of these parameters and their implications for biological systems. An interesting finding is that an actively mobile interface is susceptible to the fingering instability irrespective of viscosity contrast.

  18. Kinematically irreversible particle motion in 2D suspensions due to surface-pressure-dependent surface rheology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manikantan, Harishankar; Squires, Todd

    2017-11-01

    The surface viscosity of many insoluble surfactants depends strongly on the surface pressure (or surface tension) of that surfactant. Surface pressure gradients naturally arise in interfacial flows, and surface-pressure-dependent surface rheology alters 2D suspension dynamics in significant ways. We use the Lorentz reciprocal theorem to asymptotically quantify the irreversible dynamics that break Newtonian symmetries. We first show that a particle embedded in a surfactant-laden interface and translating parallel to or rotating near an interfacial boundary experiences a force in the direction perpendicular to the boundary. Building on this, we extend the theory to compute the first effects of pressure-dependent surface viscosity on 2D particle pairs in suspension. The fore-aft symmetry of pair trajectories in a Newtonian interface is lost, leading to well-separated (when pressure-thickening) or aggregated (when pressure-thinning) particles. Notably, the relative motion is kinematically irreversible, and pairs steadily evolve toward a particular displacement. Based on these irreversible pair interactions, we hypothesize that pressure-thickening (or -thinning) leads to shear-thinning (or -thickening) in 2D suspensions.

  19. Drag penalty due to the asperities in the substrate of super-hydrophobic and liquid infused surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garcia Cartagena, Edgardo J.; Arenas, Isnardo; Leonardi, Stefano

    2017-11-01

    Direct numerical simulations of two superposed fluids in a turbulent channel with a textured surface made of pinnacles of random height have been performed. The viscosity ratio between the two fluids are N =μo /μi = 50 (μo and μi are the viscosities of outer and inner fluid respectively) mimicking a super-hydrophobic surface (water over air) and N=2.5 (water over heptane) resembling a liquid infused surface. Two set of simulations have been performed varying the Reynolds number, Reτ = 180 and Reτ = 390 . The interface between the two fluids is flat simulating infinite surface tension. The position of the interface between the two fluids has been varied in the vertical direction from the base of the substrate (what would be a rough wall) to the highest point of the roughness. Drag reduction is very sensitive to the position of the interface between the two fluids. Asperities above the interface induce a large form drag and diminish considerably the drag reduction. When the mean height of the surface measured from the interface in the outer fluid is greater than one wall unit, k+ > 1 , the drag increases with respect to a smooth wall. Present results provide a guideline to the accuracy required in manufacturing super-hydrophobic and liquid infused surfaces. This work was supported under ONR MURI Grants N00014-12-0875 and N00014-12- 1-0962, Program Manager Dr. Ki-Han Kim. Numerical simulations were performed on the Texas Advanced Computer Center.

  20. The liquid-vapor equilibria of TIP4P/2005 and BLYPSP-4F water models determined through direct simulations of the liquid-vapor interface.

    PubMed

    Hu, Hongyi; Wang, Feng

    2015-06-07

    In this paper, the surface tension and critical properties for the TIP4P/2005 and BLYPSP-4F models are reported. A clear dependence of surface tension on the van der Waals cutoff radius (rvdw) is shown when van der Waals interactions are modeled with a simple cutoff scheme. A linear extrapolation formula is proposed that can be used to determine the infinite rvdw surface tension through a few simulations with finite rvdw. A procedure for determining liquid and vapor densities is proposed that does not require fitting to a profile function. Although the critical temperature of water is also found to depend on the choice of rvdw, the dependence is weaker. We argue that a rvdw of 1.75 nm is a good compromise for water simulations when long-range van der Waals correction is not applied. Since the majority of computational programs do not support rigorous treatment of long-range dispersion, the establishment of a minimal acceptable rvdw is important for the simulation of a variety of inhomogeneous systems, such as water bubbles, and water in confined environments. The BLYPSP-4F model predicts room temperature surface tension marginally better than TIP4P/2005 but overestimates the critical temperature. This is expected since only liquid configurations were fit during the development of the BLYPSP-4F potential. The potential is expected to underestimate the stability of vapor and thus overestimate the region of stability for the liquid.

  1. The surface activity of purified ocular mucin at the air-liquid interface and interactions with meibomian lipids.

    PubMed

    Millar, Thomas J; Tragoulias, Sophia T; Anderton, Philip J; Ball, Malcolm S; Miano, Fausto; Dennis, Gary R; Mudgil, Poonam

    2006-01-01

    Ocular mucins are thought to contribute to the stability of the tear film by reducing surface tension. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of different mucins and hyaluronic acid (HA) alone and mixed with meibomian lipids on the surface pressure at an air-liquid interface. A Langmuir trough and Wilhelmy balance were used to measure and compare the surface activity of bovine submaxillary gland mucin (BSM), purified BSM, purified bovine ocular mucin and HA, and mixtures of these with meibomian lipids, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylglycerol. Their appearance at the surface of an air-buffer interface was examined using epifluorescence microscopy. Purified ocular mucin had no surface activity even at concentrations that were 100 times more than normally occur in tears. By contrast, commercial BSM caused changes to surface pressure that were concentration dependent. The surface pressure-area profiles showed surface activity with maximum surface pressures of 12.3-22.5 mN/m depending on the concentration. Purified BSM showed no surface activity at low concentrations, whereas higher concentrations reached a maximum surface pressure of 25 mN/m. HA showed no surface activity, at low or high concentrations. Epifluorescence showed that the mucins were located at the air-buffer interface and changed the appearance of lipid films. Purified bovine ocular mucin and HA have no surface activity. However, despite having no surface activity in their own right, ocular mucins are likely to be present at the surface of the tear film, where they cause an increase in surface pressure by causing a compression of the lipids (a reorganization of the lipids) and alter the viscoelastic properties at the surface.

  2. Interfacial gauge methods for incompressible fluid dynamics

    DOE PAGES

    Saye, R.

    2016-06-10

    Designing numerical methods for incompressible fluid flow involving moving interfaces, for example, in the computational modeling of bubble dynamics, swimming organisms, or surface waves, presents challenges due to the coupling of interfacial forces with incompressibility constraints. A class of methods, denoted interfacial gauge methods, is introduced for computing solutions to the corresponding incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. These methods use a type of "gauge freedom" to reduce the numerical coupling between fluid velocity, pressure, and interface position, allowing high-order accurate numerical methods to be developed more easily. Making use of an implicit mesh discontinuous Galerkin framework, developed in tandem with this work,more » high-order results are demonstrated, including surface tension dynamics in which fluid velocity, pressure, and interface geometry are computed with fourth-order spatial accuracy in the maximum norm. Applications are demonstrated with two-phase fluid flow displaying fine-scaled capillary wave dynamics, rigid body fluid-structure interaction, and a fluid-jet free surface flow problem exhibiting vortex shedding induced by a type of Plateau-Rayleigh instability. The developed methods can be generalized to other types of interfacial flow and facilitate precise computation of complex fluid interface phenomena.« less

  3. A level set method for determining critical curvatures for drainage and imbibition.

    PubMed

    Prodanović, Masa; Bryant, Steven L

    2006-12-15

    An accurate description of the mechanics of pore level displacement of immiscible fluids could significantly improve the predictions from pore network models of capillary pressure-saturation curves, interfacial areas and relative permeability in real porous media. If we assume quasi-static displacement, at constant pressure and surface tension, pore scale interfaces are modeled as constant mean curvature surfaces, which are not easy to calculate. Moreover, the extremely irregular geometry of natural porous media makes it difficult to evaluate surface curvature values and corresponding geometric configurations of two fluids. Finally, accounting for the topological changes of the interface, such as splitting or merging, is nontrivial. We apply the level set method for tracking and propagating interfaces in order to robustly handle topological changes and to obtain geometrically correct interfaces. We describe a simple but robust model for determining critical curvatures for throat drainage and pore imbibition. The model is set up for quasi-static displacements but it nevertheless captures both reversible and irreversible behavior (Haines jump, pore body imbibition). The pore scale grain boundary conditions are extracted from model porous media and from imaged geometries in real rocks. The method gives quantitative agreement with measurements and with other theories and computational approaches.

  4. Surface active complexes formed between keratin polypeptides and ionic surfactants.

    PubMed

    Pan, Fang; Lu, Zhiming; Tucker, Ian; Hosking, Sarah; Petkov, Jordan; Lu, Jian R

    2016-12-15

    Keratins are a group of important proteins in skin and hair and as biomaterials they can provide desirable properties such as strength, biocompatibility, and moisture regaining and retaining. The aim of this work is to develop water-soluble keratin polypeptides from sheep wool and then explore how their surface adsorption behaves with and without surfactants. Successful preparation of keratin samples was demonstrated by identification of the key components from gel electrophoresis and the reproducible production of gram scale samples with and without SDS (sodium dodecylsulphate) during wool fibre dissolution. SDS micelles could reduce the formation of disulphide bonds between keratins during extraction, reducing inter-molecular crosslinking and improving keratin polypeptide solubility. However, Zeta potential measurements of the two polypeptide batches demonstrated almost identical pH dependent surface charge distributions with isoelectric points around pH 3.5, showing complete removal of SDS during purification by dialysis. In spite of different solubility from the two batches of keratin samples prepared, very similar adsorption and aggregation behavior was revealed from surface tension measurements and dynamic light scattering. Mixing of keratin polypeptides with SDS and C 12 TAB (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide) led to the formation of keratin-surfactant complexes that were substantially more effective at reducing surface tension than the polypeptides alone, showing great promise in the delivery of keratin polypeptides via the surface active complexes. Neutron reflection measurements revealed the coexistence of surfactant and keratin polypeptides at the interface, thus providing the structural support to the observed surface tension changes associated with the formation of the surface active complexes. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  5. Elastocapillarity: When Surface Tension Deforms Elastic Solids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bico, José; Reyssat, Étienne; Roman, Benoît

    2018-01-01

    Although negligible at large scales, capillary forces may become dominant for submillimetric objects. Surface tension is usually associated with the spherical shape of small droplets and bubbles, wetting phenomena, imbibition, or the motion of insects at the surface of water. However, beyond liquid interfaces, capillary forces can also deform solid bodies in their bulk, as observed in recent experiments with very soft gels. Capillary interactions, which are responsible for the cohesion of sandcastles, can also bend slender structures and induce the bundling of arrays of fibers. Thin sheets can spontaneously wrap liquid droplets within the limit of the constraints dictated by differential geometry. This review aims to describe the different scaling parameters and characteristic lengths involved in elastocapillarity. We focus on three main configurations, each characterized by a specific dimension: three-dimensional (3D), deformations induced in bulk solids; 1D, bending and bundling of rod-like structures; and 2D, bending and stretching of thin sheets. Although each configuration deserves a detailed review, we hope our broad description provides a general view of elastocapillarity.

  6. Estimating zero-g flow rates in open channels having capillary pumping vanes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Srinivasan, Radhakrishnan

    2003-02-01

    In vane-type surface tension propellant management devices (PMD) commonly used in satellite fuel tanks, the propellant is transported along guiding vanes from a reservoir at the inlet of the device to a sump at the outlet from where it is pumped to the satellite engine. The pressure gradient driving this free-surface flow under zero-gravity (zero-g) conditions is generated by surface tension and is related to the differential curvatures of the propellant-gas interface at the inlet and outlet of the PMD. A new semi-analytical procedure is prescribed for accurately calculating the extremely small fuel flow rates under reasonably idealized conditions. Convergence of the algorithm is demonstrated by detailed numerical calculations. Owing to the substantial cost and the technical hurdles involved in accurately estimating these minuscule flow rates by either direct numerical simulation or by experimental methods which simulate zero-g conditions in the lab, it is expected that the proposed method will be an indispensable tool in the design and operation of satellite fuel tanks.

  7. An analytical study of reduced-gravity flow dynamics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bradshaw, R. D.; Kramer, J. L.; Zich, J. L.

    1976-01-01

    Addition of surface tension forces to a marker-and-cell code and the performance of four incompressible fluid simulations in reduced gravity, were studied. This marker-and-cell code has a variable grid capability with arbitrary curved boundaries and time dependent acceleration fields. The surface tension logic includes a spline fit of surface marker particles as well as contact angle logic for straight and curved wall boundaries. Three types of flow motion were simulated with the improved code: impulsive settling in a model Centaur LH2 tank, continuous settling in a model and full scale Centaur LO2 tank and mixing in a Centaur LH2 tank. The impulsive settling case confirmed a drop tower analysis which indicated more orderly fluid collection flow patterns with this method providing a potential savings in settling propellants. In the LO2 tank, fluid collection and flow simulation into the thrust barrel were achieved. The mixing simulation produced good results indicating both the development of the flow field and fluid interface behavior.

  8. Using an extreme bony prominence anatomical model to examine the influence of bed sheet materials and bed making methods on the distribution of pressure on the support surface.

    PubMed

    Iuchi, Terumi; Nakajima, Yukari; Fukuda, Moriyoshi; Matsuo, Junko; Okamoto, Hiroyuki; Sanada, Hiromi; Sugama, Junko

    2014-05-01

    Bed sheets generate high surface tension across the support surface and increase pressure to the body through a process known as the hammock effect. Using an anatomical model and a loading device characterized by extreme bony prominences, the present study compared pressure distributions on support surfaces across different bed making methods and bed sheet materials to determine the factors that influence pressure distribution. The model was placed on a pressure mapping system (CONFORMat; NITTA Corp., Osaka, Japan), and interface pressure was measured. Bed sheet elasticity and friction between the support surface and the bed sheets were also measured. For maximum interface pressure, the relative values of the following methods were higher than those of the control method, which did not use any bed sheets: cotton sheets with hospital corners (1.28, p = 0.02), polyester with no corners (1.29, p = 0.01), cotton with no corners (1.31, p = 0.003), and fitted polyester sheets (1.35, p = 0.002). Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that maximum interface pressure was negatively correlated with bed sheet elasticity (R(2) = 0.74). A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between maximum interface pressure and immersion depth, which was measured using the loading device (r = -0.40 and p = 0.04). We found that several combinations of bed making methods and bed sheet materials induced maximum interface pressures greater than those observed for the control method. Bed sheet materials influenced maximum interface pressure, and bed sheet elasticity was particularly important in reducing maximum interface pressure. Copyright © 2014 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Dynamic surface tension and adsorption mechanism of surfactin biosurfactant at the air-water interface.

    PubMed

    Onaizi, Sagheer A

    2018-03-01

    The dynamic adsorption of the anionic biosurfactant, surfactin, at the air-water interface has been investigated in this work and compared to those of two synthetic surfactants: the anionic sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) and the nonionic octaethylene glycol monotetradecyl ether (C 14 E 8 ). The results revealed that surfactin adsorption at the air-water interface is purely controlled by diffusion mechanism at the initial stage of the adsorption process (i.e., [Formula: see text]), but shifts towards a mixed diffusion-barrier mechanism when surface tension approaches equilibrium (i.e., [Formula: see text]) due to the development of an energy barrier for adsorption. Such energy barrier has been found to be a function of the surfactin bulk concentration (increases with increasing surfactin concentration) and it is estimated to be in the range of 1.8-9.5 kJ/mol. Interestingly, such a trend (pure diffusion-controlled mechanism at [Formula: see text] and mixed diffusion-barrier mechanism at [Formula: see text]) has been also observed for the nonionic C 14 E 8 surfactant. Unlike the pure diffusion-controlled mechanism of the initial surfactin adsorption, which was the case in the presence and the absence of the sodium ion (Na + ), SDBS showed a mixed diffusion-barrier controlled at both short and long time, with an energy barrier of 3.0-9.0 and 3.8-18.0 kJ/mol, respectively. Such finding highlights the nonionic-like adsorption mechanism of surfactin despite its negative charge.

  10. Experimentally quantifying anion polarizability at the air/water interface.

    PubMed

    Tong, Yujin; Zhang, Igor Ying; Campen, R Kramer

    2018-04-03

    The adsorption of large, polarizable anions from aqueous solution on the air/water interface controls important atmospheric chemistry and is thought to resemble anion adsorption at hydrophobic interfaces generally. While the favourability of adsorption of such ions is clear, quantifying adsorption thermodynamics has proven challenging because it requires accurate description of the structure of the anion and its solvation shell at the interface. In principle anion polarizability offers a structural window, but to the best of our knowledge there has so far been no experimental technique that allowed its characterization with interfacial specificity. Here, we meet this challenge using interface-specific vibrational spectroscopy of Cl-O vibrations of the [Formula: see text] anion at the air/water interface and report that the interface breaks the symmetry of the anion, the anisotropy of [Formula: see text]'s polarizability tensor is more than two times larger than in bulk water and concentration dependent, and concentration-dependent polarizability changes are consistent with correlated changes in surface tension.

  11. Interface tension in the improved Blume-Capel model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasenbusch, Martin

    2017-09-01

    We study interfaces with periodic boundary conditions in the low-temperature phase of the improved Blume-Capel model on the simple cubic lattice. The interface free energy is defined by the difference of the free energy of a system with antiperiodic boundary conditions in one of the directions and that of a system with periodic boundary conditions in all directions. It is obtained by integration of differences of the corresponding internal energies over the inverse temperature. These differences can be computed efficiently by using a variance reduced estimator that is based on the exchange cluster algorithm. The interface tension is obtained from the interface free energy by using predictions based on effective interface models. By using our numerical results for the interface tension σ and the correlation length ξ obtained in previous work, we determine the universal amplitude ratios R2 nd ,+=σ0f2nd ,+ 2=0.3863 (6 ) , R2 nd ,-=σ0f2nd ,- 2=0.1028 (1 ) , and Rexp ,-=σ0fexp,- 2=0.1077 (3 ) . Our results are consistent with those obtained previously for the three-dimensional Ising model, confirming the universality hypothesis.

  12. Interfacial behavior of alkaline protease at the air-water and oil-water interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Jian; Li, Yanyan; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Yue

    2018-03-01

    The interfacial behavior of alkaline protease at the air-water and n-hexane-water interfaces was investigated using interfacial tension, dilatational rheology and dynamic light scattering. Additionally, different adsorption models which are Langmuir, Frumkin, Reorientation-A and Reorientation-R were used to fitting the data of equilibrium interfacial tension for further understanding the interfacial behavior of alkaline protease. Data fitting of the equilibrium interfacial tension was achieved by IsoFit software. The results show that the molecules arrangement of the alkaline protease at the n-hexane-water interface is more tightly than at the air-water interface. The data were further analyzed to indicate that the hydrophobic chains of alkaline protease penetrate into oil phase deeper than the air phase. Also data indicate that the electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic interactions at the n-hexane-water interface are stronger than at the air-water interface within molecules of the alkaline protease. Based on comprehensive analysis of the adsorption kinetics and interfacial rheological properties, interfacial structures mechanism of alkaline protease at n-hexane-water and air-water interfaces was proposed.

  13. On a two-phase Hele-Shaw problem with a time-dependent gap and distributions of sinks and sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Savina, Tatiana; Akinyemi, Lanre; Savin, Avital

    2018-01-01

    A two-phase Hele-Shaw problem with a time-dependent gap describes the evolution of the interface, which separates two fluids sandwiched between two plates. The fluids have different viscosities. In addition to the change in the gap width of the Hele-Shaw cell, the interface is driven by the presence of some special distributions of sinks and sources located in both the interior and exterior domains. The effect of surface tension is neglected. Using the Schwarz function approach, we give examples of exact solutions when the interface belongs to a certain family of algebraic curves and the curves do not form cusps. The family of curves are defined by the initial shape of the free boundary.

  14. Adsorption properties of biologically active derivatives of quaternary ammonium surfactants and their mixtures at aqueous/air interface. I. Equilibrium surface tension, surfactant aggregation and wettability.

    PubMed

    Rojewska, Monika; Biadasz, Andrzej; Kotkowiak, Michał; Olejnik, Anna; Rychlik, Joanna; Dudkowiak, Alina; Prochaska, Krystyna

    2013-10-01

    The adsorption properties of surfactant mixtures containing two types of quaternary derivatives of lysosomotropic substances: alkyl N,N-dimethylalaninates methobromides and alkyl N,N-dimethylglycinates methobromides were studied. Quantitative and qualitative description of the adsorption process was carried out on the basis of experimentally obtained equilibrium surface tension isotherms. The results indicated that most of the systems studied revealed synergistic effect both in adsorption and wetting properties. In vitro studies on human cancer cells were undertaken and the data obtained showed that the mixtures suppressed the cancer cells' proliferation more effectively than individual components. Results of preliminary research on the interaction of catanionic mixtures with phospholipids suggested a possibility of a strong penetration of cell membranes by the mixtures investigated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Analyses of layer-thickness effects in bilayered dental ceramics subjected to thermal stresses and ring-on-ring tests

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hsueh, Chun-Hway; Thompson, G. A.; Jadaan, Osama M.

    Objectives. The purpose of this study was to analyze the stress distribution through the thickness of bilayered dental ceramics subjected to both thermal stresses and ring-on-ring tests and to systematically examine how the individual layer thickness influences this stress distribution and the failure origin. Methods. Ring-on-ring tests were performed on In-Ceram Alumina/Vitadur Alpha porcelain bilayered disks with porcelain in the tensile side, and In-Ceram Alumina to porcelain layer thickness ratios of 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1 were used to characterize the failure origins as either surface or interface. Based on the thermomechanical properties and thickness of each layer, the cooling temperaturemore » from glass transition temperature, and the ring-on-ring loading configuration, the stress distribution through the thickness of the bilayer was calculated using closed-form solutions. Finite element analyses were also performed to verify the analytical results. Results. The calculated stress distributions showed that the location of maximum tension during testing shifted from the porcelain surface to the In-Ceram Alumina/porcelain interface when the relative layer thickness ratio changed from 1:2 to 1:1 and to 2:1. This trend is in agreement with the experimental observations of the failure origins. Significance. For bilayered dental ceramics subjected to ring-on-ring tests, the location of maximum tension can shift from the surface to the interface depending upon the layer thickness ratio. The closed-form solutions for bilayers subjected to both thermal stresses and ring-on-ring tests are explicitly formulated which allow the biaxial strength of the bilayer to be evaluated.« less

  16. Adsorption of Egg-PC to an Air/Water and Triolein/Water Bubble Interface: Use of the 2-Dimensional Phase Rule to Estimate the Surface Composition of a Phospholipid/Triolein/Water Surface as a Function of Surface Pressure

    PubMed Central

    Mitsche, Matthew A.; Wang, Libo; Small, Donald M.

    2010-01-01

    Phospholipid monolayers play a critical role in the structure and stabilization of biological interfaces including all membranes, the alveoli of the lung, fat droplets in adipose tissue, and lipoproteins. The behavior of phospholipids in bilayers and at an air-water interface is well understood. However, the study of phospholipids at oil-water interfaces is limited due to technical challenges. In this study, egg-phosphatidylcholine (EPC) was deposited from small unilamellar vesicles onto a bubble of either air or triolein (TO) formed in a low salt buffer. The surface tension (γ) was measured using a drop tensiometer. We observed that EPC binds irreversibly to both interfaces and at equilibrium exerts ~12 and 15 mN/m of pressure (Π) at an air and TO interface, respectively. After EPC was bound to the interface, the unbound EPC was washed out of the cuvette and the surface was compressed to study the Π/area relationship. To determine the surface concentration (Γ), which cannot be measured directly, compression isotherms from a Langmuir trough and drop tensiometer were compared. The air-water interfaces had identical characteristics using both techniques, thus Γ on the bubble can be determined by overlaying the two isotherms. TO and EPC are both surface active so in a mixed TO/EPC monolayer both molecules will be exposed to water. Since TO is less surface active than EPC, as Π increases the TO is progressively ejected. To understand the Π/area isotherm of EPC on a TO bubble, a variety of TO-EPC mixtures were spread at the air-water interface. The isotherms show an abrupt break in the curve caused by the ejection of TO from the monolayer into a new bulk phase. By overlaying the compression isotherm above the ejection point with a TO bubble compression isotherm, Γ can be estimated. This allows determination of Γ of EPC on a TO bubble as a function of Π. PMID:20151713

  17. Adsorption of egg phosphatidylcholine to an air/water and triolein/water bubble interface: use of the 2-dimensional phase rule to estimate the surface composition of a phospholipid/triolein/water surface as a function of surface pressure.

    PubMed

    Mitsche, Matthew A; Wang, Libo; Small, Donald M

    2010-03-11

    Phospholipid monolayers play a critical role in the structure and stabilization of biological interfaces, including all membranes, the alveoli of the lungs, fat droplets in adipose tissue, and lipoproteins. The behavior of phospholipids in bilayers and at an air-water interface is well understood. However, the study of phospholipids at oil-water interfaces is limited due to technical challenges. In this study, egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) was deposited from small unilamellar vesicles onto a bubble of either air or triolein (TO) formed in a low-salt buffer. The surface tension (gamma) was measured using a drop tensiometer. We observed that EPC binds irreversibly to both interfaces and at equilibrium exerts approximately 12 and 15 mN/m of pressure (Pi) at an air and TO interface, respectively. After EPC was bound to the interface, the unbound EPC was washed out of the cuvette, and the surface was compressed to study the Pi/area relationship. To determine the surface concentration (Gamma), which cannot be measured directly, compression isotherms from a Langmuir trough and drop tensiometer were compared. The air-water interfaces had identical characteristics using both techniques; thus, Gamma on the bubble can be determined by overlaying the two isotherms. Both TO and EPC are surface-active, so in a mixed TO/EPC monolayer, both molecules will be exposed to water. Since TO is less surface-active than EPC, as Pi increases, the TO is progressively ejected. To understand the Pi/area isotherm of EPC on a TO bubble, a variety of TO-EPC mixtures were spread at the air-water interface. The isotherms show an abrupt break in the curve caused by the ejection of TO from the monolayer into a new bulk phase. By overlaying the compression isotherm above the ejection point with a TO bubble compression isotherm, Gamma can be estimated. This allows determination of Gamma of EPC on a TO bubble as a function of Pi.

  18. Adsorption of proteins at the solution/air interface influenced by added nonionic surfactants at very low concentrations for both components. 2. Effect of different surfactants and theoretical model.

    PubMed

    Fainerman, V B; Lotfi, M; Javadi, A; Aksenenko, E V; Tarasevich, Yu I; Bastani, D; Miller, R

    2014-11-04

    The influence of the addition of the nonionic surfactants dodecyl dimethyl phosphine oxide (C12DMPO), tetradecyl dimethyl phosphine oxide (C14DMPO), decyl alcohol (C10OH), and C10EO5 at concentrations between 10(-5) and 10(-1) mmol/L to solutions of β-casein (BCS) and β-lactoglobulin (BLG) at a fixed concentration of 10(-5) mmol/L on the surface tension is studied. It is shown that a significant decrease of the water/air surface tension occurs for all the surfactants studied at very low concentrations (10(-5)-10(-3) mmol/L). All measurements were performed with the buoyant bubble profile method. The dynamics of the surface tension was simulated using the Fick and Ward-Tordai equations. The calculation results agree well with the experimental data, indicating that the equilibration times in the system studied do not exceed 30 000 s, while the time required to attain the equilibrium on a plane surface is by one order of magnitude higher. To achieve agreement between theory and experiment for the mixtures, a supposition was made about the influence of the concentration of nonionic surfactant on the adsorption activity of the protein. The adsorption isotherm equation of the protein was modified accordingly, and this corrected model agrees well with all experimental data.

  19. The influence of a surface tension minimum on the convective motion of a fluid in microgravity (D1 mission results)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Limbourg, M. C.; Legros, J. C.; Petre, G.

    The experiment STEM (Surface Tension Minimum) was performed in an experimental cell integrated in the FMP (Fluid Physics Module) during the D1 mission of Spacelab. The observation volume (1×2×3) cm3 was constituted by a stainless steel frame and by two optical Pyrex windows. It was fixed on the front disk of the FPM. The cell was filled under microgravity conditions by an aqueous solution of n-heptanol 6,04 10-3 molal. At equilibrium this system presents a minimum of surface tension as a function of temperature around 40°C. The fluid was heated from the front disk side of the cell. A temperature difference of 35°C was maintained between two opposite sides of the cell, by using the large heat capacity of a water reservoir in thermal contact with the cold side of the cell. The thermal gradient was parallel to the liquid/gas interface. The motions of the fluid were recorded on video-tapes and the velocities were determined by following latex particles used as tracers. The convective pattern is analysed and compared with ground experiments. In this case the tracer trajectories allow to determine the convective patterns and the velocities are determined by laser doppler anemometry.

  20. Thin film modeling of crystal dissolution and growth in confinement.

    PubMed

    Gagliardi, Luca; Pierre-Louis, Olivier

    2018-01-01

    We present a continuum model describing dissolution and growth of a crystal contact confined against a substrate. Diffusion and hydrodynamics in the liquid film separating the crystal and the substrate are modeled within the lubrication approximation. The model also accounts for the disjoining pressure and surface tension. Within this framework, we obtain evolution equations which govern the nonequilibrium dynamics of the crystal interface. Based on this model, we explore the problem of dissolution under an external load, known as pressure solution. We find that in steady state, diverging (power-law) crystal-surface repulsions lead to flat contacts with a monotonic increase of the dissolution rate as a function of the load. Forces induced by viscous dissipation then surpass those due to disjoining pressure at large enough loads. In contrast, finite repulsions (exponential) lead to sharp pointy contacts with a dissolution rate independent of the load and the liquid viscosity. Ultimately, in steady state, the crystal never touches the substrate when pressed against it. This result is independent from the nature of the crystal-surface interaction due to the combined effects of viscosity and surface tension.

  1. Unexpected finite size effects in interfacial systems: Why bigger is not always better—Increase in uncertainty of surface tension with bulk phase width

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Longford, Francis G. J.; Essex, Jonathan W.; Skylaris, Chris-Kriton; Frey, Jeremy G.

    2018-06-01

    We present an unexpected finite size effect affecting interfacial molecular simulations that is proportional to the width-to-surface-area ratio of the bulk phase Ll/A. This finite size effect has a significant impact on the variance of surface tension values calculated using the virial summation method. A theoretical derivation of the origin of the effect is proposed, giving a new insight into the importance of optimising system dimensions in interfacial simulations. We demonstrate the consequences of this finite size effect via a new way to estimate the surface energetic and entropic properties of simulated air-liquid interfaces. Our method is based on macroscopic thermodynamic theory and involves comparing the internal energies of systems with varying dimensions. We present the testing of these methods using simulations of the TIP4P/2005 water forcefield and a Lennard-Jones fluid model of argon. Finally, we provide suggestions of additional situations, in which this finite size effect is expected to be significant, as well as possible ways to avoid its impact.

  2. Thin film modeling of crystal dissolution and growth in confinement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gagliardi, Luca; Pierre-Louis, Olivier

    2018-01-01

    We present a continuum model describing dissolution and growth of a crystal contact confined against a substrate. Diffusion and hydrodynamics in the liquid film separating the crystal and the substrate are modeled within the lubrication approximation. The model also accounts for the disjoining pressure and surface tension. Within this framework, we obtain evolution equations which govern the nonequilibrium dynamics of the crystal interface. Based on this model, we explore the problem of dissolution under an external load, known as pressure solution. We find that in steady state, diverging (power-law) crystal-surface repulsions lead to flat contacts with a monotonic increase of the dissolution rate as a function of the load. Forces induced by viscous dissipation then surpass those due to disjoining pressure at large enough loads. In contrast, finite repulsions (exponential) lead to sharp pointy contacts with a dissolution rate independent of the load and the liquid viscosity. Ultimately, in steady state, the crystal never touches the substrate when pressed against it. This result is independent from the nature of the crystal-surface interaction due to the combined effects of viscosity and surface tension.

  3. Air entrapment under an impacting drop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thoroddsen, S. T.; Etoh, T. G.; Takehara, K.

    2003-03-01

    When a drop impacts on a liquid surface it entraps a small amount of air under its centre as the two liquid surfaces meet. The contact occurs along a ring enclosing a thin disk of air. We use the next-generation ultra-high-speed video camera, capable of 1 million f.p.s. (Etoh et al. 2002), to study the dynamics of this air sheet as it contracts due to surface tension, to form a bubble or, more frequently, splits into two bubbles. During the contraction of the air disk an azimuthal undulation, resembling a pearl necklace, develops along its edge. The contraction speed of the sheet is accurately described by a balance between inertia and surface tension. The average initial thickness of the air sheet decreases with higher impact Reynolds numbers, becoming less than one micron. The total volume of air entrapped depends strongly on the bottom curvature of the drop at impact. A sheet of micro-bubbles is often observed along the original interface. Oguz Prosperetti bubble rings are also observed. For low Weber numbers (We<20) a variety of other entrapment phenomena appear.

  4. Progress on the Surface Nanobubble Story: What is in the bubble? Why does it exist?

    PubMed

    Peng, Hong; Birkett, Greg R; Nguyen, Anh V

    2015-08-01

    Interfaces between aqueous solutions and hydrophobic solid surfaces are important in various areas of science and technology. Many researchers have found that forces between hydrophobic surfaces in aqueous solution are significantly different from the classical DLVO theory. Long-range attractive forces (non-DLVO forces) are thought to be affected by nanoscopic gaseous domains at the interfaces. This is a review of the latest research on nanobubbles at hydrophobic surfaces from experimental and simulation studies. The review focusses on non-intrusive optical view of surface nanobubbles and gas enrichment on solid surfaces by imaging and force mapping. By use of these recent experimental data in conjunction with molecular simulation work, all major theories on surface nanobubble formation and stability are critically reviewed. Even though the current body of research cannot comprehensively explain all properties of surface nanobubbles observed, the fundamental understanding has been significantly improved. Line tension has been shown to be incapable of explaining the contact angle of nanobubbles. Dense gas layer theory provides a new explanation on both large contact angle and long-time stability. The high density of gas in these domains may significantly affect the gas-water interface which is in line with some observation made on bulk nanobubbles. Along this line of inquiry, experimental and simulation effort should be focussed on measuring the density within surface nanobubbles and the properties of the gas water interface which may be the key to explaining the stability of these nanobubbles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Design of a CO2 laser power control system for a Spacelab microgravity experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wenzler, Carl J.; Eichenberg, Dennis J.

    1990-01-01

    The surface tension driven convection experiment (STDCE) is a Space Transportation System flight experiment manifested to fly aboard the USML-1 Spacelab mission. A CO2 laser is used to heat a spot on the surface of silicone oil contained inside a test chamber. Several CO2 laser control systems were evaluated and the selected system will be interfaced with the balance of the experimental hardware to constitute a working engineering model. Descriptions and a discussion of these various design approaches are presented.

  6. Detailed finite element analysis and preliminary study of the effects of friction and fastener pre-tension on the mechanical behavior of fastened built-up members

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bonachera Martin, Francisco Javier

    The characterization of fatigue resistance is one of the main concerns in structural engineering, a concern that is particularly important in the evaluation of existing bridge members designed or erected before the development of fatigue design provisions. The ability of a structural member to develop alternate load paths after the failure of a component is known as member-level or internal redundancy. In fastened built-up members, these alternate load paths are affected by the combination of fastener pre-tension and friction between the structural member components in contact. In this study, a finite element methodology to model and analyze riveted and bolted built-up members was developed in ABAQUS and validated with experimental results. This methodology was used to created finite element models of three fastened plates subjected to tension, in which the middle plate had failed, in order to investigate the fundamental effects of combined fastener pre-tension and friction on their mechanical behavior. Detailed finite element models of riveted and bolted built-up flexural members were created and analyze to understand the effect of fastener pre-tension in member-level redundancy and resistance to fatigue and fracture. The obtained results showed that bolted members are able to re-distribute a larger portion of the load away from the failing component into the rest of the member than riveted members, and that this transfer of load also took place over a smaller length. Superior pre-tension of bolts, in comparison to rivets, results in larger frictional forces that develop at the contact interfaces between components and constitute additional alternate load paths that increase member-level redundancy which increase the fatigue and fracture resistance of the structural member during the failure of one of its components. Although fatigue and fracture potential may be mitigated by compressive stresses developing around the fastener hole due to fastener pre-tension, it was also observed, that at the surface of the fastener hole and at the contact interface with another plate, tensional stresses could develop; however, further computational and experimental work should be performed to verify this claim.

  7. Degradation and rearrangement of a lung surfactant lipid at the air-water interface during exposure to the pollutant gas ozone.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Katherine C; Jones, Stephanie H; Rennie, Adrian R; King, Martin D; Ward, Andrew D; Hughes, Brian R; Lucas, Claire O M; Campbell, Richard A; Hughes, Arwel V

    2013-04-09

    The presence of unsaturated lipids in lung surfactant is important for proper respiratory function. In this work, we have used neutron reflection and surface pressure measurements to study the reaction of the ubiquitous pollutant gas-phase ozone, O3, with pure and mixed phospholipid monolayers at the air-water interface. The results reveal that the reaction of the unsaturated lipid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, POPC, with ozone leads to the rapid loss of the terminal C9 portion of the oleoyl strand of POPC from the air-water interface. The loss of the C9 portion from the interface is accompanied by an increase in the surface pressure (decrease in surface tension) of the film at the air-water interface. The results suggest that the portion of the oxidized oleoyl strand that is still attached to the lipid headgroup rapidly reverses its orientation and penetrates the air-water interface alongside the original headgroup, thus increasing the surface pressure. The reaction of POPC with ozone also leads to a loss of material from the palmitoyl strand, but the loss of palmitoyl material occurs after the loss of the terminal C9 portion from the oleoyl strand of the molecule, suggesting that the palmitoyl material is lost in a secondary reaction step. Further experiments studying the reaction of mixed monolayers composed of unsaturated lipid POPC and saturated lipid dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, DPPC, revealed that no loss of DPPC from the air-water interface occurs, eliminating the possibility that a reactive species such as an OH radical is formed and is able to attack nearby lipid chains. The reaction of ozone with the mixed films does cause a significant change in the surface pressure of the air-water interface. Thus, the reaction of unsaturated lipids in lung surfactant changes and impairs the physical properties of the film at the air-water interface.

  8. Low-g simulation testing of propellant systems using neutral buoyancy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Balzer, D. L.; Lake, R. J., Jr.

    1972-01-01

    A two liquid, neutral buoyancy technique is being used to simulate propellant behavior in a weightless environment. By equalizing the density of two immiscible liquids within a container (propellant tank), the effect of gravity at the liquid interface is balanced. Therefore the surface-tension forces dominate to control the liquid/liquid system configuration in a fashion analogous to a liquid/gas system in a zero gravity environment.

  9. Stabilization of a human recombinant factor VIII by poloxamer 188 in relation to polysorbate 80.

    PubMed

    Clark, Jakson; Montgomery, Jade; Squires, Ryan; McGuire, Joseph

    2016-03-01

    Detection of enhanced surface tension depression by surfactant in the presence of protein was recently suggested as a basis for determining whether protein stabilization by that surfactant is owing to surfactant forming a steric barrier at interfaces or surfactant association with the protein. In particular, protein interaction with surfactant aggregates may lead to an increased concentration of monomers thus enhancing surfactant adsorption, or to formation of surfactant-protein complexes having little or no effect on adsorption. We compared the initial rates of surface tension depression by poloxamer 188 and polysorbate 80 (PS 80) in the presence and absence of a human recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII). Indirect evidence had suggested poloxamer 188 enters into stable associations with rFVIII in solution but does not form a steric barrier at the interface, while PS 80 behaves in contrary fashion. In this study, we show the presence of rFVIII caused an increase in the rate (reduction in the activation energy) of PS 80 adsorption, while no such change was recorded in the case of poloxamer 188. Thus, we provide substantiation for detection of protein-mediated acceleration of surfactant adsorption as a means to compare different surfactants in relation to their favored mechanism for protein stabilization.

  10. Physicochemical mechanisms of plasma-liquid interactions within plasma channels in liquid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Franclemont, Joshua; Fan, Xiangru; Mededovic Thagard, Selma

    2015-10-01

    The goal of this study is to advance the fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical mechanisms by which excited radical species produced by electrical plasmas directly in water, OH radicals especially, induce chemical changes in aqueous organic compounds and to exploit this for the development and optimization of drinking and wastewater plasma-based treatment systems. To achieve this goal, this study measured and correlated the production rate of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with physicochemical properties of 11 organic compounds. The observed individual correlations between the investigated physicochemical properties and the resulting H2O2 concentrations were used to develop an equation that would allow predicting the measured H2O2 concentration from physicochemical properties of a compound. Results reveal that the production rate of H2O2 directly depends on the surface tension of the solution and compounds’ bulk liquid concentration, hydrophobicity (K ow value), and molecular volume. Other properties such as vapor pressure, Henry’s constant, enthalpy of vaporization, ionization energy, electron affinity, and molecular dipole moment do not affect the H2O2 chemistry. K ow value and surface tension of the solution determine the compound’s concentration at the plasma interface. Once at the interface, the molecular volume determines the rate at which the molecule will react with OH radicals.

  11. Silica-Assisted Nucleation of Polymer Foam Cells with Nanoscopic Dimensions: Impact of Particle Size, Line Tension, and Surface Functionality

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Core–shell nanoparticles consisting of silica as core and surface-grafted poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) as shell with different diameters were prepared and used as heterogeneous nucleation agents to obtain CO2-blown poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposite foams. PDMS was selected as the shell material as it possesses a low surface energy and high CO2-philicity. The successful synthesis of core–shell nanoparticles was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The cell size and cell density of the PMMA micro- and nanocellular materials were determined by scanning electron microscopy. The cell nucleation efficiency using core–shell nanoparticles was significantly enhanced when compared to that of unmodified silica. The highest nucleation efficiency observed had a value of ∼0.5 for nanoparticles with a core diameter of 80 nm. The particle size dependence of cell nucleation efficiency is discussed taking into account line tension effects. Complete engulfment by the polymer matrix of particles with a core diameter below 40 nm at the cell wall interface was observed corresponding to line tension values of approximately 0.42 nN. This line tension significantly increases the energy barrier of heterogeneous nucleation and thus reduces the nucleation efficiency. The increase of the CO2 saturation pressure to 300 bar prior to batch foaming resulted in an increased line tension length. We observed a decrease of the heterogeneous nucleation efficiency for foaming after saturation with CO2 at 300 bar, which we attribute to homogenous nucleation becoming more favorable at the expense of heterogeneous nucleation in this case. Overall, it is shown that the contribution of line tension to the free energy barrier of heterogeneous foam cell nucleation must be considered to understand foaming of viscoelastic materials. This finding emphasizes the need for new strategies including the use of designer nucleating particles to enhance the foam cell nucleation efficiency. PMID:28980799

  12. Silica-Assisted Nucleation of Polymer Foam Cells with Nanoscopic Dimensions: Impact of Particle Size, Line Tension, and Surface Functionality.

    PubMed

    Liu, Shanqiu; Eijkelenkamp, Rik; Duvigneau, Joost; Vancso, G Julius

    2017-11-01

    Core-shell nanoparticles consisting of silica as core and surface-grafted poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) as shell with different diameters were prepared and used as heterogeneous nucleation agents to obtain CO 2 -blown poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposite foams. PDMS was selected as the shell material as it possesses a low surface energy and high CO 2 -philicity. The successful synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The cell size and cell density of the PMMA micro- and nanocellular materials were determined by scanning electron microscopy. The cell nucleation efficiency using core-shell nanoparticles was significantly enhanced when compared to that of unmodified silica. The highest nucleation efficiency observed had a value of ∼0.5 for nanoparticles with a core diameter of 80 nm. The particle size dependence of cell nucleation efficiency is discussed taking into account line tension effects. Complete engulfment by the polymer matrix of particles with a core diameter below 40 nm at the cell wall interface was observed corresponding to line tension values of approximately 0.42 nN. This line tension significantly increases the energy barrier of heterogeneous nucleation and thus reduces the nucleation efficiency. The increase of the CO 2 saturation pressure to 300 bar prior to batch foaming resulted in an increased line tension length. We observed a decrease of the heterogeneous nucleation efficiency for foaming after saturation with CO 2 at 300 bar, which we attribute to homogenous nucleation becoming more favorable at the expense of heterogeneous nucleation in this case. Overall, it is shown that the contribution of line tension to the free energy barrier of heterogeneous foam cell nucleation must be considered to understand foaming of viscoelastic materials. This finding emphasizes the need for new strategies including the use of designer nucleating particles to enhance the foam cell nucleation efficiency.

  13. Effective charges and zeta potentials of oil in water microemulsions in the presence of Hofmeister salts.

    PubMed

    Dos Santos, Alexandre P; Levin, Yan

    2018-06-14

    We present a theory which allows us to calculate the effective charge and zeta potential of oil droplets in microemulsions containing Hofmeister salts. A modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation is used to account for the surface and ion polarizations and hydrophobic and dispersion interactions. The ions are classified as kosmotropes and chaotropes according to their Jones-Dole viscosity B coefficient. Kosmotropes stay hydrated and do not enter into the oil phase, while chaotropes can adsorb to the oil-water interface. The effective interaction potentials between ions and oil-water interface are parametrized so as to accurately account for the excess interfacial tension.

  14. Effective charges and zeta potentials of oil in water microemulsions in the presence of Hofmeister salts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    dos Santos, Alexandre P.; Levin, Yan

    2018-06-01

    We present a theory which allows us to calculate the effective charge and zeta potential of oil droplets in microemulsions containing Hofmeister salts. A modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation is used to account for the surface and ion polarizations and hydrophobic and dispersion interactions. The ions are classified as kosmotropes and chaotropes according to their Jones-Dole viscosity B coefficient. Kosmotropes stay hydrated and do not enter into the oil phase, while chaotropes can adsorb to the oil-water interface. The effective interaction potentials between ions and oil-water interface are parametrized so as to accurately account for the excess interfacial tension.

  15. On the Wind Generation of Water Waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bühler, Oliver; Shatah, Jalal; Walsh, Samuel; Zeng, Chongchun

    2016-11-01

    In this work, we consider the mathematical theory of wind generated water waves. This entails determining the stability properties of the family of laminar flow solutions to the two-phase interface Euler equation. We present a rigorous derivation of the linearized evolution equations about an arbitrary steady solution, and, using this, we give a complete proof of the instability criterion of M iles [16]. Our analysis is valid even in the presence of surface tension and a vortex sheet (discontinuity in the tangential velocity across the air-sea interface). We are thus able to give a unified equation connecting the Kelvin-Helmholtz and quasi-laminar models of wave generation.

  16. Thermostability analysis of line-tension-associated nucleation at a gas-liquid interface.

    PubMed

    Singha, Sanat Kumar; Das, Prasanta Kumar; Maiti, Biswajit

    2017-01-01

    The influence of line tension on the thermostability of a droplet nucleated from an oversaturated vapor at the interface of the vapor and another immiscible liquid is investigated. Along with the condition of mechanical equilibrium, the notion of extremization of the reversible work of formation is considered to obtain the critical parameters related to heterogeneous nucleation. From the energetic formulation, the critical reversible work of formation is found to be greater than that of homogeneous nucleation for high value of the positive line tension. On the other hand, for high value of the negative line tension, the critical reversible work of formation becomes negative. Therefore, these thermodynamic instabilities under certain substrate wettability situations necessitate a free-energetics-based stability of the nucleated droplet, because the system energy is not minimized under these conditions. This thermostability is analogous to the transition-based stability proposed by Widom [B. Widom, J. Phys. Chem. 99, 2803 (1995)]10.1021/j100009a041 in the case of partial wetting phenomena along with the positive line tension. The thermostability analysis limits the domain of the solution space of the present critical-value problem as the thermodynamic transformation in connection with homogeneous and workless nucleation is considered. Within the stability range of the geometry-based wetting parameters, three limiting modes of nucleation, i.e., total-dewetting-related homogeneous nucleation, and total-wetting-associated and total-submergence-associated workless nucleation scenarios, are identified. Either of the two related limiting wetting scenarios of workless nucleation, namely, total wetting and total submergence, is found to be favorable depending on the geometry-based wetting conditions. The line-tension-associated nucleation on a liquid surface can be differentiated from that on a rigid substrate, as in the former, the stability based on mechanical equilibrium and a typical case of workless nucleation with complete submergence are observed.

  17. Theoretical Analysis for the Optical Shaping of Emulsion Droplets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tapp, David; Taylor, Jonathan; Lubanksy, Alex; Bain, Colin; Chakrabarti, Buddhapriya

    2014-03-01

    Motivated by recent experimental observations, I discuss a theoretical framework to predict the three-dimensional shapes of optically deformed micron-sized emulsion droplets with ultra-low interfacial tension. The resulting shape and size of the droplet arises out of a balance between the interfacial tension and optical forces. Using an approximation of the laser field as a Gaussian beam, working within the Rayleigh-Gans regime and beyond, and assuming isotropic surface energy at the oil-water interface, the resulting shape equations are numerically solved to elucidate the three-dimensional droplet geometry. A plethora of shapes as a function of the number of optical tweezers, their laser powers and positions, surface tension, initial droplet size and geometry are obtained. Experimentally, two-dimensional emulsion droplet silhouettes have been imaged from above, but their full side-on view has not been observed and reported for current optical configurations. This experimental limitation points to ambiguity in differentiating between droplets having the same two-dimensional projection but with disparate three-dimensional shapes. The model I present elucidates and quantifies this difference for the first time. Supported by funding from EPSRC via grant EP/I013377/1.

  18. Aligned carbon nanotube, graphene and graphite oxide thin films via substrate-directed rapid interfacial deposition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Arcy, Julio M.; Tran, Henry D.; Stieg, Adam Z.; Gimzewski, James K.; Kaner, Richard B.

    2012-05-01

    A procedure for depositing thin films of carbon nanostructures is described that overcomes the limitations typically associated with solution based methods. Transparent and conductively continuous carbon coatings can be grown on virtually any type of substrate within seconds. Interfacial surface tension gradients result in directional fluid flow and film spreading at the water/oil interface. Transparent films of carbon nanostructures are produced including aligned ropes of single-walled carbon nanotubes and assemblies of single sheets of chemically converted graphene and graphite oxide. Process scale-up, layer-by-layer deposition, and a simple method for coating non-activated hydrophobic surfaces are demonstrated.A procedure for depositing thin films of carbon nanostructures is described that overcomes the limitations typically associated with solution based methods. Transparent and conductively continuous carbon coatings can be grown on virtually any type of substrate within seconds. Interfacial surface tension gradients result in directional fluid flow and film spreading at the water/oil interface. Transparent films of carbon nanostructures are produced including aligned ropes of single-walled carbon nanotubes and assemblies of single sheets of chemically converted graphene and graphite oxide. Process scale-up, layer-by-layer deposition, and a simple method for coating non-activated hydrophobic surfaces are demonstrated. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Droplet coalescence, catenoid formation, mechanism of film growth, scanning electron micrographs showing carbon nanotube alignment, flexible transparent films of SWCNTs, AFM images of a chemically converted graphene film, and SEM images of SWCNT free-standing thin films. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr00010e

  19. The cohesive law of particle/binder interfaces in solid propellants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, H.

    2011-10-01

    Solid propellants are treated as composites with high volume fraction of particles embedded in the polymeric binder. A micromechanics model is developed to establish the link between the microscopic behavior of particle/binder interfaces and the macroscopic constitutive information. This model is then used to determine the tension/shearing coupled interface cohesive law of a redesigned solid rocket motor propellant, based on the experimental data of the stress-strain and dilatation-strain curves for the material under slow rate uniaxial tension.

  20. Direct Determination of the Dependence of the Surface Shear and Dilatational Viscosities on the Thermodynamic State of the Interface: Theoretical Foundations.

    PubMed

    Lopez; Hirsa

    1998-10-01

    Recent developments in nonlinear optical techniques for noninvasive probing of a surfactant influenced gas/liquid interface allow for the measurement of the surfactant surface concentration, c, and thus provide new opportunities for the direct determination of its intrinsic viscosities. Here, we present the theoretical foundations, based on the Boussinesq-Scriven surface model without the usual simplification of constant viscosities, for an experimental technique to directly measure the surface shear (µs) and dilatational (kappas) viscosities of a Newtonian interface as functions of the surfactant surface concentration. This ability to directly measure the surfactant concentration permits the use of a simple surface flow for the measurement of the surface viscosities. The requirements are that the interface must be nearly flat, and the flow steady, axisymmetric, and swirling; these flow conditions can be achieved in the deep-channel viscometer driven at relatively fast rates. The tangential stress balance on such an interface leads to two equations; the balance in the azimuthal direction involves only µs and its gradients, and the balance in the radial direction involves both µs and kappas and their gradients. By further exploiting recent developments in laser-based flow measuring techniques, the surface velocities and their gradients which appear in the two equations can be measured directly. The surface tension gradient, which appears in the radial balance equation, is incorporated from the equation of state for the surfactant system and direct measurements of the surfactant surface concentration distribution. The stress balance equations are then ordinary differential equations in the surface viscosities as functions of radial position, which can be readily integrated. Since c is measured as a function of radial position, we then have a direct measurement of µs and kappas as functions of c. Numerical computations of the Navier-Stokes equations are performed to determine the appropriate conditions to achieve the requisite secondary flow. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

  1. Molecular dynamics simulations of n-hexane at 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide interface

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lisal, Martin; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, J. E. Purkinje University, 400 96 Usti n. Lab.; Izak, Pavel

    Molecular dynamics simulations of n-hexane adsorbed onto the interface of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([bmim][Tf{sub 2}N]) are performed at three n-hexane surface densities, ranged from 0.7 to 2.3 {mu}mol/m{sup 2} at 300 K. For [bmim][Tf{sub 2}N] room-temperature ionic liquid, we use a non-polarizable all-atom force field with the partial atomic charges based on ab initio calculations for the isolated ion pair. The net charges of the ions are {+-}0.89e, which mimics the anion to cation charge transfer and polarization effects. The OPLS-AA force field is employed for modeling of n-hexane. The surface tension is computed using the mechanical route and itsmore » value decreases with increase of the n-hexane surface density. The [bmim][Tf{sub 2}N]/n-hexane interface is analyzed using the intrinsic method, and the structural and dynamic properties of the interfacial, sub-interfacial, and central layers are computed. We determine the surface roughness, global and intrinsic density profiles, and orientation ordering of the molecules to describe the structure of the interface. We further compute the survival probability, normal and lateral self-diffusion coefficients, and re-orientation correlation functions to elucidate the effects of n-hexane on dynamics of the cations and anions in the layers.« less

  2. Molecular dynamics simulations of n-hexane at 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide interface.

    PubMed

    Lísal, Martin; Izák, Pavel

    2013-07-07

    Molecular dynamics simulations of n-hexane adsorbed onto the interface of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([bmim][Tf2N]) are performed at three n-hexane surface densities, ranged from 0.7 to 2.3 μmol/m(2) at 300 K. For [bmim][Tf2N] room-temperature ionic liquid, we use a non-polarizable all-atom force field with the partial atomic charges based on ab initio calculations for the isolated ion pair. The net charges of the ions are ±0.89e, which mimics the anion to cation charge transfer and polarization effects. The OPLS-AA force field is employed for modeling of n-hexane. The surface tension is computed using the mechanical route and its value decreases with increase of the n-hexane surface density. The [bmim][Tf2N]/n-hexane interface is analyzed using the intrinsic method, and the structural and dynamic properties of the interfacial, sub-interfacial, and central layers are computed. We determine the surface roughness, global and intrinsic density profiles, and orientation ordering of the molecules to describe the structure of the interface. We further compute the survival probability, normal and lateral self-diffusion coefficients, and re-orientation correlation functions to elucidate the effects of n-hexane on dynamics of the cations and anions in the layers.

  3. Review of literature surface tension data for molten silicon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hardy, S.

    1981-01-01

    Measurements of the surface tension of molten silicon are reported. For marangoni flow, the important parameter is the variation of surface tension with temperature, not the absolute value of the surface tension. It is not possible to calculate temperature coefficients using surface tension measurements from different experiments because the systematic errors are usually larger than the changes in surface tension because of temperature variations. The lack of good surface tension data for liquid silicon is probably due to its extreme chemical reactivity. A material which resists attack by molten silicon is not found. It is suggested that all of the sessile drip surface tension measurements are probably for silicon which is contaminated by the substrate materials.

  4. Influence of Turbulence on the Restraint of Liquid Jets by Surface Tension in Microgravity Investigated

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chato, David J.

    2002-01-01

    Microgravity poses many challenges to the designer of spacecraft tanks. Chief among these are the lack of phase separation and the need to supply vapor-free liquid or liquidfree vapor to the spacecraft processes that require fluid. One of the principal problems of phase separation is the creation of liquid jets. A jet can be created by liquid filling, settling of the fluid to one end of the tank, or even closing a valve to stop the liquid flow. Anyone who has seen a fountain knows that jets occur in normal gravity also. However, in normal gravity, the gravity controls and restricts the jet flow. In microgravity, with gravity largely absent, surface tension forces must contain jets. To model this phenomenon, a numerical method that tracks the fluid motion and the surface tension forces is required. Jacqmin has developed a phase model that converts the discrete surface tension force into a barrier function that peaks at the free surface and decays rapidly away. Previous attempts at this formulation were criticized for smearing the interface. This can be overcome by sharpening the phase function, double gridding the fluid function, and using a higher order solution for the fluid function. The solution of this equation can be rewritten as two coupled Poisson equations that also include the velocity. After the code was implemented in axisymmetric form and verified by several test cases at the NASA Glenn Research Center, the drop tower runs of Aydelott were modeled. Work last year with a laminar model was found to overpredict Aydelott's results, except at the lowest Reynolds number conditions of 400. This year, a simple turbulence model was implemented by adding a turbulent viscosity based on the mixing-length hypothesis and empirical measurements of previous works. Predictions made after this change was implemented have been much closer to experimentally observed flow patterns and geyser heights. Two model runs is shown. The first, without any turbulence correction, breaks through the free surface and strikes the far end of the tank. In the second, the turbulence spreads the jet momentum over more of the free surface, enabling the surface tension forces to turn the jet back into the bulk liquid. The model geyser height with the second model is 1.1 cm. This is quite close to the 1.5-cm geyser height measured by Aydelott.

  5. Ionic liquids at the surface of graphite: Wettability and structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bordes, Emilie; Douce, Laurent; Quitevis, Edward L.; Pádua, Agílio A. H.; Costa Gomes, Margarida

    2018-05-01

    The aim of this work is to provide a better understanding of the interface between graphite and different molecular and ionic liquids. Experimental measurements of the liquid surface tension and of the graphite-liquid contact angle for sixteen ionic liquids and three molecular liquids are reported. These experimental values allowed the calculation of the solid/liquid interfacial energy that varies, for the ionic liquids studied, between 14.5 mN m-1 for 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide and 37.8 mN m-1 for 3-dodecyl-1-(naphthalen-1-yl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium tetrafluoroborate. Imidazolium-based ionic liquids with large alkyl side-chains or functionalized with benzyl groups seem to interact more favourably with freshly peeled graphite surfaces. Even if the interfacial energy seems a good descriptor to assess the affinity of a liquid for a carbon-based solid material, we conclude that both the surface tension of the liquid and the contact angle between the liquid and the solid can be significant. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the ordering of the ions near the graphite surface. We conclude that the presence of large alkyl side-chains in the cations increases the ordering of ions at the graphite surface. Benzyl functional groups in the cations lead to a large affinity towards the graphite surface.

  6. Trimethylamine N-oxide stabilizes proteins via a distinct mechanism compared with betaine and glycine.

    PubMed

    Liao, Yi-Ting; Manson, Anthony C; DeLyser, Michael R; Noid, William G; Cremer, Paul S

    2017-03-07

    We report experimental and computational studies investigating the effects of three osmolytes, trimethylamine N -oxide (TMAO), betaine, and glycine, on the hydrophobic collapse of an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP). All three osmolytes stabilize collapsed conformations of the ELP and reduce the lower critical solution temperature (LSCT) linearly with osmolyte concentration. As expected from conventional preferential solvation arguments, betaine and glycine both increase the surface tension at the air-water interface. TMAO, however, reduces the surface tension. Atomically detailed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggest that TMAO also slightly accumulates at the polymer-water interface, whereas glycine and betaine are strongly depleted. To investigate alternative mechanisms for osmolyte effects, we performed FTIR experiments that characterized the impact of each cosolvent on the bulk water structure. These experiments showed that TMAO red-shifts the OH stretch of the IR spectrum via a mechanism that was very sensitive to the protonation state of the NO moiety. Glycine also caused a red shift in the OH stretch region, whereas betaine minimally impacted this region. Thus, the effects of osmolytes on the OH spectrum appear uncorrelated with their effects upon hydrophobic collapse. Similarly, MD simulations suggested that TMAO disrupts the water structure to the least extent, whereas glycine exerts the greatest influence on the water structure. These results suggest that TMAO stabilizes collapsed conformations via a mechanism that is distinct from glycine and betaine. In particular, we propose that TMAO stabilizes proteins by acting as a surfactant for the heterogeneous surfaces of folded proteins.

  7. Flattened-Top Domical Water Drops Formed through Self-Organization of Hydrophobin Membranes: A Structural and Mechanistic Study Using Atomic Force Microscopy.

    PubMed

    Yamasaki, Ryota; Takatsuji, Yoshiyuki; Asakawa, Hitoshi; Fukuma, Takeshi; Haruyama, Tetsuya

    2016-01-26

    The Trichoderma reesei hydrophobin, HFBI, is a unique structural protein. This protein forms membranes by self-organization at air/water or water/solid interfaces. When HFBI forms a membrane at an air/water interface, the top of the water droplet is flattened. The mechanism underlying this phenomenon has not been explored. In this study, this unique phenomenon has been investigated. Self-organized HFBI membranes form a hexagonal structured membrane on the surface of water droplets; the structure was confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurement. Assembled hexagons can form a planar sheet or a tube. Self-organized HFBI membranes on water droplets form a sheet with an array of hexagonal structures or a honeycomb structure. This membrane, with its arrayed hexagonal structures, has very high buckling strength. We hypothesized that the high buckling strength is the reason that water droplets containing HFBI form flattened domes. To test this hypothesis, the strength of the self-organized HFBI membranes was analyzed using AFM. The buckling strength of HFBI membranes was measured to be 66.9 mN/m. In contrast, the surface tension of water droplets containing dissolved HFBI is 42 mN/m. Thus, the buckling strength of a self-organized HFBI membrane is higher than the surface tension of water containing dissolved HFBI. This mechanistic study clarifies why the water droplets formed by self-organized HFBI membranes have a flattened top.

  8. Alveolar Thin Layer Flows and Surfactant Dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roumie, Ahmad; Jbaily, Abdulrahman; Szeri, Andrew J.

    2017-11-01

    Pulmonary surfactants play a vital role in everyday respiration. They regulate surface tension in the lungs by diffusing through the hypophase, a liquid layer that lines the interior surface of the alveoli, and adsorbing to the existing air-fluid interface. This decreases the equilibrium surface tension value by as much as a factor of 3, minimizing breathing effort and preventing lung collapse at the end of exhalation. Given that the hypophase thickness h lies within the range 0.1 μm < h <0.5 μm , and that the average alveolar radius R is 100 μm , for some purposes the hypophase may usefully be modeled as a fluid layer on a flat sheet representing the alveolar wall. Moreover, because of the large aspect ratio, the lubrication approximation can be applied. The aim of the present work is to study the interaction between the straining of the alveolar wall and the fluid flow in the hypophase. The analysis is governed by the relative magnitudes of the time scales of surfactant diffusion, adsorption, desorption, viscous dissipation and sheet straining. Cases of particular interest include non-uniform surfactant concentration at the interface, leading to Marangoni flows and a non-uniform hypophase thickness profile. The analytical formulation and numerical simulations are presented. This work is motivated by a need to understand alveolar deformation during breathing, and to do so in a way that derives from improved understanding of the fluid mechanics of the problem.

  9. Structure‐function relationships at the human spinal disc‐vertebra interface

    PubMed Central

    Berg‐Johansen, Britta; Fields, Aaron J.; Liebenberg, Ellen C.; Li, Alfred

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Damage at the intervertebral disc‐vertebra interface associates with back pain and disc herniation. However, the structural and biomechanical properties of the disc‐vertebra interface remain underexplored. We sought to measure mechanical properties and failure mechanisms, quantify architectural features, and assess structure‐function relationships at this vulnerable location. Vertebra‐disc‐vertebra specimens from human cadaver thoracic spines were scanned with micro‐computed tomography (μCT), surface speckle‐coated, and loaded to failure in uniaxial tension. Digital image correlation (DIC) was used to calculate local surface strains. Failure surfaces were scanned using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and adjacent sagittal slices were analyzed with histology and SEM. Seventy‐one percent of specimens failed initially at the cartilage endplate‐bone interface of the inner annulus region. Histology and SEM both indicated a lack of structural integration between the cartilage endplate (CEP) and bone. The interface failure strength was increased in samples with higher trabecular bone volume fraction in the vertebral endplates. Furthermore, failure strength decreased with degeneration, and in discs with thicker CEPs. Our findings indicate that poor structural connectivity between the CEP and vertebra may explain the structural weakness at this region, and provide insight into structural features that may contribute to risk for disc‐vertebra interface injury. The disc‐vertebra interface is the site of failure in the majority of herniation injuries. Here we show new structure‐function relationships at this interface that may motivate the development of diagnostics, prevention strategies, and treatments to improve the prognosis for many low back pain patients with disc‐vertebra interface injuries. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Orthopaedic Research Society. J Orthop Res 36:192–201, 2018. PMID:28590060

  10. Surface pressure affects B-hordein network formation at the air-water interface in relation to gastric digestibility.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jingqi; Huang, Jun; Zeng, Hongbo; Chen, Lingyun

    2015-11-01

    Protein interfacial network formation under mechanical pressure and its influence on degradation was investigated at molecular level using Langmuir-Blodgett B-hordein monolayer as a 2D model. Surface properties, such as surface pressure, dilatational and shear rheology and the surface pressure--area (π-A) isotherm, of B-hordein at air-water interface were analyzed by tensiometer, rheometer and a Langmuir-Blodgett trough respectively. B-Hordein conformation and orientation under different surface pressures were determined by polarization modulation-infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). The interfacial network morphology was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). B-Hordein could reduce the air-water surface tension rapidly to ∼ 45 mN/m and form a solid-like network with high rheological elasticity and compressibility at interface, which could be a result of interactions developed by intermolecular β-sheets. The results also revealed that B-hordein interfacial network switched from an expanded liquid phase to a solid-like film with increasing compression pressure. The orientation of B-hordein was parallel to the surface when in expended liquid phase, whereas upon compression, the hydrophobic repetitive region tilted away from water phase. When compressed to 30 mN/m, a strong elastic network was formed at the interface, and it was resistant to a harsh gastric-like environment of low pH and pepsin. This work generated fundamental knowledge, which suggested the potential to design B-hordein stabilized emulsions and encapsulations with controllable digestibility for small intestine targeted delivery of bioactive compounds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Water-resistant sunscreens for skin protection: an in vivo approach to the two sources of sunscreen failure to maintain UV protection on consumer skin.

    PubMed

    Puccetti, G

    2015-12-01

    The water resistance of sunscreen products has taken more importance for the UV protection of consumers involved in water activities and sports. The present work introduces a new in vivo approach to measure the water resistance of sunscreens on the actual skin of subjects, which can be easily applied to salt, chlorine and tap waters. The stress sources of sunscreen films on skin originate from two phenomena: high surface tension stress as the skin transits through the air/water interface and water diffusion into the film immersed in bulk water. The water resistance of sunscreen products is measured on the forearms of subjects by means of a new layered water bath approach that physically separates both stresses. Tape strips are subsequently taken and analysed for UV-A and UV-B optical densities via (1) imaging for remaining filters and (2) in vitro SPF absorption spectra. Water-resistant sunscreens generally perform well when immersed in bulk water even subjected to agitation, but they show a wide range of performances when considering their behaviour at the air/water interface. The differences are more pronounced in salt water than tap water. The results confirm 2 stress origins in sunscreen exposure to water: interfacial surface tension and bulk water diffusion. Polymers bring improvements to the resistance of sunscreens to bulk water but show wide latitude in performances when subject to the water surface tension stress. Globally, a higher loss of filters is observed in the UV-A than in the UV-B, which is attributed to more UV-A filter loss or degradation and thus resulting in a decreased protection in the UV-A. © 2015 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

  12. Numerical solution of the Hele-Shaw equations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Whitaker, N.

    1987-04-01

    An algorithm is presented for approximating the motion of the interface between two immiscible fluids in a Hele-Shaw cell. The interface is represented by a set of volume fractions. We use the Simple Line Interface Calculation method along with the method of fractional steps to transport the interface. The equation of continuity leads to a Poisson equation for the pressure. The Poisson equation is discretized. Near the interface where the velocity field is discontinuous, the discretization is based on a weak formulation of the continuity equation. Interpolation is used on each side of the interface to increase the accuracy ofmore » the algorithm. The weak formulation as well as the interpolation are based on the computed volume fractions. This treatment of the interface is new. The discretized equations are solved by a modified conjugate gradient method. Surface tension is included and the curvature is computed through the use of osculating circles. For perturbations of small amplitude, a surprisingly good agreement is found between the numerical results and linearized perturbation theory. Numerical results are presented for the finite amplitude growth of unstable fingers. 62 refs., 13 figs.« less

  13. SMART Tubing Presents an Increased Risk of Disconnection During Extracorporeal Circulation

    PubMed Central

    Newling, Ross; Morris, Richard

    2005-01-01

    Abstract: A number of products exhibiting biocompatible features have been developed for use in extracorporeal blood circuits during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. While attention has been focused on biocompatibility features of the blood-circuit interface, a number of issues applicable in clinical use of these circuits have arisen. Surface Modifying Additive Technology (SMART; Cobe Cardiovascular, Arvarda, CO) is one such technology. In this product, the structure of normal polyvinylchloride (PVC) tubing is altered through the blending of two copolymers to give a more biocompatible blood to plastic interface. In this study, we examined the in vitro mechanical ability of random samples (n = 10) of SMART and standard PVC tubing to withstand axial tension when the tubing was placed over a single barb of a connector. The tension required to remove the SMART tubing from the connector (83.3 ± 7.3 [SD] N), was significantly less than standard PVC tubing (115.6 ± 15.9 N; p < .0001, unpaired t test). The SMART tubing exhibited a 28% reduction in tubing to connector adhesion, which may have a significant effect on extracorporeal circuit disconnection and overall patient safety. PMID:16524161

  14. The use of computational thermodynamics for the determination of surface tension and Gibbs-Thomson coefficient of multicomponent alloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferreira, D. J. S.; Bezerra, B. N.; Collyer, M. N.; Garcia, A.; Ferreira, I. L.

    2018-04-01

    The simulation of casting processes demands accurate information on the thermophysical properties of the alloy; however, such information is scarce in the literature for multicomponent alloys. Generally, metallic alloys applied in industry have more than three solute components. In the present study, a general solution of Butler's formulation for surface tension is presented for multicomponent alloys and is applied in quaternary Al-Cu-Si-Fe alloys, thus permitting the Gibbs-Thomson coefficient to be determined. Such coefficient is a determining factor to the reliability of predictions furnished by microstructure growth models and by numerical computations of solidification thermal parameters, which will depend on the thermophysical properties assumed in the calculations. The Gibbs-Thomson coefficient for ternary and quaternary alloys is seldom reported in the literature. A numerical model based on Powell's hybrid algorithm and a finite difference Jacobian approximation has been coupled to a Thermo-Calc TCAPI interface to assess the excess Gibbs energy of the liquid phase, permitting liquidus temperature, latent heat, alloy density, surface tension and Gibbs-Thomson coefficient for Al-Cu-Si-Fe hypoeutectic alloys to be calculated, as an example of calculation capabilities for multicomponent alloys of the proposed method. The computed results are compared with thermophysical properties of binary Al-Cu and ternary Al-Cu-Si alloys found in the literature and presented as a function of the Cu solute composition.

  15. An accessible micro-capillary electrophoresis device using surface-tension-driven flow

    PubMed Central

    Mohanty, Swomitra K.; Warrick, Jay; Gorski, Jack; Beebe, David J.

    2010-01-01

    We present a rapidly fabricated micro-capillary electrophoresis chip that utilizes surface-tension-driven flow for sample injection and extraction of DNA. Surface-tension-driven flow (i.e. passive pumping) injects a fixed volume of sample that can be predicted mathematically. Passive pumping eliminates the need for tubing, valves, syringe pumps, and other equipment typically needed for interfacing with microelectrophoresis chips. This method requires a standard micropipette to load samples before separation, and remove the resulting bands after analysis. The device was made using liquid phase photopolymerization to rapidly fabricate the chip without the need of special equipment typically associated with the construction of microelectrophoresis chips (e.g. cleanroom). Batch fabrication time for the device presented here was 1.5 h including channel coating time to suppress electroosmotic flow. Devices were constructed out of poly-isobornyl acrylate and glass. A standard microscope with a UV source was used for sample detection. Separations were demonstrated using Promega BenchTop 100 bp ladder in hydroxyl ethyl cellulose (HEC) and oligonucleotides of 91 and 118 bp were used to characterize sample injection and extraction of DNA bands. The end result was an inexpensive micro-capillary electrophoresis device that uses tools (e.g. micropipette, electrophoretic power supplies, and microscopes) already present in most labs for sample manipulation and detection, making it more accessible for potential end users. PMID:19425002

  16. Pore-scale modeling of phase change in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Juanes, Ruben; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis; Fu, Xiaojing

    2017-11-01

    One of the main open challenges in pore-scale modeling is the direct simulation of flows involving multicomponent mixtures with complex phase behavior. Reservoir fluid mixtures are often described through cubic equations of state, which makes diffuse interface, or phase field theories, particularly appealing as a modeling framework. What is still unclear is whether equation-of-state-driven diffuse-interface models can adequately describe processes where surface tension and wetting phenomena play an important role. Here we present a diffuse interface model of single-component, two-phase flow (a van der Waals fluid) in a porous medium under different wetting conditions. We propose a simplified Darcy-Korteweg model that is appropriate to describe flow in a Hele-Shaw cell or a micromodel, with a gap-averaged velocity. We study the ability of the diffuse-interface model to capture capillary pressure and the dynamics of vaporization/condensation fronts, and show that the model reproduces pressure fluctuations that emerge from abrupt interface displacements (Haines jumps) and from the break-up of wetting films.

  17. pH-Induced interfacial properties of Chaplin E from Streptomyces coelicolor.

    PubMed

    Dokouhaki, Mina; Hung, Andrew; Prime, Emma L; Qiao, Greg G; Day, Li; Gras, Sally L

    2017-12-01

    Chaplin E, or Chp E, is a surface active peptide secreted by Streptomyces coelicolor that adopts different structures depending on solution pH but the effect of these structures on the interfacial properties of Chp E is not known. In experiments paired with simulations, Chp E was found to display pH-dependent interfacial assembly and surface activity. At pH 3.0, Chp E formed an ordered non-amyloidal interfacial film with high surface activity; while at pH 10.0, Chp E self-assembled into a heterogeneous film containing randomly arranged fibrils at the interface that was less surface active compared to the film formed at pH 3.0. In simulations at pH 10.0, Chp E molecules showed a higher propensity for dimerization within the solution phase, lower rate of adsorption to the interface and tighter inter-molecular associations at the interface, consistent with the lower surface activity and smaller interfacial area coverage per molecule measured at this pH compared to at pH 3.0. A model is presented for the role of Chp E in the developmental differentiation of Streptomyces coelicolor, where Chp E contributes to changes in surface tension at low pH and the formation of fibrils on the surface of aerial hyphae at high pH. Our data also suggest Chp E could be a promising surface active agent with functional activity that can be controlled by pH. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Synthesis and surface activities of a novel di-hydroxyl-sulfate-betaine-type zwitterionic gemini surfactants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geng, Xiang F.; Hu, Xing Q.; Xia, Ji J.; Jia, Xue C.

    2013-04-01

    A series of novel di-hydroxyl-sulfate-betaine-type zwitterionic gemini surfactants of 1,2-bis[N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxyl-3-sulfopropyl)-alkylammonium] alkyl betaines (DBAs-n, where s and n represent the spacer length of 2, 4 and 6 and the hydrocarbon chain length of 8, 12, 14, 16 and 18, respectively) were synthesized by reacting alkylamine with sodium 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropanesulfonate (the alternative sulphonated agent), followed by the reactions with а,ω-dibromoalkyl and then ethyl bromide. Their adsorption and aggregation properties were investigated by means of equilibrium surface tension, dynamic light-scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). DBAs-n gemini surfactants showed excellent surface activities and packed tightly at the interface. For example, the minimum CMC value for DBAs-n series was of the order of 10-5 M and the surface tension of water can be decreased as low as 22.2 mN/m. It was also found that the aggregates of DBAs-n solutions were significantly dependent on their hydrocarbon chain lengths. The aggregates changed from vesicles to entangled fiber-like micelles as the chain length increased from dodecyl to tetradecyl.

  19. Surfactants for Bubble Removal against Buoyancy

    PubMed Central

    Raza, Md. Qaisar; Kumar, Nirbhay; Raj, Rishi

    2016-01-01

    The common phenomenon of buoyancy-induced vapor bubble lift-off from a heated surface is of importance to many areas of science and technology. In the absence of buoyancy in zero gravity of space, non-departing bubbles coalesce to form a big dry patch on the heated surface and heat transfer deteriorates despite the high latent heat of vaporization of water. The situation is worse on an inverted heater in earth gravity where both buoyancy and surface tension act upwards to oppose bubble removal. Here we report a robust passive technique which uses surfactants found in common soaps and detergents to avoid coalescence and remove bubbles downwards, away from an inverted heater. A force balance model is developed to demonstrate that the force of repulsion resulting from the interaction of surfactants adsorbed at the neighboring liquid-vapor interfaces of the thin liquid film contained between bubbles is strong enough to overcome buoyancy and surface tension. Bubble removal frequencies in excess of ten Hz resulted in more than twofold enhancement in heat transfer in comparison to pure water. We believe that this novel bubble removal mechanism opens up opportunities for designing boiling-based systems for space applications. PMID:26743179

  20. Surfactants for Bubble Removal against Buoyancy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raza, Md. Qaisar; Kumar, Nirbhay; Raj, Rishi

    2016-01-01

    The common phenomenon of buoyancy-induced vapor bubble lift-off from a heated surface is of importance to many areas of science and technology. In the absence of buoyancy in zero gravity of space, non-departing bubbles coalesce to form a big dry patch on the heated surface and heat transfer deteriorates despite the high latent heat of vaporization of water. The situation is worse on an inverted heater in earth gravity where both buoyancy and surface tension act upwards to oppose bubble removal. Here we report a robust passive technique which uses surfactants found in common soaps and detergents to avoid coalescence and remove bubbles downwards, away from an inverted heater. A force balance model is developed to demonstrate that the force of repulsion resulting from the interaction of surfactants adsorbed at the neighboring liquid-vapor interfaces of the thin liquid film contained between bubbles is strong enough to overcome buoyancy and surface tension. Bubble removal frequencies in excess of ten Hz resulted in more than twofold enhancement in heat transfer in comparison to pure water. We believe that this novel bubble removal mechanism opens up opportunities for designing boiling-based systems for space applications.

  1. Suppression of thermally excited capillary waves by shear flow.

    PubMed

    Derks, Didi; Aarts, Dirk G A L; Bonn, Daniel; Lekkerkerker, Henk N W; Imhof, Arnout

    2006-07-21

    We investigate the thermal fluctuations of the colloidal gas-liquid interface subjected to a shear flow parallel to the interface. Strikingly, we find that the shear strongly suppresses capillary waves, making the interface smoother. This phenomenon can be described by introducing an effective interfacial tension that increases with the shear rate. The increase of sigma(eff) is a direct consequence of the loss of interfacial entropy caused by the flow, which affects especially the slow fluctuations. This demonstrates that the interfacial tension of fluids results from an intrinsic as well as a fluctuation contribution.

  2. Numerical Modelling of Three-Fluid Flow Using The Level-set Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Hongying; Lou, Jing; Shang, Zhi

    2014-11-01

    This work presents a numerical model for simulation of three-fluid flow involving two different moving interfaces. These interfaces are captured using the level-set method via two different level-set functions. A combined formulation with only one set of conservation equations for the whole physical domain, consisting of the three different immiscible fluids, is employed. Numerical solution is performed on a fixed mesh using the finite volume method. Surface tension effect is incorporated using the Continuum Surface Force model. Validation of the present model is made against available results for stratified flow and rising bubble in a container with a free surface. Applications of the present model are demonstrated by a variety of three-fluid flow systems including (1) three-fluid stratified flow, (2) two-fluid stratified flow carrying the third fluid in the form of drops and (3) simultaneous rising and settling of two drops in a stationary third fluid. The work is supported by a Thematic and Strategic Research from A*STAR, Singapore (Ref. #: 1021640075).

  3. Surfactant Effect on the Average Flow Generation Near Curved Interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klimenko, Lyudmila; Lyubimov, Dmitry

    2018-02-01

    The present work is devoted to the average flow generation near curved interface with a surfactant adsorbed on the surface layer. The investigation was carried out for a liquid drop embedded in a viscous liquid with a different density. The liquid flows inside and outside the drop are generated by small amplitude and high frequency vibrations. Surfactant exchange between the drop surface and the surrounding liquid is limited by the process of adsorption-desorption. It was assumed that the surfactant is soluble in the surrounding liquid, but not soluble in the liquid drop. Surrounding liquid and the liquid in the drop are considered incompressible. Normal and shear viscous stresses balance at the interface is performed under the condition that the film thickness of the adsorbed surfactant is negligible. The problem is solved under assumption that the shape of the drop in the presence of adsorbed surfactant remains spherical symmetry. The effective boundary conditions for the tangential velocity jump and shear stress jump, describing the above generation have been obtained by matched asymptotic expansions method. The conditions under which the drop surface can be considered as a quasi-solid are determined. It is shown that in the case of the significant effect of surfactant on the surface tension, the dominant mechanism for the generation is the Schlichting mechanisms under vibrations.

  4. Vibrational Studies of Saccharide-Induced Lipid Film Reorganization at Aqueous/Air Interfaces

    DOE PAGES

    Link, Katie A.; Hsieh, Chia -Yun; Tuladhar, Aashish; ...

    2018-02-09

    Vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) and surface tension experiments were used to examine the effects of aqueous phase soluble saccharides on the structure and organization of insoluble lipid monolayers adsorbed to aqueous-air interfaces. Changes in dipalmitoylphosphocholine (DPPC) chain structure as a function of aqueous phase saccharide concentration and pH are reported. Complementary differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements performed on solutions containing soluble saccharides and DPPC vesicles measured the effects of the saccharides on the lipid membrane phase behavior. Here, data show that the saccharides glucosamine and glucuronic acid induce a higher degree of organization in compressed DPPC monolayers regardless ofmore » the saccharide’s charge.« less

  5. Opening and retraction of particulate soap films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Timounay, Yousra; Lorenceau, Elise; Rouyer, Florence

    2015-07-01

    We study for the first time the bursting dynamics of thin liquid films laden with hydrophobic micronic particles either with free or constrained edges. We highlight that the particles can arrange in bilayer or monolayer configurations and explore a range of particles coverage from zero to random close packing. When the particles bridge the two interfaces (monolayer configuration) of free-edge films, the hole opens intermittently. For the other cases, we observe constant retraction velocities, modeled by balancing liquid and particles inertia against surface tension as in Taylor-Culick theory. But, this approach is only valid up to a critical value of particles coverage due to the interplay between the interfaces and the friction between particles.

  6. Vibrational Studies of Saccharide-Induced Lipid Film Reorganization at Aqueous/Air Interfaces

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Link, Katie A.; Hsieh, Chia -Yun; Tuladhar, Aashish

    Vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) and surface tension experiments were used to examine the effects of aqueous phase soluble saccharides on the structure and organization of insoluble lipid monolayers adsorbed to aqueous-air interfaces. Changes in dipalmitoylphosphocholine (DPPC) chain structure as a function of aqueous phase saccharide concentration and pH are reported. Complementary differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements performed on solutions containing soluble saccharides and DPPC vesicles measured the effects of the saccharides on the lipid membrane phase behavior. Here, data show that the saccharides glucosamine and glucuronic acid induce a higher degree of organization in compressed DPPC monolayers regardless ofmore » the saccharide’s charge.« less

  7. A Computational Study of the Rheology and Structure of Surfactant Covered Droplets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maia, Joao; Boromand, Arman

    Using different types of surface-active agents are ubiquitous in different industrial applications ranging from cosmetic and food industries to polymeric nano-composite and blends. This allows to produce stable multiphasic systems like foams and emulsions whose stability and shelf-life are directly determined by the efficiency and the type of the surfactant molecules. Moreover, presence and self-assembly of these species on an interface will display complex dynamics and structural evolution under different processing conditions. Analogous to bulk rheology of complex systems, surfactant covered interfaces will response to an external mechanical forces or deformation differently depends on the molecular configuration and topology of the system constituents. Although the effect of molecular configuration of the surface-active molecules on the planar interfaces has been studied both experimentally and computationally, it remains challenging from both experimental and computational aspects to track efficiency and effectiveness of different surfactant molecules with different molecular geometries on curved interfaces. Using Dissipative Particle Dynamics, we have studies effectiveness and efficiency of different surfactant molecules on a curved interface in equilibrium and far from equilibrium. Interfacial tension is calculated for linear and branched surfactant with different hydrophobic and hydrophilic tail and head groups with different branching densities. Deformation parameter and Taylor plots are obtained for individual surfactant molecules under shear flow.

  8. The load-bearing ability of a particle raft under the transverse compression of a slender rod.

    PubMed

    Zuo, Pingcheng; Liu, Jianlin; Li, Shanpeng

    2017-03-22

    Liquid marbles and particle rafts are liquid interfaces covered with tiny particles, which are accompanied with many exotic behaviors. This study seeks to extend our understanding on the load-bearing ability of a particle raft under the transverse compression of a slender rod. At first, the interface morphologies of the particle raft and water are captured and compared with each other. Then the load-distance curves of the particle raft and water surface are measured using a self-developed device. For the particle raft, the hydrophobicity of the rod almost does not affect the interface morphology and the supporting load. To address the mechanism of this phenomenon, we perform the experiment and find that the surface tension of the particle raft is almost the same as that of water, but the equivalent contact angle of the rod attached to the particles is greatly enhanced. Finally, the model of an axisymmetrical rod pressing liquid is built, and the numerical result is in excellent agreement with the experimental data. These analyses may be beneficial to the measurement of mechanical behaviors for soft interfaces, separation of oil and water, flotation in minerals, and design of miniature boats.

  9. Doping-Driven Wettability of Two-Dimensional Materials: A Multiscale Theory.

    PubMed

    Tian, Tian; Lin, Shangchao; Li, Siyu; Zhao, Lingling; Santos, Elton J G; Shih, Chih-Jen

    2017-11-07

    Engineering molecular interactions at two-dimensional (2D) materials interfaces enables new technological opportunities in functional surfaces and molecular epitaxy. Understanding the wettability of 2D materials represents the crucial first step toward quantifying the interplay between the interfacial forces and electric potential of 2D materials interfaces. Here we develop the first theoretical framework to model the wettability of the doped 2D materials by properly bridging the multiscale physical phenomena at the 2D interfaces, including (i) the change of 2D materials surface energy (atomistic scale, several angstroms), (ii) the molecular reorientation of liquid molecules adjacent to the interface (molecular scale, 10 0 -10 1 nm), and (iii) the electrical double layer (EDL) formed in the liquid phase (mesoscopic scales, 10 0 -10 4 nm). The latter two effects are found to be the major mechanisms responsible for the contact angle change upon doping, while the surface energy change of a pure 2D material has no net effect on the wetting property. When the doping level is electrostatically tuned, we demonstrate that 2D materials with high quantum capacitances (e.g., transition metal dichalcogenides, TMDCs) possess a wider range of tunability in the interfacial tension, under the same applied gate voltage. Furthermore, practical considerations such as defects and airborne contamination are also quantitatively discussed. Our analysis implies that the doping level can be another variable to modulate the wettability at 2D materials interfaces, as well as the molecular packing behavior on a 2D material-coated surface, essentially facilitating the interfacial engineering of 2D materials.

  10. Behavior of sphingomyelin and ceramide in a tear film lipid layer model.

    PubMed

    Olżyńska, Agnieszka; Cwiklik, Lukasz

    2017-03-01

    Tear film lipid layer is a complex lipid mixture forming the outermost interface between eye and environment. Its key characteristics, such as surface tension and structural stability, are governed by the presence of polar lipids. The origin of these lipids and exact composition of the mixture are still elusive. We focus on two minor polar lipid components of the tear film lipid later: sphingomyelin and ceramide. By employing coarse grain molecular dynamics in silico simulations accompanied by Langmuir balance experiments we provide molecular-level insight into behavior of these two lipids in a tear film lipid layer model. Sphingomyelin headgroups are significantly exposed at the water-lipids boundary while ceramide molecules are incorporated between other lipids frequently interacting with nonpolar lipids. Even though these two lipids increase surface tension of the film, their molecular-level behavior suggests that they have a stabilizing effect on the tear film lipid layer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  11. Immersed Boundary Simulations of Active Fluid Droplets

    PubMed Central

    Hawkins, Rhoda J.

    2016-01-01

    We present numerical simulations of active fluid droplets immersed in an external fluid in 2-dimensions using an Immersed Boundary method to simulate the fluid droplet interface as a Lagrangian mesh. We present results from two example systems, firstly an active isotropic fluid boundary consisting of particles that can bind and unbind from the interface and generate surface tension gradients through active contractility. Secondly, a droplet filled with an active polar fluid with homeotropic anchoring at the droplet interface. These two systems demonstrate spontaneous symmetry breaking and steady state dynamics resembling cell motility and division and show complex feedback mechanisms with minimal degrees of freedom. The simulations outlined here will be useful for quantifying the wide range of dynamics observable in these active systems and modelling the effects of confinement in a consistent and adaptable way. PMID:27606609

  12. Recent numerical and algorithmic advances within the volume tracking framework for modeling interfacial flows

    DOE PAGES

    François, Marianne M.

    2015-05-28

    A review of recent advances made in numerical methods and algorithms within the volume tracking framework is presented. The volume tracking method, also known as the volume-of-fluid method has become an established numerical approach to model and simulate interfacial flows. Its advantage is its strict mass conservation. However, because the interface is not explicitly tracked but captured via the material volume fraction on a fixed mesh, accurate estimation of the interface position, its geometric properties and modeling of interfacial physics in the volume tracking framework remain difficult. Several improvements have been made over the last decade to address these challenges.more » In this study, the multimaterial interface reconstruction method via power diagram, curvature estimation via heights and mean values and the balanced-force algorithm for surface tension are highlighted.« less

  13. Premelting, fluctuations, and coarse-graining of water-ice interfaces.

    PubMed

    Limmer, David T; Chandler, David

    2014-11-14

    Using statistical field theory supplemented with molecular dynamics simulations, we consider premelting on the surface of ice as a generic consequence of broken hydrogen bonds at the boundary between the condensed and gaseous phases. A procedure for coarse-graining molecular configurations onto a continuous scalar order parameter field is discussed, which provides a convenient representation of the interface between locally crystal-like and locally liquid-like regions. A number of interfacial properties are straightforwardly evaluated using this procedure such as the average premelting thickness and surface tension. The temperature and system size dependence of the premelting layer thickness calculated in this way confirms the characteristic logarithmic growth expected for the scalar field theory that the system is mapped onto through coarse-graining, though remains finite due to long-ranged interactions. Finally, from explicit simulations the existence of a premelting layer is shown to be insensitive to bulk lattice geometry, exposed crystal face, and curvature.

  14. Premelting, fluctuations, and coarse-graining of water-ice interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Limmer, David T.; Chandler, David

    2014-11-01

    Using statistical field theory supplemented with molecular dynamics simulations, we consider premelting on the surface of ice as a generic consequence of broken hydrogen bonds at the boundary between the condensed and gaseous phases. A procedure for coarse-graining molecular configurations onto a continuous scalar order parameter field is discussed, which provides a convenient representation of the interface between locally crystal-like and locally liquid-like regions. A number of interfacial properties are straightforwardly evaluated using this procedure such as the average premelting thickness and surface tension. The temperature and system size dependence of the premelting layer thickness calculated in this way confirms the characteristic logarithmic growth expected for the scalar field theory that the system is mapped onto through coarse-graining, though remains finite due to long-ranged interactions. Finally, from explicit simulations the existence of a premelting layer is shown to be insensitive to bulk lattice geometry, exposed crystal face, and curvature.

  15. Adsorption at air-water and oil-water interfaces and self-assembly in aqueous solution of ethoxylated polysorbate nonionic surfactants.

    PubMed

    Penfold, Jeffrey; Thomas, Robert K; Li, Peixun X; Petkov, Jordan T; Tucker, Ian; Webster, John R P; Terry, Ann E

    2015-03-17

    The Tween nonionic surfactants are ethoxylated sorbitan esters, which have 20 ethylene oxide groups attached to the sorbitan headgroup and a single alkyl chain, lauryl, palmityl, stearyl, or oleyl. They are an important class of surfactants that are extensively used in emulsion and foam stabilization and in applications associated with foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. A range of ethoxylated polysorbate surfactants, with differing degrees of ethoxylation from 3 to 50 ethylene oxide groups, have been synthesized and characterized by neutron reflection, small-angle neutron scattering, and surface tension. In conjunction with different alkyl chain groups, this provides the opportunity to modify their surface properties, their self-assembly in solution, and their interaction with macromolecules, such as proteins. Adsorption at the air-water and oil-water interfaces and solution self-assembly of the range of ethoxylated polysorbate surfactants synthesized are presented and discussed.

  16. High-Mobility, Ultrathin Organic Semiconducting Films Realized by Surface-Mediated Crystallization.

    PubMed

    Vladimirov, I; Kellermeier, M; Geßner, T; Molla, Zarah; Grigorian, S; Pietsch, U; Schaffroth, L S; Kühn, M; May, F; Weitz, R T

    2018-01-10

    The functionality of common organic semiconductor materials is determined by their chemical structure and crystal modification. While the former can be fine-tuned via synthesis, a priori control over the crystal structure has remained elusive. We show that the surface tension is the main driver for the plate-like crystallization of a novel small organic molecule n-type semiconductor at the liquid-air interface. This interface provides an ideal environment for the growth of millimeter-sized semiconductor platelets that are only few nanometers thick and thus highly attractive for application in transistors. On the basis of the novel high-performance perylene diimide, we show in as-grown, only 3 nm thin crystals electron mobilities of above 4 cm 2 /(V s) and excellent bias stress stability. We suggest that the established systematics on solvent parameters can provide the basis of a general framework for a more deterministic crystallization of other small molecules.

  17. Oscillations of a sessile droplet in open air

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Korenchenko, A. E., E-mail: korenchenko@physics.susu.ac.ru; Beskachko, V. P.

    2013-11-15

    The open system consisting of a sessile drop, a neutral gas, and a substrate is analyzed by numerical methods. The mode with constant contact angle is considered. The model takes into account evaporation from drop surface, free and forced convection in gas, buoyancy, and Marangoni effect in the liquid phase. It was established that every considered mechanical and thermodynamical disturbance of the system leads to the drop surface oscillations, and thus a drop in an open air oscillates almost inevitably. The displacement of the liquid-gas interface due to oscillations is analyzed in terms of its impact on the accuracy ofmore » measurement of the surface tension by sessile drop method.« less

  18. Lipopeptide surfactants: Production, recovery and pore forming capacity.

    PubMed

    Inès, Mnif; Dhouha, Ghribi

    2015-09-01

    Lipopeptides are microbial surface active compounds produced by a wide variety of bacteria, fungi and yeast. They are characterized by highly structural diversity and have the ability to decrease the surface and interfacial tension at the surface and interface, respectively. Surfactin, iturin and fengycin of Bacillus subtilis are among the most studied lipopeptides. This review will present the main factors encountering lipopeptides production along with the techniques developed for their extraction and purification. Moreover, we will discuss their ability to form pores and destabilize biological membrane permitting their use as antimicrobial, hemolytic and antitumor agents. These open great potential applications in biomediacal, pharmaceutic and agriculture fields. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Surface tension and contact angles: Molecular origins and associated microstructure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, H. T.

    1982-01-01

    Gradient theory converts the molecular theory of inhomogeneous fluid into nonlinear boundary value problems for density and stress distributions in fluid interfaces, contact line regions, nuclei and microdroplets, and other fluid microstructures. The relationship between the basic patterns of fluid phase behavior and the occurrence and stability of fluid microstructures was clearly established by the theory. All the inputs of the theory have molecular expressions which are computable from simple models. On another level, the theory becomes a phenomenological framework in which the equation of state of homogeneous fluid and sets of influence parameters of inhomogeneous fluids are the inputs and the structures, stress tensions and contact angles of menisci are the outputs. These outputs, which find applications in the science and technology of drops and bubbles, are discussed.

  20. Charging and discharging of single colloidal particles at oil/water interfaces

    PubMed Central

    Gao, Peng; Xing, XiaoChen; Li, Ye; Ngai, To; Jin, Fan

    2014-01-01

    The physical behavior of solid colloids trapped at a fluid-fluid interface remains in itself an open fundamental issue. Here, we show that the gradients of surface tension can induce particles to jet towards the oil/water interface with velocities as high as ≈ 60 mm/s when particle suspensions come in contact with the interface. We hypothesize that rubbing between the particles and oil lead to the spontaneous accumulation of negative charges on the hemisphere of those interfacial particles that contact the oil phase by means of triboelectrification. The charging process is highly dependent on the sliding distances, and gives rise to long-ranged repulsions that protect interfacial particles from coagulating at the interface by the presence of electrolyte. These triboelectric charges, however, are compensated within several hours, which affect the stability of interfacial particles. Importantly, by charging different kinds of colloidal particles using various spreading solvents and dispersion methods, we have demonstrated that charging and discharging of single colloidal particles at oil/water interfaces impacts a broad range of dynamical behavior. PMID:24786477

  1. Local mesh adaptation technique for front tracking problems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lock, N.; Jaeger, M.; Medale, M.; Occelli, R.

    1998-09-01

    A numerical model is developed for the simulation of moving interfaces in viscous incompressible flows. The model is based on the finite element method with a pseudo-concentration technique to track the front. Since a Eulerian approach is chosen, the interface is advected by the flow through a fixed mesh. Therefore, material discontinuity across the interface cannot be described accurately. To remedy this problem, the model has been supplemented with a local mesh adaptation technique. This latter consists in updating the mesh at each time step to the interface position, such that element boundaries lie along the front. It has been implemented for unstructured triangular finite element meshes. The outcome of this technique is that it allows an accurate treatment of material discontinuity across the interface and, if necessary, a modelling of interface phenomena such as surface tension by using specific boundary elements. For illustration, two examples are computed and presented in this paper: the broken dam problem and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Good agreement has been obtained in the comparison of the numerical results with theory or available experimental data.

  2. Three-Dimensional Visualization of Interfacial Phenomena Using Confocal Microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shieh, Ian C.

    Surfactants play an integral role in numerous functions ranging from stabilizing the emulsion in a favorite salad dressing to organizing the cellular components that make life possible. We are interested in lung surfactant, which is a mixture of lipids and proteins essential for normal respiration because it modulates the surface tension of the air-liquid interface of the thin fluid lining in the lungs. Through this surface tension modulation, lung surfactant ensures effortless lung expansion and prevents lung collapse during exhalation, thereby effecting proper oxygenation of the bloodstream. The function of lung surfactant, as well as numerous interfacial lipid systems, is not solely dictated by the behavior of materials confined to the two-dimensional interface. Rather, the distributions of materials in the liquid subphase also greatly influence the performance of interfacial films of lung surfactant. Therefore, to better understand the behavior of lung surfactant and other interfacial lipid systems, we require a three-dimensional characterization technique. In this dissertation, we have developed a novel confocal microscopy methodology for investigating the interfacial phenomena of surfactants at the air-liquid interface of a Langmuir trough. Confocal microscopy provides the excellent combination of in situ, fast, three-dimensional visualization of multiple components of the lung surfactant system that other characterization techniques lack. We detail the solutions to the numerous challenges encountered when imaging a dynamic air-liquid interface with a high-resolution technique like confocal microscopy. We then use confocal microscopy to elucidate the distinct mechanisms by which a polyelectrolyte (chitosan) and nonadsorbing polymer (polyethylene glycol) restore the function of lung surfactant under inhibitory conditions mimicking the effects of lung trauma. Beyond this physiological model, we also investigate several one- and two-component interfacial films of the various lipid constituents of lung surfactant. Confocal microscopy allows us to use a water-soluble, cationic fluorophore that partitions into the disordered phases of lipid monolayers. By exploiting the properties of this water-soluble fluorophore, we investigate both the phase behavior and electrostatics of the interfacial lipid systems. Overall, we believe the work presented in this dissertation provides the building blocks for establishing confocal microscopy as a ubiquitous characterization technique in the interfacial and surface sciences.

  3. Quantifying the Frictional Forces between Skin and Nonwoven Fabrics

    PubMed Central

    Jayawardana, Kavinda; Ovenden, Nicholas C.; Cottenden, Alan

    2017-01-01

    When a compliant sheet of material is dragged over a curved surface of a body, the frictional forces generated can be many times greater than they would be for a planar interface. This phenomenon is known to contribute to the abrasion damage to skin often suffered by wearers of incontinence pads and bed/chairbound people susceptible to pressure sores. Experiments that attempt to quantify these forces often use a simple capstan-type equation to obtain a characteristic coefficient of friction. In general, the capstan approach assumes the ratio of applied tensions depends only on the arc of contact and the coefficient of friction, and ignores other geometric and physical considerations; this approach makes it straightforward to obtain explicitly a coefficient of friction from the tensions measured. In this paper, two mathematical models are presented that compute the material displacements and surface forces generated by, firstly, a membrane under tension in moving contact with a rigid obstacle and, secondly, a shell-membrane under tension in contact with a deformable substrate. The results show that, while the use of a capstan equation remains fairly robust in some cases, effects such as the curvature and flaccidness of the underlying body, and the mass density of the fabric can lead to significant variations in stresses generated in the contact region. Thus, the coefficient of friction determined by a capstan model may not be an accurate reflection of the true frictional behavior of the contact region. PMID:28321192

  4. Coherent structures over Super Hydrophobic and Liquid Infused Surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arenas, Isnardo; Bernardini, Matteo; Leonardi, Stefano

    2017-11-01

    Numerical Simulations of two superposed fluids in a turbulent channel have been performed. Both walls of the channel are made of longitudinal riblets with a gas fractions of 0.5 and several pitch values p+ = 18 , 36 , 72 , 144 . For Liquid Infused Surfaces, LIS, with a viscosity ratio m =μ1 /μ2 = 0.4 (where the subscripts 1 and 2 indicate the fluid in the cavities and the overlying fluid respectively) two cases have been considered varying the Weber number: We = 0 , implying an interface sustained by the surface tension and We = 1000 with the dynamics of the interface between the two fluids modeled with a Level Set Approach. Results are compared to the case mimicking water over air (Super hydrophobic Surface SHS m = 0.02) and We = 0 . A smooth channel with one fluid only at Reτ = 180 is used as reference and to assess how the LIS and SHS modify coherent structures near the wall. Numerical simulations were performed on XSEDE TACC under Grant CTS070066. This work was supported by ONR MURI Grants N00014-12-01-0875 and N00014-12-01-0962.

  5. Volunteers Oriented Interface Design for the Remote Navigation of Rescue Robots at Large-Scale Disaster Sites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Zhixiao; Ito, Kazuyuki; Saijo, Kazuhiko; Hirotsune, Kazuyuki; Gofuku, Akio; Matsuno, Fumitoshi

    This paper aims at constructing an efficient interface being similar to those widely used in human daily life, to fulfill the need of many volunteer rescuers operating rescue robots at large-scale disaster sites. The developed system includes a force feedback steering wheel interface and an artificial neural network (ANN) based mouse-screen interface. The former consists of a force feedback steering control and a six monitors’ wall. It provides a manual operation like driving cars to navigate a rescue robot. The latter consists of a mouse and a camera’s view displayed in a monitor. It provides a semi-autonomous operation by mouse clicking to navigate a rescue robot. Results of experiments show that a novice volunteer can skillfully navigate a tank rescue robot through both interfaces after 20 to 30 minutes of learning their operation respectively. The steering wheel interface has high navigating speed in open areas, without restriction of terrains and surface conditions of a disaster site. The mouse-screen interface is good at exact navigation in complex structures, while bringing little tension to operators. The two interfaces are designed to switch into each other at any time to provide a combined efficient navigation method.

  6. Influence of oxygen partial pressure on surface tension and its temperature coefficient of molten iron

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ozawa, S.; Suzuki, S.; Hibiya, T.; Fukuyama, H.

    2011-01-01

    Influences of oxygen partial pressure, PO2, of ambient atmosphere and temperature on surface tension and its temperature coefficient for molten iron were experimentally investigated by an oscillating droplet method using an electromagnetic levitation furnace. We successfully measured the surface tension of molten iron over a very wide temperature range of 780 K including undercooling condition in a well controlled PO2 atmosphere. When PO2 is fixed at 10-2 Pa at the inlet of the chamber, a "boomerang shape" temperature dependence of surface tension was experimentally observed; surface tension increased and then decreased with increasing temperature. The pure surface tension of molten iron was deduced from the negative temperature coefficient in the boomerang shape temperature dependence. When the surface tension was measured under the H2-containing gas atmosphere, surface tension did not show a linear relationship against temperature. The temperature dependence of the surface tension shows anomalous kink at around 1850 K due to competition between the temperature dependence of PO2 and that of the equilibrium constant of oxygen adsorption.

  7. Measuring Surface Tension of a Flowing Soap Film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sane, Aakash; Kim, Ildoo; Mandre, Shreyas

    2016-11-01

    It is well known that surface tension is sensitive to the presence of surfactants and many conventional methods exist to measure it. These techniques measure surface tension either by intruding into the system or by changing its geometry. Use of conventional methods in the case of a flowing soap film is not feasible because intruding the soap film changes surface tension due to Marangoni effect. We present a technique in which we measure the surface tension in situ of a flowing soap film without intruding into the film. A flowing soap film is created by letting soap solution drip between two wires. The interaction of the soap film with the wires causes the wires to deflect which can be measured. Surface tension is calculated using a relation between curvature of the wires and the surface tension. Our measurements indicate that the surface tension of the flowing soap film for our setup is around 0.05 N/m. The nature of this technique makes it favorable for measuring surface tension of flowing soap films whose properties change on intrusion.

  8. A technique to functionalize and self-assemble macroscopic nanoparticle-ligand monolayer films onto template-free substrates.

    PubMed

    Fontana, Jake; Spillmann, Christopher; Naciri, Jawad; Ratna, Banahalli R

    2014-05-09

    This protocol describes a self-assembly technique to create macroscopic monolayer films composed of ligand-coated nanoparticles. The simple, robust and scalable technique efficiently functionalizes metallic nanoparticles with thiol-ligands in a miscible water/organic solvent mixture allowing for rapid grafting of thiol groups onto the gold nanoparticle surface. The hydrophobic ligands on the nanoparticles then quickly phase separate the nanoparticles from the aqueous based suspension and confine them to the air-fluid interface. This drives the ligand-capped nanoparticles to form monolayer domains at the air-fluid interface. The use of water-miscible organic solvents is important as it enables the transport of the nanoparticles from the interface onto template-free substrates. The flow is mediated by a surface tension gradient and creates macroscopic, high-density, monolayer nanoparticle-ligand films. This self-assembly technique may be generalized to include the use of particles of different compositions, size, and shape and may lead to an efficient assembly method to produce low-cost, macroscopic, high-density, monolayer nanoparticle films for wide-spread applications.

  9. Trimethylamine N-oxide stabilizes proteins via a distinct mechanism compared with betaine and glycine

    PubMed Central

    Liao, Yi-Ting; Manson, Anthony C.; DeLyser, Michael R.; Noid, William G.; Cremer, Paul S.

    2017-01-01

    We report experimental and computational studies investigating the effects of three osmolytes, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), betaine, and glycine, on the hydrophobic collapse of an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP). All three osmolytes stabilize collapsed conformations of the ELP and reduce the lower critical solution temperature (LSCT) linearly with osmolyte concentration. As expected from conventional preferential solvation arguments, betaine and glycine both increase the surface tension at the air–water interface. TMAO, however, reduces the surface tension. Atomically detailed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggest that TMAO also slightly accumulates at the polymer–water interface, whereas glycine and betaine are strongly depleted. To investigate alternative mechanisms for osmolyte effects, we performed FTIR experiments that characterized the impact of each cosolvent on the bulk water structure. These experiments showed that TMAO red-shifts the OH stretch of the IR spectrum via a mechanism that was very sensitive to the protonation state of the NO moiety. Glycine also caused a red shift in the OH stretch region, whereas betaine minimally impacted this region. Thus, the effects of osmolytes on the OH spectrum appear uncorrelated with their effects upon hydrophobic collapse. Similarly, MD simulations suggested that TMAO disrupts the water structure to the least extent, whereas glycine exerts the greatest influence on the water structure. These results suggest that TMAO stabilizes collapsed conformations via a mechanism that is distinct from glycine and betaine. In particular, we propose that TMAO stabilizes proteins by acting as a surfactant for the heterogeneous surfaces of folded proteins. PMID:28228526

  10. Tensiometric and Phase Domain Behavior of Lung Surfactant on Mucus-like Viscoelastic Hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Schenck, Daniel M; Fiegel, Jennifer

    2016-03-09

    Lung surfactant has been observed at all surfaces of the airway lining fluids and is an important contributor to normal lung function. In the conducting airways, the surfactant film lies atop a viscoelastic mucus gel. In this work, we report on the characterization of the tensiometric and phase domain behavior of lung surfactant at the air-liquid interface of mucus-like viscoelastic gels. Poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels were formulated to serve as a model mucus with bulk rheological properties that matched those of tracheobronchial mucus secretions. Infasurf (Calfactant), a commercially available pulmonary surfactant derived from calf lung extract, was spread onto the hydrogel surface. The surface tension lowering ability and relaxation of Infasurf films on the hydrogels was quantified and compared to Infasurf behavior on an aqueous subphase. Infasurf phase domains during surface compression were characterized by fluorescence microscopy and phase shifting interferometry. We observed that increasing the bulk viscoelastic properties of the model mucus hydrogels reduced the ability of Infasurf films to lower surface tension and inhibited film relaxation. A shift in the formation of Infasurf condensed phase domains from smaller, more spherical domains to large, agglomerated, multilayer structures was observed with increasing viscoelastic properties of the subphase. These studies demonstrate that the surface behavior of lung surfactant on viscoelastic surfaces, such as those found in the conducting airways, differs significantly from aqueous, surfactant-laden systems.

  11. Influence of Surfactants on Sodium Chloride Crystallization in Confinement

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    We study the influence of different surfactants on NaCl crystallization during evaporation of aqueous salt solutions. We found that at concentrations of sodium chloride close to saturation, only the cationic surfactant CTAB and the nonionic surfactant Tween 80 remain stable. For the nonionic surfactant, the high concentration of salt does not significantly change either the critical micellar concentration (CMC) or the surface tension at the CMC; for the cationic surfactant, the CMC is reduced by roughly 2 orders of magnitude upon adding the salt. The presence of both types of surfactants in the salt solution delays the crystallization of sodium chloride with evaporation. This, in turn, leads to high supersaturation which induces the rapid precipitation of a hopper crystal in the bulk. The crystallization inhibitor role of these surfactants is shown to be mainly due to the passivation of nucleation sites at both liquid/air and solid/liquid interfaces rather than a change in the evaporation rate which is found not to be affected by the presence of the surfactants. The adsorption of surfactants at the liquid/air interface prevents the crystallization at this location which is generally the place where the precipitation of sodium chloride is observed. Moreover, sum frequency generation spectroscopy measurements show that the surfactants are also present at the solid/liquid interface. The incorporation of the surfactants into the salt crystals is investigated using a novel, but simple, method based on surface tension measurements. Our results show that the nonionic surfactant Tween 80 is incorporated in the NaCl crystals but the cationic surfactant CTAB is not. Taken together, these results therefore allow us to establish the effect of the presence of surfactants on sodium chloride crystallization. PMID:28425711

  12. Effects of surface tension and viscosity on gold and silver sputtered onto liquid substrates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Luna, Mark M.; Gupta, Malancha

    2018-05-01

    In this paper, we study DC magnetron sputtering of gold and silver onto liquid substrates of varying viscosities and surface tensions. We were able to separate the effects of viscosity from surface tension by depositing the metals onto silicone oils with a range of viscosities. The effects of surface tension were studied by depositing the metals onto squalene, poly(ethylene glycol), and glycerol. It was found that dispersed nanoparticles were formed on liquids with low surface tension and low viscosity whereas dense films were formed on liquids with low surface tension and high viscosity. Nanoparticles were formed on both the liquid surface and within the bulk liquid for high surface tension liquids. Our results can be used to tailor the metal and liquid interaction to fabricate particles and films for various applications in optics, electronics, and catalysis.

  13. Dynamic Asphaltene-Stearic Acid Competition at the Oil-Water Interface.

    PubMed

    Sauerer, Bastian; Stukan, Mikhail; Buiting, Jan; Abdallah, Wael; Andersen, Simon

    2018-05-15

    Interfacial tension (IFT) is one of the major parameters which govern the fluid flow in oil production and recovery. This paper investigates the interfacial activity of different natural surfactants found in crude oil. The main objective was to better understand the competition between carboxylic acids and asphaltenes on toluene/water interfaces. Dynamic IFT was measured for water-in-oil pendant drops contrary to most studies using oil-in-water drops. Stearic acid (SA) was used as model compound for surface-active carboxylic acids in crude. The influence of concentration of these species on dynamic IFT between model oil and deionized water was examined. The acid concentrations were of realistic values (total acid number 0.1 to 2 mg KOH/g oil) while asphaltene concentrations were low and set between 10 and 100 ppm. In mixtures, the initial surface pressure was entirely determined by the SA content while asphaltenes showed a slow initial diffusion to the interface followed by increased adsorption at longer times. The final surface pressure was higher for asphaltenes compared to SA, but for binaries, the final surface pressure was always lower than the sum of the individuals. At high SA concentration, surface pressures of mixtures were dominated entirely by the SA, although, Langmuir isotherm analysis shows that asphaltenes bind to the interface 200-250 times stronger than SA. The surface area/molecule for both SA and asphaltenes were found to be larger than the values reported in recent literature. Various approaches to dynamic surface adsorption were tested, showing that apparent diffusivity of asphaltenes is very low, in agreement with other works. Hence, the adsorption is apparently under barrier control. A possible hypothesis is that at the initial phase of the experiment and at lower concentration of asphaltenes, the interface is occupied by stearic acid molecules forming a dense layer of hydrocarbon chains that may repel the asphaltenes.

  14. The Effects of Orchestration on Musicians' and Nonmusicians' Perception of Musical Tension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silvey, Brian A.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of orchestration on musicians' and nonmusicians' (N = 40) perception of musical tension. Participants were asked to register their perceptions of tension using the Continuous Response Digital Interface dial while listening to three orchestrations (full orchestra, brass quintet, and solo piano)…

  15. Relating emulsion stability to interfacial properties for pharmaceutical emulsions stabilized by Pluronic F68 surfactant.

    PubMed

    Powell, Kristin Conrad; Damitz, Robert; Chauhan, Anuj

    2017-04-15

    We explore mechanisms of emulsion stability for several systems using Pluronic F68 and a range of oils commonly used in pharmaceutics and cosmetics. We report measurements of dynamic emulsion drop size, zeta potential, and creaming time, as well as dynamic interfacial tension and interfacial viscoelasticity. Experiments show that with 1wt% Pluronic F68, soybean oil emulsions were the most stable with no creaming over six months, followed by isopropyl myristate, octanoic acid, and then ethyl butyrate. The eventual destabilization occurred due to the rising of large drops which formed through Ostwald ripening and coalescence. While Ostwald ripening is important, it is not the dominant destabilization mechanism for the time scale of interest in pharmaceutical emulsions. The more significant destabilization mechanism, coalescence, is reduced through surfactant adsorption, which decreases surface tension, increases surface elasticity, and adds a stearic hindrance to collisions. Though the measured values of elasticity obtained using a standard oscillatory pendant drop method did not correlate to emulsion stability, this is because the frequencies for the measurements were orders of magnitude below those relevant to coalescence in emulsions. However, we show that the high frequency elasticity obtained by fitting the surface tension data to a Langmuir isotherm has very good correlation with the emulsion stability, indicating that the elasticity of the interface plays a key role in stabilizing these pharmaceutical formulations. Further, this study highlights how these important high frequency elasticity values can be easily estimated from surface isotherms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Numerical studies of surface tensions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hung, R. J.

    1995-01-01

    Liquid-vapor (bubble) interface disturbances caused by various types of accelerations, including centrifugal, lateral and axial impulses, gravity gradient and g-jitter accelerations associated with spinning and slew motion in microgravity, are reviewed. Understanding of bubble deformations and fluctuations is important in the development of spacecraft orbital and attitude control techniques to secure its normal operation. This review discusses bubble deformations and oscillations driven by various forces in the microgravity environment. The corresponding bubble mass center fluctuations and slosh reaction forces and torques due to bubble deformations are also reviewed.

  17. Surface free energy and some other properties of a crystal-vapor interface: Molecular dynamics simulation of a Lennard-Jones system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baidakov, V. G.; Tipeev, A. O.; Protsenko, K. R.

    2017-07-01

    The surface tension γ and surface energy u bar have been calculated in molecular dynamics simulation of an FCC crystal-vapor equilibrium in systems containing from 54000 to 108000 Lennard-Jones (LJ) particles with a cutoff radius of the potential rc = 6.78 d . The surface entropy s bar and the surface free energy σ along the sublimation line have been determined by the method of thermodynamic integration from the zero of temperature, where the classical entropy has been obtained from the dynamical theory of crystal lattice by data on γ (T) and u bar (T) . Calculations were made on the planes (1 0 0), (1 1 0) and (1 1 1) of an LJ crystal. The anisotropy of surface properties is considerable at low temperatures and smooths over at the approach of the triple point. At a temperature 1/3 lower than the melting temperature of the bulk phase changes are observed in the character of temperature dependences of the properties of a crystal-vapor interface, which are connected with surface premelting. The temperature of the beginning of surface premelting correlates with that at which the metastable extension of the melting line meets the spinodal of a stretched liquid.

  18. Cloud Activation Potentials for Atmospheric α-Pinene and β-Caryophyllene Ozonolysis Products.

    PubMed

    Gray Bé, Ariana; Upshur, Mary Alice; Liu, Pengfei; Martin, Scot T; Geiger, Franz M; Thomson, Regan J

    2017-07-26

    The formation of atmospheric cloud droplets due to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles is important for quantifying the Earth's radiative balance under future, possibly warmer, climates, yet is only poorly understood. While cloud activation may be parametrized using the surface tension depression that coincides with surfactant partitioning to the gas-droplet interface, the extent to which cloud activation is influenced by both the chemical structure and reactivity of the individual molecules comprising this surfactant pool is largely unknown. We report herein considerable differences in the surface tension depression of aqueous pendant droplets that contain synthetically prepared ozonolysis products derived from α-pinene and β-caryophyllene, the most abundant of the monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, respectively, that are emitted over the planet's vast forest ecosystems. Oxidation products derived from β-caryophyllene were found to exhibit significantly higher surface activity than those prepared from α-pinene, with the critical supersaturation required for cloud droplet activation reduced by 50% for β-caryophyllene aldehyde at 1 mM. These considerable reductions in the critical supersaturation were found to coincide with free energies of adsorption that exceed ∼25 kJ/mol, or just one hydrogen bond equivalent, depending on the ammonium sulfate and oxidation product concentration in the solution. Additional experiments showed that aldehyde-containing oxidation products exist in equilibrium with hydrated forms in aqueous solution, which may modulate their bulk solubility and surface activity. Equilibration time scales on the order of 10 -5 to 10 -4 s calculated for micrometer-sized aerosol particles indicate instantaneous surface tension depression in the activation processes leading to cloud formation in the atmosphere. Our findings highlight the underlying importance of molecular structure and reactivity when considering cloud condensation activity in the presence of SOA particles.

  19. The energetics of adhesion in composite materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harding, Philip Hiram

    Composite materials are used throughout modern society, and often the most important parameter in determining their properties is the adhesion at material interfaces within the composite. A broad investigation is completed, the global objective of which is to develop understanding of the role of adhesion in composite materials. The scope of this study ranges from macroscopic effects of adhesion on filled polymer composites to microscopic adhesion measurements with engineered interfaces. The surface of a filler material is systematically modified and surface characterization techniques are used to quantify the influence of the surface treatments on surface energetics and wetting properties. Filled polymer composites are prepared and composite mechanical properties determined with beam deflection tests. Filler surface treatments significantly alter the composite yield stress for composites which fail interfacially and are observed to increase or decrease mechanical strength, depending on the chemical nature of the modification. Thermodynamic adhesion mechanisms active at the filler-matrix interfaces are then explored by making direct interfacial strength measurements whereby a single spherical particle is introduced into the polymeric matrix. Interfacial strength is determined by submitting the single-particle composite (SPC) to uni-axial tension and relating the macroscopic stress at interfacial failure to that experienced at the interface. The technique provides a measurement of interfacial strength between two elastic materials, one unaffected by frictional forces, viscoelasticity, and thermal stresses. The SPC measurements are used to verify proposed adhesion mechanisms at the various filler-polymer interfaces and establish the role of adhesion in the filled polymer composites. The SPC technique is then used to investigate the adhesion promotion mechanism of organofunctional silanes, which are shown to be controlled by the compatibility and penetration of the silane organofunctional group. The effects of thermal residual stresses on interfacial strength are also investigated using the SPC technique. Processing conditions, i.e., time-temperature profiles, are used to systematically vary the thermal residual stresses within the polymeric matrix. The interfaces studied are deleteriously affected by increases in thermal residual stresses.

  20. Spreading dynamics of superposed liquid drops on a spinning disk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sahoo, Subhadarshinee; Orpe, Ashish V.; Doshi, Pankaj

    2018-01-01

    We have experimentally studied simultaneous spreading of superposed drops of two Newtonian liquids on top of a horizontal spinning disk using the flow visualization technique. An inner drop of high surface tension liquid is placed centrally on the disk followed by a drop of outer liquid (lower surface tension) placed exactly above that. The disk is then rotated at a desired speed for a range of volume ratios of two liquids. Such an arrangement of two superposed liquid drops does not affect the spreading behavior of the outer liquid but influences that of the inner liquid significantly. The drop spreads to a larger extent and breaks into more fingers (Nf) as compared to the case where the same liquid is spreading in the absence of outer liquid. The experimentally observed number of fingers is compared with the prediction using available theory for single liquid. It is found that the theory over-predicts the value of Nf for the inner liquid while it is covered by an outer liquid. We provide a theoretical justification for this observation using linear stability analysis. Our analysis demonstrates that for small but finite surface tension ratio of the two liquids, the presence of the outer interface reduces the value of the most unstable wave number which is equivalent to the decrease in the number of fingers observed experimentally. Finally, sustained rotation of the disk leads to the formation of droplets at the tip of the fingers traveling outwards.

  1. Adsorption of phospholipids at oil/water interfaces during emulsification is controlled by stress relaxation and diffusion.

    PubMed

    Hildebrandt, Ellen; Nirschl, Hermann; Kok, Robbert Jan; Leneweit, Gero

    2018-05-16

    Adsorption of phosphatidylcholines at oil/water interfaces strongly deviates from spread monolayers at air/water surfaces. Understanding its nature and consequences could vastly improve applications in medical nanoemulsions and biotechnologies. Adsorption kinetics at interfaces of water with different oil phases were measured by profile analysis tensiometry. Adsorption kinetics for 2 different phospholipids, DPPC and POPC, as well as 2 organic phases, squalene and squalane, show that formation of interfacial monolayers is initially dominated by stress-relaxation in the first minutes. Diffusion only gradually contributes to a decrease in interfacial tension at later stages of time and higher film pressures. The results can be applied for the optimization of emulsification protocols using mechanical treatments. Emulsions using phospholipids with unsaturated fatty acids are dominated much more strongly by stress-relaxation and cover interfaces very fast compared to those with saturated fatty acids. In contrast, phospholipid layers consisting of saturated fatty acids converge faster towards the equilibrium than those with unsaturated fatty acids.

  2. Surface chemistry of liquid metals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mann, J. Adin, Jr.; Peebles, Henry; Peebles, Diamond; Rye, Robert; Yost, Fred

    1993-01-01

    The fundamental surface chemistry of the behavior of liquid metals spreading on a solid substrate is not at all well understood. Each of these questions involves knowing the details of the structure of interfaces and their dynamics. For example the structure of a monolayer of tin oxide on pure liquid tin is unknown. This is in contrast to the relatively large amount of data available on the structure of copper oxide monolayers on solid, pure copper. However, since liquid tin has a vapor pressure below 10(exp -10)torr for a reasonable temperature range above its melting point, it is possible to use the techniques of surface science to study the geometric, electronic and vibrational structures of these monolayers. In addition, certain techniques developed by surface chemists for the study of liquid systems can be applied to the ultra-high vacuum environment. In particular we have shown that light scattering spectroscopy can be used to study the surface tension tensor of these interfaces. The tin oxide layer in particular is very interesting in that the monolayer is rigid but admits of bending. Ellipsometric microscopy allows the visualization of monolayer thick films and show whether island formation occurs at various levels of dosing.

  3. Disruption of the air-sea interface and formation of two-phase transitional layer in hurricane conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soloviev, A.; Matt, S.; Fujimura, A.

    2012-04-01

    The change of the air-sea interaction regime in hurricane conditions is linked to the mechanism of direct disruption of the air-sea interface by pressure fluctuations working against surface tension forces (Soloviev and Lukas, 2010). The direct disruption of the air-sea interface due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability and formation of a two-phase transitional layer have been simulated with a computational fluid dynamics model. The volume of fluid multiphase model included surface tension at the water-air interface. The model was initialized with either a flat interface or short wavelets. Wind stress was applied at the upper boundary of the air layer, ranging from zero stress to hurricane force stress in different experiments. Under hurricane force wind, the numerical model demonstrated disruption of the air-water interface and the formation of spume and the two-phase transition layer. In the presence of a transition layer, the air-water interface is no longer explicitly identifiable. As a consequence, the analysis of dimensions suggests a linear dependence for velocity and logarithm of density on depth (which is consistent with the regime of marginal stability in the transition layer). The numerical simulations confirmed the presence of linear segments in the corresponding profiles within the transition layer. This permitted a parameterization of the equivalent drag coefficient due to the presence of the two-phase transition layer at the air-sea interface. This two-phase layer parameterization represented the lower limit imposed on the drag coefficient under hurricane conditions. The numerical simulations helped to reduce the uncertainty in the critical Richardson number applicable to the air-sea interface and in the values of two dimensionless constants; this reduced the uncertainty in the parameterization of the lower limit on the drag coefficient. The available laboratory data (Donelan et al., 2004) are bounded by the two-phase layer parameterization from below and the wave resistance parameterization from above. The available field data (Powell et al., 2003; Black et al., 2007) fall between these two parameterizations, for wind speeds of up to 50 m/s. A few points from the dropsonde data from Powell et al. (2003), obtained at very high wind speeds, are below the theoretical lower limit on the drag coefficient. We also conducted a numerical experiment with imposed short wavelets. Streamwise coherent structures were observed on the water surface, which were especially prominent on the top of wave crests. These intermittent streamwise structures on the top of wavelets, with periodicity in the transverse direction, presumably were a result of the Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) instability. Similar processes take place at the atomization of liquid fuels in cryogenic and diesel engines (Yecko et al., 2002). According to McNaughton and Brunet (2002), the nonlinear stage of the TS instability results in streamwise streaks followed by fluid ejections. This mechanism can contribute to the generation of spume in the form of streaks. Foam streaks are an observable feature on photographic images of the ocean surface under hurricane conditions. The mechanism of the TS instability can also contribute to dispersion of oil spills and other pollutants in hurricane conditions.

  4. Electrohydrodynamic simulation of an electrospray in a colloid thruster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jugroot, Manish; Forget, Martin; Malardier-Jugroot, Cecile

    2012-02-01

    A precise understanding of electrosprays is highly interesting as the complexity of micro-technology (such as nano-material processing, spacecraft propulsion and mass-spectrometers) systems increases. A multi-component CFD-based model coupling fluid dynamics, charged species dynamics and electric field is developed. The simulations describe the charged fluid interface with emphasis on the Taylor cone formation and cone-jet transition under the effect of a electric field. The goal is to recapture this transition from a rounded liquid interface into a Taylor cone from an initial uniform distribution, without making assumptions on the behaviour, geometry or charge distribution of the system. The time evolution of the interface highlights the close interaction among space charge, coulombic forces and the surface tension, which appear as governing and competing processes in the transition. The results from the coupled formalism provide valuable insights on the physical phenomena and will be applied to a colloid thruster for small spacecrafts.

  5. Interfaces at equilibrium: A guide to fundamentals.

    PubMed

    Marmur, Abraham

    2017-06-01

    The fundamentals of the thermodynamics of interfaces are reviewed and concisely presented. The discussion starts with a short review of the elements of bulk thermodynamics that are also relevant to interfaces. It continues with the interfacial thermodynamics of two-phase systems, including the definition of interfacial tension and adsorption. Finally, the interfacial thermodynamics of three-phase (wetting) systems is discussed, including the topic of non-wettable surfaces. A clear distinction is made between equilibrium conditions, in terms of minimizing energies (internal, Gibbs or Helmholtz), and equilibrium indicators, in terms of measurable, intrinsic properties (temperature, chemical potential, pressure). It is emphasized that the equilibrium indicators are the same whatever energy is minimized, if the boundary conditions are properly chosen. Also, to avoid a common confusion, a distinction is made between systems of constant volume and systems with drops of constant volume. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Interfacial activity of acid functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) at the fluid-fluid interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Tao; Russell, Thomas; Hoagland, David

    2013-03-01

    Interfacial assembly of acid-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes at the oil/water interface is achieved by the addition of low molecular weight (MW) amino-terminated polystyrene in the oil phase. The surface activity of carboxylated SWCNTs is strongly influenced by the end-group chemistry and molecular weight of the polystyrene component, the concentrations of this component and the SWCNTs, along with the degree of functionalization of the SWCNTs. The prerequisites for interfacial trapping are amino termini on chains with MW less than 5K and 6 hours or longer incubation of pristine SWCNTs to achieve their carboxylation. Plummets in interfacial tension resembling those for surfactants were observed at critical bulk concentrations of both SWCNTs and PS-NH2. In dried droplets, SWCNTs densely packed with associated PS-NH2 form a bird nest-like interfacial structure, with the SWCNTs preferentially oriented perpendicular to the original interface. Advisor

  7. A diffuse-interface method for two-phase flows with soluble surfactants

    PubMed Central

    Teigen, Knut Erik; Song, Peng; Lowengrub, John; Voigt, Axel

    2010-01-01

    A method is presented to solve two-phase problems involving soluble surfactants. The incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved along with equations for the bulk and interfacial surfactant concentrations. A non-linear equation of state is used to relate the surface tension to the interfacial surfactant concentration. The method is based on the use of a diffuse interface, which allows a simple implementation using standard finite difference or finite element techniques. Here, finite difference methods on a block-structured adaptive grid are used, and the resulting equations are solved using a non-linear multigrid method. Results are presented for a drop in shear flow in both 2D and 3D, and the effect of solubility is discussed. PMID:21218125

  8. Level-set simulations of soluble surfactant driven flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cleret de Langavant, Charles; Guittet, Arthur; Theillard, Maxime; Temprano-Coleto, Fernando; Gibou, Frédéric

    2017-11-01

    We present an approach to simulate the diffusion, advection and adsorption-desorption of a material quantity defined on an interface in two and three spatial dimensions. We use a level-set approach to capture the interface motion and a Quad/Octree data structure to efficiently solve the equations describing the underlying physics. Coupling with a Navier-Stokes solver enables the study of the effect of soluble surfactants that locally modify the parameters of surface tension on different types of flows. The method is tested on several benchmarks and applied to three typical examples of flows in the presence of surfactant: a bubble in a shear flow, the well-known phenomenon of tears of wine, and the Landau-Levich coating problem.

  9. Heterogeneous nucleation in multi-component vapor on a partially wettable charged conducting particle. II. The generalized Laplace, Gibbs-Kelvin, and Young equations and application to nucleation.

    PubMed

    Noppel, M; Vehkamäki, H; Winkler, P M; Kulmala, M; Wagner, P E

    2013-10-07

    Based on the results of a previous paper [M. Noppel, H. Vehkamäki, P. M. Winkler, M. Kulmala, and P. E. Wagner, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 134107 (2013)], we derive a thermodynamically consistent expression for reversible or minimal work needed to form a dielectric liquid nucleus of a new phase on a charged insoluble conducting sphere within a uniform macroscopic one- or multicomponent mother phase. The currently available model for ion-induced nucleation assumes complete spherical symmetry of the system, implying that the seed ion is immediately surrounded by the condensing liquid from all sides. We take a step further and treat more realistic geometries, where a cap-shaped liquid cluster forms on the surface of the seed particle. We derive the equilibrium conditions for such a cluster. The equalities of chemical potentials of each species between the nucleus and the vapor represent the conditions of chemical equilibrium. The generalized Young equation that relates contact angle with surface tensions, surface excess polarizations, and line tension, also containing the electrical contribution from triple line excess polarization, expresses the condition of thermodynamic equilibrium at three-phase contact line. The generalized Laplace equation gives the condition of mechanical equilibrium at vapor-liquid dividing surface: it relates generalized pressures in neighboring bulk phases at an interface with surface tension, excess surface polarization, and dielectric displacements in neighboring phases with two principal radii of surface curvature and curvatures of equipotential surfaces in neighboring phases at that point. We also re-express the generalized Laplace equation as a partial differential equation, which, along with electrostatic Laplace equations for bulk phases, determines the shape of a nucleus. We derive expressions that are suitable for calculations of the size and composition of a critical nucleus (generalized version of the classical Kelvin-Thomson equation).

  10. Fine-Tuning Nanoparticle Packing at Water-Oil Interfaces Using Ionic Strength.

    PubMed

    Chai, Yu; Lukito, Alysia; Jiang, Yufeng; Ashby, Paul D; Russell, Thomas P

    2017-10-11

    Nanoparticle-surfactants (NPSs) assembled at water-oil interfaces can significantly lower the interfacial tension and can be used to stabilize liquids. Knowing the formation and assembly and actively tuning the packing of these NPSs is of significant fundamental interest for the interfacial behavior of nanoparticles and of interest for water purification, drug encapsulation, enhanced oil recovery, and innovative energy transduction applications. Here, we demonstrate by means of interfacial tension measurements the high ionic strength helps the adsorption of NPSs to the water-oil interface leading to a denser packing of NPSs at the interface. With the reduction of interfacial area, the phase transitions from a "gas"-like to "liquid" to "solid" states of NPSs in two dimensions are observed. Finally, we provide the first in situ real-space imaging of NPSs at the water-oil interface by atomic force microcopy.

  11. On the factors affecting porosity dissolution in selective laser sintering process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ly, H.-B.; Monteiro, E.; Dal, M.; Regnier, G.

    2018-05-01

    Selective Laser Sintering process is one of the additive manufacturing techniques in which parts are manufactured layer by layer. During such process, gas bubbles are formed in the melted polymer due to faster polymer grains coalescence at surface than deeper in the powder bed. Although gas diffusion is possible through the polymer melt, it's usual that some porosities remain in the final part if their initial sizes are too big and solidification time too short. In this contribution, a bubble dissolution model involving fluid dynamics and mass transport has been developed to study factors affecting porosity resorption kinetic. In this model, gas diffusion follows Fick's laws and the melted polymer is supposed Newtonian. At the polymer/gas interface, surface tension is considered and Henry's law is used to relate the partial pressure of gas with its concentration in the fluid. This problem is solved numerically by means of the finite element method in 1D. After validation of the numerical tool, the influence on dissolution time of several parameters (e.g. the initial size and form of gas porosities, the viscosity, the diffusion coefficient, the surface tension constant or the ambient pressure) has been examined.

  12. Transport properties at fluids interfaces: a molecular study for a macroscopic modelling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Russo, Antonio; Morciano, Matteo; Sibley, David N.; Nold, Andreas; Goddard, Benjamin D.; Asinari, Pietro; Kalliadasis, Serafim

    2017-11-01

    Rapid developments in the field of micro- and nano-fluidics require detailed analysis of the properties of matter at the molecular level. But despite numerous works in the literature, appropriate macroscopic relations able to integrate a microscopic description of fluid and soft matter properties at liquid-vapour and multi-fluid interfaces are missing. As a consequence, studies on interfacial phenomena and micro-device designs often rely on oversimplified assumptions, e.g. that the viscosities can be considered constant across interfaces. In our work, we present non-equilibrium MD simulations to scrutinise efficiently and systematically, through the tools of statistical mechanics, the anisotropic properties of fluids, namely density variations, stress tensor, and shear viscosity, at the fluid interfaces between liquid and vapour and between two partially miscible fluids. Our analysis has led to the formulation of a general relation between shear viscosity and density variations validated for a wide spectrum of interfacial fluid problems. In addition, it provides a rational description of other interfacial quantities of interest, including surface tension and its origins, and more generally, it offers valuable insight of molecular transport phenomena at interfaces.

  13. On interfacial properties of tetrahydrofuran: Atomistic and coarse-grained models from molecular dynamics simulation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Garrido, J. M.; Algaba, J.; Blas, F. J., E-mail: felipe@uhu.es

    2016-04-14

    We have determined the interfacial properties of tetrahydrofuran (THF) from direct simulation of the vapor-liquid interface. The molecules are modeled using six different molecular models, three of them based on the united-atom approach and the other three based on a coarse-grained (CG) approach. In the first case, THF is modeled using the transferable parameters potential functions approach proposed by Chandrasekhar and Jorgensen [J. Chem. Phys. 77, 5073 (1982)] and a new parametrization of the TraPPE force fields for cyclic alkanes and ethers [S. J. Keasler et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 115, 11234 (2012)]. In both cases, dispersive and coulombicmore » intermolecular interactions are explicitly taken into account. In the second case, THF is modeled as a single sphere, a diatomic molecule, and a ring formed from three Mie monomers according to the SAFT-γ Mie top-down approach [V. Papaioannou et al., J. Chem. Phys. 140, 054107 (2014)]. Simulations were performed in the molecular dynamics canonical ensemble and the vapor-liquid surface tension is evaluated from the normal and tangential components of the pressure tensor along the simulation box. In addition to the surface tension, we have also obtained density profiles, coexistence densities, critical temperature, density, and pressure, and interfacial thickness as functions of temperature, paying special attention to the comparison between the estimations obtained from different models and literature experimental data. The simulation results obtained from the three CG models as described by the SAFT-γ Mie approach are able to predict accurately the vapor-liquid phase envelope of THF, in excellent agreement with estimations obtained from TraPPE model and experimental data in the whole range of coexistence. However, Chandrasekhar and Jorgensen model presents significant deviations from experimental results. We also compare the predictions for surface tension as obtained from simulation results for all the models with experimental data. The three CG models predict reasonably well (but only qualitatively) the surface tension of THF, as a function of temperature, from the triple point to the critical temperature. On the other hand, only the TraPPE united-atoms models are able to predict accurately the experimental surface tension of the system in the whole temperature range.« less

  14. Linear instability of compound liquid threads in the presence of surfactant

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ye, Han-yu; Yang, Li-jun; Fu, Qing-fei

    2017-08-01

    This paper investigates the linear instability of compound liquid threads in the presence of surfactant. The limitation of the one-dimensional approximation in previous work [Craster, Matar, and Papageorgiou, Phys. Fluids 15, 3409 (2003), 10.1063/1.1611879] is removed; hence the radial dependence of the axial velocity can be taken into account. Therefore both the stretching and the squeezing modes can be investigated. The disturbance growth rate is reduced with an increase of the dimensionless surface-tension gradient (whether in the stretching or squeezing mode). For the parameter range investigated, it is found that the squeezing mode is much more sensitive to the Marangoni effect than the stretching mode. The disturbance axial velocity and disturbance surfactant concentration for a typical case is investigated. It is found that the disturbance axial velocity is close to uniform in the stretching mode when the dimensionless surface-tension gradient and the wave number are small. In contrast, for wave numbers close to cutoff, or a large dimensionless surface-tension gradient, or in the squeezing mode, the disturbance axial velocity is not uniform. Analytical relations between growth rate and wave number valid in the long-wave limit are derived. In the stretching mode, the flow moves from an extension-dominated regime to a shear-dominated regime when β1+R σ β2 increases through 1 +R σ , where β1 and β2 are the dimensionless surface-tension gradient of the inner and outer interface, respectively, R is the radius ratio, and σ is the surface tension ratio. In the squeezing mode, whatever the values of β1 and β2, the flow is always in the shear-dominated regime. The expressions of the leading-order axial perturbation velocity in the long-wave limit are derived and they explain the applicability of one-dimensional models. It is found that the leading-order axial velocity in the extension-dominated regime is always uniform and one-dimensional models work well in this regime. For the shear-dominated regime, the leading-order axial velocity can be either nonuniform or close to uniform, depending on the ratio between the dimensionless surfactant diffusivity d1 and the Laplace number La : when d1≫La the velocity profile is close to uniform and one-dimensional models work well; otherwise the velocity profile is nonuniform and one-dimensional models fail.

  15. A method for the direct measurement of surface tension of collected atmospherically relevant aerosol particles using atomic force microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hritz, Andrew D.; Raymond, Timothy M.; Dutcher, Dabrina D.

    2016-08-01

    Accurate estimates of particle surface tension are required for models concerning atmospheric aerosol nucleation and activation. However, it is difficult to collect the volumes of atmospheric aerosol required by typical instruments that measure surface tension, such as goniometers or Wilhelmy plates. In this work, a method that measures, ex situ, the surface tension of collected liquid nanoparticles using atomic force microscopy is presented. A film of particles is collected via impaction and is probed using nanoneedle tips with the atomic force microscope. This micro-Wilhelmy method allows for direct measurements of the surface tension of small amounts of sample. This method was verified using liquids, whose surface tensions were known. Particles of ozone oxidized α-pinene, a well-characterized system, were then produced, collected, and analyzed using this method to demonstrate its applicability for liquid aerosol samples. It was determined that oxidized α-pinene particles formed in dry conditions have a surface tension similar to that of pure α-pinene, and oxidized α-pinene particles formed in more humid conditions have a surface tension that is significantly higher.

  16. FROM THE HISTORY OF PHYSICS: Electrolysis and surface phenomena. To the bicentenary of Volta's publication on the first direct-current source

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gokhshtein, Aleksandr Ya

    2000-07-01

    The development of knowledge about electric current, potential, and the conversion of energy at the interface between electronic- and ionic-conductivity phases is briefly reviewed. Although soon after its discovery it was realized that electric current is the motion of charged particles, the double-layer field promoting charge transfer through the interface was considered for a long time to be as uniform as in a capacitor. One-dimensional ion discharge theory failed to explain the observed dependence of the current on the potential jump across the interface. The spatial segmentation of energy in the double layer due to the quantum evolution of the layer's periphery puts a limit on the charge transfer work the field may perform locally, and creates conditions for the ionic atmosphere being spontaneously compressed after the critical potential jump has been reached. A discrete interchange of states also occurs due to the adsorption of discharged particles and corresponds to the consecutive exclusion of the d-wave function nodes of metal surface atoms, the exclusion manifesting itself in the larger longitudinal and smaller lateral sizes of the atomic orbital. The elastic extension of the metal surface reduces the d-function overlap thus intensifying adsorption. Advances in experimentation, in particular new techniques capable of detecting alternating surface tension of solids, enabled these and some other phenomena to be observed.

  17. Anti-Adhesive Behaviors between Solid Hydrate and Liquid Aqueous Phase Induced by Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Min, Juwon; Baek, Seungjun; Somasundaran, P; Lee, Jae W

    2016-09-20

    This study introduces an "anti-adhesive force" at the interface of solid hydrate and liquid solution phases. The force was induced by the presence of hydrophobic silica nanoparticles or one of the common anti-agglomerants (AAs), sorbitan monolaurate (Span 20), at the interface. The anti-adhesive force, which is defined as the maximum pushing force that does not induce the formation of a capillary bridge between the cyclopentane (CP) hydrate particle and the aqueous solution, was measured using a microbalance. Both hydrophobic silica nanoparticles and Span 20 can inhibit adhesion between the CP hydrate probe and the aqueous phase because silica nanoparticles have an aggregative property at the interface, and Span 20 enables the hydrate surface to be wetted with oil. Adding water-soluble sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to the nanoparticle system cannot affect the aggregative property or the distribution of silica nanoparticles at the interface and, thus, cannot change the anti-adhesive effect. However, the combined system of Span 20 and SDS dramatically reduces the interfacial tension: emulsion drops were formed at the interface without any energy input and were adsorbed on the CP hydrate surface, which can cause the growth of hydrate particles. Silica nanoparticles have a good anti-adhesive performance with a relatively smaller dosage and are less influenced by the presence of molecular surfactants; consequently, these nanoparticles may have a good potential for hydrate inhibition as AAs.

  18. Form-Finding Using Nonlinear Analysis Method in Tensioned Fabric Structure in The Form of Handkerchief Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibrahim, MH Wan; Hadi, MN Abdul; Hooi Min, Yee

    2018-04-01

    Tensioned fabric structure with different surface form could be realized. Their variations as possible choice form of minimal surface for tensioned fabric structure have been studied. The form of used in TFS is Handkerchief Surface. Handkerchief Surface used in TFS because Handkerchief Surface is the form of minimal surface and Handkerchief Surface has not been studied by other researcher. Besides, no other work on Handkerchief Surface as idea in tensioned fabric structure has been found. The aim of the study is to propose converged shape of Handkerchief Surface with variable u=v=0.4 and u=v=1.0. The method used for Form-Finding is nonlinear analysis method. From the result, the surface of Handkerchief TFS model, u=v=0.4 and u=v=1.0 show the total warp and fill stress deviation is less than 0.01. The initial equilibrium shape of Handkerchief tensioned fabric structure model, u=v=0.4 and u=v=1.0 is corresponding to equal tension surface. Tensioned fabric structure in the form of Handikerchief Surface is a structurally viable surface form to be considered by engineer.

  19. 30 CFR 250.917 - What are the CVA's primary duties during the fabrication phase?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... turrets, turret-and-hull interfaces, any mooring line and chain and riser tensioning line segments; and...) Drilling, production, and pipeline risers, and riser tensioning systems (at least for the initial...

  20. 30 CFR 250.917 - What are the CVA's primary duties during the fabrication phase?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... turrets, turret-and-hull interfaces, any mooring line and chain and riser tensioning line segments; and...) Drilling, production, and pipeline risers, and riser tensioning systems (at least for the initial...

  1. 30 CFR 250.917 - What are the CVA's primary duties during the fabrication phase?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... turrets, turret-and-hull interfaces, any mooring line and chain and riser tensioning line segments; and...) Drilling, production, and pipeline risers, and riser tensioning systems (at least for the initial...

  2. Surfactant effects on interfacial flow and thermal transport processes during phase change in film boiling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Premnath, Kannan N.; Hajabdollahi, Farzaneh; Welch, Samuel W. J.

    2018-04-01

    The presence of surfactants in two-phase flows results in the transport and adsorption of surfactants to the interface, and the resulting local interfacial concentration significantly influences the surface tension between the liquid and vapor phases in a fluid undergoing phase change. This computational study is aimed at understanding and elucidating the mechanisms of enhanced flows and thermal transport processes in film boiling due to the addition of surfactants. A change in surface tension results in a change in the critical Rayleigh-Taylor wavelength leading to different bubble release patterns and a change in the overall heat transfer rates. Due to the presence of surfactants, an additional transport mechanism of the Marangoni convection arises from the resulting tangential gradients in the surfactant concentration along the phase interface. Our computational approach to study such phenomena consists of representing the interfacial motion by means of the coupled level set-volume-of-fluid method, the fluid motion via the classical marker-and-cell approach, as well as representations for the bulk transport of energy and surfactants, in conjunction with a phase change model and an interfacial surfactant model. Using such an approach, we perform numerical simulations of surfactant-laden single mode as well as multiple mode film boiling and study the effect of surfactants on the transport processes in film boiling, including bubble release patterns, vapor generation rates, and heat transfer rates at different surfactant concentrations. The details of the underlying mechanisms will be investigated and interpreted.

  3. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lu, Mingyuan; Mead, James; Wu, Yueqin

    In this study, a nanoindentation-based microcantilever bending technique was utilized to investigate the interfacial properties of a β-Mg{sub 17}Al{sub 12}/AZ91 Mg alloy film/substrate system under tensile loading conditions. Finite element analysis (FEA) was first undertaken to optimise the design of cantilever structures for inducing high tensile stresses at the interface. Cantilevers consisting of a necked region or notch at the interface were determined to be the most successful designs. Microcantilevers containing the β-Mg{sub 17}Al{sub 12}/AZ91 interface were then made using focused ion beam (FIB) milling technique. Necks were made in the cantilevers to intensify the tension at the interface andmore » notches were used to introduce a stress concentration to the interface. During bending, the cantilevers were deflected to failure. Subsequent analysis of the deformed cantilevers using electron microscopies revealed that plastic deformation, and subsequent ductile rupture, of the AZ91 phase was the dominant failure mechanism. When the β-Mg{sub 17}Al{sub 12}/AZ91 film/substrate system was subjected to tension, the softer AZ91 phase failed prior to interfacial delamination, demonstrating that the strength of the interface exceeded the stresses that caused ductile failure in the substrate material. - Highlights: •Microcantilever bending was used to study the property of film/substrate interface. •FEA was used to optimise cantilever design for achieving high interfacial tension. •The intermetallic coatings on AZ91 substrate have strong interfacial adhesion.« less

  4. The impact of electrolyte on the adsorption of the anionic surfactant methyl ester sulfonate at the air-solution interface: Surface multilayer formation.

    PubMed

    Xu, H; Thomas, R K; Penfold, J; Li, P X; Ma, K; Welbourne, R J L; Roberts, D W; Petkov, J T

    2018-02-15

    The methyl ester sulfonates represent a promising group of anionic surfactants which have the potential for improved performance and biocompatibility in a range of applications. Their solution properties, in particular their tolerance to hard water, suggests that surface ordering may occur in the presence of multi-valent counterion. Understanding their adsorption properties in a range of different circumstances is key to the exploitation of their potential. Neutron reflectivity and surface tension have been used to characterise the adsorption at the air-aqueous solution interface of the anionic surfactant sodium tetradecanoic 2-sulfo 1-methyl ester, C 14 MES, in the absence of electrolyte and in the presence of mono, di, and tri-valent counterions, Na + , Ca 2+ , and Al 3+ . In particular the emphasis has been on exploring the tendency to form layered structures at the interface. In the absence of electrolyte and in the presence of NaCl and CaCl 2 and AlCl 3 at low concentrations monolayer adsorption is observed, and the addition of electrolyte results in enhanced adsorption. In the presence of NaCl and CaCl 2 only monolayer adsorption is observed. However at higher AlCl 3 concentrations surface multilayer formation is observed, in which the number of bilayers at the surface depends upon the surfactant and AlCl 3 concentrations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Morphology and Surface Energy of a Si Containing Semifluorinated Di-block Copolymer Thin Films.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shrestha, Umesh; Clarson, Stephen; Perahia, Dvora

    2013-03-01

    The structure and composition of an interface influence stability, adhesiveness and response to external stimuli of thin polymeric films. Incorporation of fluorine affects interfacial energy as well as thermal and chemical stability of the layers. The incompatibility between the fluorinated and non-fluorinated blocks induces segregation that leads to long range correlations where the tendency of the fluorine to migrate to interfaces impacts the surface tension of the films. Concurrently Si in a polymeric backbone enhances the flexibility of polymeric chains. Our previous studies of poly trifluoro propyl methyl siloxane-polystyrene thin films with SiF fraction 0.03-0.5 as a function of temperature have shown that the SiF block drives layering parallel to the surface of the diblock. Here in we report the structure and interfacial energies of SiF-PS in the plane of the films, as a function of the volume fraction of the SiF block obtained from Atomic Force microscopy and contact angle measurement studies. This work is supported by NSF DMR - 0907390

  6. Protein modeling and molecular dynamics simulation of the two novel surfactant proteins SP-G and SP-H.

    PubMed

    Rausch, Felix; Schicht, Martin; Bräuer, Lars; Paulsen, Friedrich; Brandt, Wolfgang

    2014-11-01

    Surfactant proteins are well known from the human lung where they are responsible for the stability and flexibility of the pulmonary surfactant system. They are able to influence the surface tension of the gas-liquid interface specifically by directly interacting with single lipids. This work describes the generation of reliable protein structure models to support the experimental characterization of two novel putative surfactant proteins called SP-G and SP-H. The obtained protein models were complemented by predicted posttranslational modifications and placed in a lipid model system mimicking the pulmonary surface. Molecular dynamics simulations of these protein-lipid systems showed the stability of the protein models and the formation of interactions between protein surface and lipid head groups on an atomic scale. Thereby, interaction interface and strength seem to be dependent on orientation and posttranslational modification of the protein. The here presented modeling was fundamental for experimental localization studies and the simulations showed that SP-G and SP-H are theoretically able to interact with lipid systems and thus are members of the surfactant protein family.

  7. Numerical Simulation of Bow Waves and Transom-Stern Flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dommermuth, Douglas G.; Schlageter, Eric A.; Talcott, John C.; Wyatt, Donald C.; Novikov, Evgeny A.

    1997-11-01

    A stratified-flow formulation is used to model the breaking bow wave and the separated transom-stern flow that are generated by a ship moving with forward speed. The interface of the air with the water is identified as the zero level-set of a three-dimensional function. The ship is modeled using a body-force technique on a cartesian grid. The three-dimensional body-force is generated using a surface panelization of the entire ship, including the above-water geometry up to and including the deck. The effects of surface tension are modeled as a source term that is concentrated at the air-water interface. The effects of gravity are modeled as a volumetric force. The three-dimensional, unsteady, Navier-Stokes equations are expressed in primitive-variable form. A LES formulation with a Smagorinsky sub-grid-scale model is used to model turbulence. Numerical convergence is demonstrated using 128x64x65, 256x128x129, and 512x256x257 grid points. The numerical results compare well to whisker-probe measurements of the free-surface elevation generated by a naval combatant.

  8. Solutal Marangoni flow as the cause of ring stains from drying salty colloidal drops

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marin, Alvaro; Karpitschka, Stefan; Rossi, Massimiliano; Kaehler, Christian J.; Noguera-Marin, Diego; Rodriguez-Valverde, Miguel A.

    2017-11-01

    Salts can be found in different forms in almost any evaporating droplet in nature, our homes and in laboratories. The transport processes in such apparently simple systems differ strongly from `sweet' evaporating droplets since the liquid flows in the inverse direction due to Marangoni stresses at the surface. Such an effect has crucial consequences to salt crystallization processes and to the evaporation itself. In this work we show measurements that not only confirm clearly the details of the inverted flow patterns, but also permit us to calculate the surface tension gradients responsible for the reversal. Such a reversal does not prevent the coffee-stain effect; on the contrary, particles accumulate and get trapped at the liquid-air interface driven by the surface flow. In order to prove this, we show measurements of the full three-dimensional flow inside the evaporating salty droplet, confocal imaging is used to quantify the growth of the particle deposits for different salt concentrations, and we compare the experimental results with numerical simulations that capture the solvent evaporation, the evaporation-induced liquid flow and the quasi-equilibrium liquid-gas interface.

  9. Arresting relaxation in Pickering Emulsions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atherton, Tim; Burke, Chris

    2015-03-01

    Pickering emulsions consist of droplets of one fluid dispersed in a host fluid and stabilized by colloidal particles absorbed at the fluid-fluid interface. Everyday materials such as crude oil and food products like salad dressing are examples of these materials. Particles can stabilize non spherical droplet shapes in these emulsions through the following sequence: first, an isolated droplet is deformed, e.g. by an electric field, increasing the surface area above the equilibrium value; additional particles are then adsorbed to the interface reducing the surface tension. The droplet is then allowed to relax toward a sphere. If more particles were adsorbed than can be accommodated by the surface area of the spherical ground state, relaxation of the droplet is arrested at some non-spherical shape. Because the energetic cost of removing adsorbed colloids exceeds the interfacial driving force, these configurations can remain stable over long timescales. In this presentation, we present a computational study of the ordering present in anisotropic droplets produced through the mechanism of arrested relaxation and discuss the interplay between the geometry of the droplet, the dynamical process that produced it, and the structure of the defects observed.

  10. Surface tension, surface energy, and chemical potential due to their difference.

    PubMed

    Hui, C-Y; Jagota, A

    2013-09-10

    It is well-known that surface tension and surface energy are distinct quantities for solids. Each can be regarded as a thermodynamic property related first by Shuttleworth. Mullins and others have suggested that the difference between surface tension and surface energy cannot be sustained and that the two will approach each other over time. In this work we show that in a single-component system where changes in elastic energy can be neglected, the chemical potential difference between the surface and bulk is proportional to the difference between surface tension and surface energy. By further assuming that mass transfer is driven by this chemical potential difference, we establish a model for the kinetics by which mass transfer removes the difference between surface tension and surface energy.

  11. Molecular Characteristics and Biological Functions of Surface-Active and Surfactant Proteins.

    PubMed

    Sunde, Margaret; Pham, Chi L L; Kwan, Ann H

    2017-06-20

    Many critical biological processes take place at hydrophobic:hydrophilic interfaces, and a wide range of organisms produce surface-active proteins and peptides that reduce surface and interfacial tension and mediate growth and development at these boundaries. Microorganisms produce both small lipid-associated peptides and amphipathic proteins that allow growth across water:air boundaries, attachment to surfaces, predation, and improved bioavailability of hydrophobic substrates. Higher-order organisms produce surface-active proteins with a wide variety of functions, including the provision of protective foam environments for vulnerable reproductive stages, evaporative cooling, and gas exchange across airway membranes. In general, the biological functions supported by these diverse polypeptides require them to have an amphipathic nature, and this is achieved by a diverse range of molecular structures, with some proteins undergoing significant conformational change or intermolecular association to generate the structures that are surface active.

  12. Effect of TiO, nanoparticles on the interface in the PET-rubber composites.

    PubMed

    Vladuta, Cristina; Andronic, Luminita; Duta, Anca

    2010-04-01

    Usually, ceramic powders (SiO2, ZnO) are used as fillers for enhancing rubber mechanical strength. Poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET)-rubber nanocomposites were prepared by compression molding using titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles as low content fillers (<2% wt). The interface properties of PET-rubber nanocomposites were studied before and after keeping the samples under UV-radiation for a week. UV-radiation has interesting potential for the photochemical modification of polymers and TiO2. The influence of UV radiation on the properties of the interface polymer-TiO2 nanoparticles was evaluated. The impact of nanoparticle aggregates on the nanometer to micrometer organization of PET-rubber composites was studied with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The interface properties were explained by measuring the contact angles and surface tensions. The interactions between components of nanocomposites were investigated with Fourier Transform-Infrared (FTIR) and the effects of TiO2 nanoparticle on the interfaces and composites crystalline structure were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results proved that the TiO2 nanoparticles, in different weight percentages, did not alter the nanocomposites crystallinity or the average crystallites size, but improve the interface properties.

  13. Estimating intercellular surface tension by laser-induced cell fusion.

    PubMed

    Fujita, Masashi; Onami, Shuichi

    2011-12-01

    Intercellular surface tension is a key variable in understanding cellular mechanics. However, conventional methods are not well suited for measuring the absolute magnitude of intercellular surface tension because these methods require determination of the effective viscosity of the whole cell, a quantity that is difficult to measure. In this study, we present a novel method for estimating the intercellular surface tension at single-cell resolution. This method exploits the cytoplasmic flow that accompanies laser-induced cell fusion when the pressure difference between cells is large. Because the cytoplasmic viscosity can be measured using well-established technology, this method can be used to estimate the absolute magnitudes of tension. We applied this method to two-cell-stage embryos of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and estimated the intercellular surface tension to be in the 30-90 µN m(-1) range. Our estimate was in close agreement with cell-medium surface tensions measured at single-cell resolution.

  14. Theoretical analysis for condensation heat transfer of binary refrigerant mixtures with annular flow in horizontal mini-tubes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Hui-Yong; Li, Jun-Ming; Sun, Ji-Liang; Wang, Bu-Xuan

    2016-01-01

    A theoretical model is developed for condensation heat transfer of binary refrigerant mixtures in mini-tubes with diameter about 1.0 mm. Condensation heat transfer of R410A and R32/R134a mixtures at different mass fluxes and saturated temperatures are analyzed, assuming that the phase flow pattern is annular flow. The results indicate that there exists a maximum interface temperature at the beginning of condensation process for azeotropic and zeotropic mixtures and the corresponding vapor quality to the maximum value increases with mass flux. The effects of mass flux, heat flux, surface tension and tube diameter are analyzed. As expected, the condensation heat transfer coefficients increase with mass flux and vapor quality, and increase faster in high vapor quality region. It is found that the effects of heat flux and surface tension are not so obvious as that of tube diameter. The characteristics of condensation heat transfer of zeotropic mixtures are consistent to those of azeotropic refrigerant mixtures. The condensation heat transfer coefficients increase with the concentration of the less volatile component in binary mixtures.

  15. An experimental test of the fluctuation relation in an active camphor boat system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paroor, H. M.; Nambiar, N.; Bandi, M. M.

    The Gallavotti-Cohen fluctuation relation (FR) posits a specific symmetry between positive and negative fluctuations in entropy production, or a related quantity (e.g power) for systems in non-equilibrium stationary state. Successful tests in a variety of systems suggest the FR may be more generally applicable than the conditions under which it was originally derived. Systems where the FR fails are therefore valuable for the insight they provide into the FR's general success. It has recently been suggested that ``active matter'' should not satisfy the fluctuation-dissipation theorem or FR. We experimentally test this possibility in a system of active camphor boats, self-propelled by surface tension gradients at air-water interfaces. The boats interact via short-range capillary attraction which competes with long-range surface tension mediated repulsion. Tuning interaction strength with number density, we test the FR through the statistics of power as one goes from a free non-interacting camphor boat, through a few weakly interacting boats to several, strongly interacting boats. We present preliminary results of our experiments and data analysis.

  16. Effect of formation and state of interface on joint strength in friction stir spot welding for advanced high strength steel sheets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taniguchi, Koichi; Matsushita, Muneo; Ikeda, Rinsei; Oi, Kenji

    2014-08-01

    The tensile shear strength and cross tension strength of friction stir spot welded joints were evaluated in the cases of lap joints of 270 N/mm2 grade and 980 N/mm2 grade cold rolled steel sheets with respect to the stir zone area, hardness distribution, and interface condition between the sheets. The results suggested that both the tensile shear strength and cross tension strength were based on the stir zone area and its hardness in both grades of steel. The "hook" shape of the interface also affected the joint strength. However, the joining that occurred across the interfaces had a significant influence on the value of the joint strength in the case of the 270 N/mm2 grade steel.

  17. Interactions between Streptomyces coelicolor and Bacillus subtilis: Role of surfactants in raising aerial structures.

    PubMed

    Straight, Paul D; Willey, Joanne M; Kolter, Roberto

    2006-07-01

    Using mixed-species cultures, we have undertaken a study of interactions between two common spore-forming soil bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces coelicolor. Our experiments demonstrate that the development of aerial hyphae and spores by S. coelicolor is inhibited by surfactin, a lipopeptide surfactant produced by B. subtilis. Current models of aerial development by sporulating bacteria and fungi postulate a role for surfactants in reducing surface tension at air-liquid interfaces, thereby removing the major barrier to aerial growth. S. coelicolor produces SapB, an amphipathic peptide that is surface active and required for aerial growth on certain media. Loss of aerial hyphae in developmental mutants can be rescued by addition of purified SapB. While a surfactant from a fungus can substitute for SapB in a mutant that lacks aerial hyphae, not all surfactants have this effect. We show that surfactin is required for formation of aerial structures on the surface of B. subtilis colonies. However, in contrast to this positive role, our experiments reveal that surfactin acts antagonistically by arresting S. coelicolor aerial development and causing altered expression of developmental genes. Our observations support the idea that surfactants function specifically for a given organism regardless of their shared ability to reduce surface tension. Production of surfactants with antagonistic activity could provide a powerful competitive advantage during surface colonization and in competition for resources.

  18. Cavitation in a metallic liquid: Homogeneous nucleation and growth of nanovoids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, Y.; Wu, H. A.; Luo, S. N.

    2014-06-01

    Large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate homogeneous nucleation and growth of nanovoids during cavitation in liquid Cu. We characterize in detail the atomistic cavitation processes by following the temporal evolution of cavities or voids, analyze the nucleation behavior with the mean first-passage time (MFPT) and survival probability (SP) methods, and discuss the results against classical nucleation theory (CNT), the Tolman equation for surface energy, independent calculation of surface tension via integrating the stress profiles, the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) growth law, and the power law for nucleus size distributions. Cavitation in this representative metallic liquid is a high energy barrier Poisson processes, and the steady-state nucleation rates obtained from statistical runs with the MFPT and SP methods are in agreement. The MFPT method also yields the critical nucleus size and the Zeldovich factor. Fitting with the Tolman's equation to the MD simulations yields the surface energy of a planar interface (˜0.9 J {m}^{-2}) and the Tolman length (0.4-0.5 Å), and those values are in accord with those from integrating the stress profiles of a planar interface. Independent CNT predictions of the nucleation rate (1033 - 34 s-1 m-3) and critical size (3-4 Å in radius) are in agreement with the MFPT and SP results. The JMA law can reasonably describe the nucleation and growth process. The size distribution of subcritical nuclei appears to follow a power law with an exponent decreasing with increasing tension owing to coupled nucleation and growth, and that of the supercritical nuclei becomes flattened during further stress relaxation due to void coalescence.

  19. Cavitation in a metallic liquid: homogeneous nucleation and growth of nanovoids.

    PubMed

    Cai, Y; Wu, H A; Luo, S N

    2014-06-07

    Large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate homogeneous nucleation and growth of nanovoids during cavitation in liquid Cu. We characterize in detail the atomistic cavitation processes by following the temporal evolution of cavities or voids, analyze the nucleation behavior with the mean first-passage time (MFPT) and survival probability (SP) methods, and discuss the results against classical nucleation theory (CNT), the Tolman equation for surface energy, independent calculation of surface tension via integrating the stress profiles, the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) growth law, and the power law for nucleus size distributions. Cavitation in this representative metallic liquid is a high energy barrier Poisson processes, and the steady-state nucleation rates obtained from statistical runs with the MFPT and SP methods are in agreement. The MFPT method also yields the critical nucleus size and the Zeldovich factor. Fitting with the Tolman's equation to the MD simulations yields the surface energy of a planar interface (~0.9 J m⁻²) and the Tolman length (0.4-0.5 Å), and those values are in accord with those from integrating the stress profiles of a planar interface. Independent CNT predictions of the nucleation rate (10(33 - 34) s(-1) m(-3)) and critical size (3-4 Å in radius) are in agreement with the MFPT and SP results. The JMA law can reasonably describe the nucleation and growth process. The size distribution of subcritical nuclei appears to follow a power law with an exponent decreasing with increasing tension owing to coupled nucleation and growth, and that of the supercritical nuclei becomes flattened during further stress relaxation due to void coalescence.

  20. Cavitation in a metallic liquid: Homogeneous nucleation and growth of nanovoids

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cai, Y.; The Peac Institute of Multiscale Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan 610207; Wu, H. A., E-mail: wuha@ustc.edu.cn

    2014-06-07

    Large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate homogeneous nucleation and growth of nanovoids during cavitation in liquid Cu. We characterize in detail the atomistic cavitation processes by following the temporal evolution of cavities or voids, analyze the nucleation behavior with the mean first-passage time (MFPT) and survival probability (SP) methods, and discuss the results against classical nucleation theory (CNT), the Tolman equation for surface energy, independent calculation of surface tension via integrating the stress profiles, the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) growth law, and the power law for nucleus size distributions. Cavitation in this representative metallic liquid is a high energymore » barrier Poisson processes, and the steady-state nucleation rates obtained from statistical runs with the MFPT and SP methods are in agreement. The MFPT method also yields the critical nucleus size and the Zeldovich factor. Fitting with the Tolman's equation to the MD simulations yields the surface energy of a planar interface (∼0.9 J m{sup −2}) and the Tolman length (0.4–0.5 Å), and those values are in accord with those from integrating the stress profiles of a planar interface. Independent CNT predictions of the nucleation rate (10{sup 33−34} s{sup −1} m{sup −3}) and critical size (3–4 Å in radius) are in agreement with the MFPT and SP results. The JMA law can reasonably describe the nucleation and growth process. The size distribution of subcritical nuclei appears to follow a power law with an exponent decreasing with increasing tension owing to coupled nucleation and growth, and that of the supercritical nuclei becomes flattened during further stress relaxation due to void coalescence.« less

  1. Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Surface Tension of NaCl Aqueous Solution at 298.15K: from Diluted to Highly Supersaturated Concentrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xiaoxiang; Chen, Chuchu; Poeschl, Ulirch; Su, Hang; Cheng, Yafang

    2017-04-01

    Sodium chloride (NaCl) is one of the key components of atmospheric aerosol particles. Concentration-depend surface tension of aqueous NaCl solution is essential to determine the equilibrium between droplet NaCl solution and water vapor, which is important in regards to aerosol-cloud interaction and aerosol climate effects. Although supersaturated NaCl droplets can be widely found under atmospheric conditions, the experimental determined concentration dependency of surface tension is limited up to the saturated concentration range due to technical difficulties, i.e., heterogeneous nucleation since nearly all surface tension measurement techniques requires contact of the sensor and solution surface. In this study, the surface tension of NaCl aqueous solution with solute mass fraction from 0 to 1 was calculated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The surface tension increases monotonically and near linearly when mass fraction of NaCl (xNaCl) is lower than 0.265 (saturation point), which follows theoretical predictions (e.g., E-AIM, SP parameterization, and PK parameterization). Once entering into the supersaturated concentration range, the calculated surface tension starts to deviate from the near-linear extrapolation and adopts a slightly higher increasing rate until xNaCl of 0.35. We found that these two increasing phases (xNaCl 0.35) is mainly driven by the increase of excessive surface enthalpy when the solution becomes concentrated. After that, the surface tension remains almost unchanged until xNaCl of 0.52. This phenomenon is supported by the results from experiment based Differential Koehler Analyses. The stable surface tension in this concentration range is attributed to a simultaneous change of surface excess enthalpy and entropy at similar degree. When the NaCl solution is getting more concentrated than xNaCl of 0.52, the simulated surface tension regains an even faster growing momentum and shows the tendency of ultimately approaching the surface tension of molten NaCl at 298.15 K ( 148.4 mN/m by MD simulation). Energetic analyses imply that this fast increase is primarily still an excessive surface enthalpy-driven process, although concurrent fluctuation of excessive surface entropy is also expected but in a much smaller scale. Our results unfold the global landscape of concentration dependence of aqueous NaCl solution and its driven forces: a water surface tension dominated regime (xNaCl from 0 to 0.35), a transition regime (xNaCl from 0.35 to 0.52) and a molten NaCl surface tension dominated regime (xNaCl beyond 0.52).

  2. Precise, contactless measurements of the surface tension of picolitre aerosol droplets† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Parametrizations used to infer concentration, density, viscosity, and surface tension from refractive index for sodium chloride and glutaric acid; description of the semi-analytical T-matrix calculations; Fig. S1 and S2. See DOI: 10.1039/c5sc03184b Click here for additional data file.

    PubMed Central

    Bzdek, Bryan R.; Power, Rory M.; Simpson, Stephen H.; Royall, C. Patrick

    2016-01-01

    The surface composition and surface tension of aqueous droplets can influence key aerosol characteristics and processes including the critical supersaturation required for activation to form cloud droplets in the atmosphere. Despite its fundamental importance, surface tension measurements on droplets represent a considerable challenge owing to their small volumes. In this work, we utilize holographic optical tweezers to study the damped surface oscillations of a suspended droplet (<10 μm radius) following the controlled coalescence of a pair of droplets and report the first contactless measurements of the surface tension and viscosity of droplets containing only 1–4 pL of material. An advantage of performing the measurement in aerosol is that supersaturated solute states (common in atmospheric aerosol) may be accessed. For pairs of droplets starting at their equilibrium surface composition, surface tensions and viscosities are consistent with bulk equilibrium values, indicating that droplet surfaces respond to changes in surface area on microsecond timescales and suggesting that equilibrium values can be assumed for growing atmospheric droplets. Furthermore, droplet surfaces are shown to be rapidly modified by trace species thereby altering their surface tension. This equilibration of droplet surface tension to the local environmental conditions is illustrated for unknown contaminants in laboratory air and also for droplets exposed to gas passing through a water–ethanol solution. This approach enables precise measurements of surface tension and viscosity over long time periods, properties that currently are poorly constrained. PMID:28758004

  3. Computing Incompressible Flows With Free Surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kothe, D.

    1994-01-01

    RIPPLE computer program models transient, two-dimensional flows of incompressible fluids with surface tension on free surfaces of general shape. Surface tension modeled as volume force derived from continuum-surface-force model, giving RIPPLE both robustness and accuracy in modeling surface-tension effects at free surface. Also models wall adhesion effects. Written in FORTRAN 77.

  4. Respiratory Mechanics and Gas Exchange: The Effect of Surfactants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jbaily, Abdulrahman; Szeri, Andrew J.

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of the lung is to exchange gases, primarily oxygen and carbon dioxide, between the atmosphere and the circulatory system. To enable this exchange, the airways in the lungs terminate in some 300 million alveoli that provide adequate surface area for transport. During breathing, work must be done to stretch various tissues to accommodate a greater volume of gas. Considerable work must also be done to expand the liquid lining (hypophase) that coats the interior surfaces of the alveoli. This is enabled by a surface active lipo-protein complex, known as pulmonary surfactant, that modifies the surface tension at the hypophase-air interface. Surfactants also serve as physical barriers that modify the rate of gas transfer across interfaces. We develop a mathematical model to study the action of pulmonary surfactant and its determinative contributions to breathing. The model is used to explore the influence of surfactants on alveolar mechanics and on gas exchange: it relates the work of respiration at the level of the alveolus to the gas exchange rate through the changing influence of pulmonary surfactant over the breathing cycle. This work is motivated by a need to develop improved surfactant replacement therapies to treat serious medical conditions.

  5. Concentration Dependences of the Surface Tension and Density of Solutions of Acetone-Ethanol-Water Systems at 293 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dadashev, R. Kh.; Dzhambulatov, R. S.; Mezhidov, V. Kh.; Elimkhanov, D. Z.

    2018-05-01

    Concentration dependences of the surface tension and density of solutions of three-component acetone-ethanol-water systems and the bounding binary systems at 273 K are studied. The molar volume, adsorption, and composition of surface layers are calculated. Experimental data and calculations show that three-component solutions are close to ideal ones. The surface tensions of these solutions are calculated using semi-empirical and theoretical equations. Theoretical equations qualitatively convey the concentration dependence of surface tension. A semi-empirical method based on the Köhler equation allows us to predict the concentration dependence of surface tension within the experimental error.

  6. Physics of singularities in pressure-impulse theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krechetnikov, R.

    2018-05-01

    The classical solution in the pressure-impulse theory for the inviscid, incompressible, and zero-surface-tension water impact of a flat plate at zero dead-rise angle exhibits both singular-in-time initial fluid acceleration, ∂v /∂ t |t =0˜δ (t ) , and a near-plate-edge spatial singularity in the velocity distribution, v ˜r-1 /2 , where r is the distance from the plate edge. The latter velocity divergence also leads to the interface being stretched infinitely right after the impact, which is another nonphysical artifact. From the point of view of matched asymptotic analysis, this classical solution is a singular limit when three physical quantities achieve limiting values: sound speed c0→∞ , fluid kinematic viscosity ν →0 , and surface tension σ →0 . This leaves open a question on how to resolve these singularities mathematically by including the neglected physical effects—compressibility, viscosity, and surface tension—first one by one and then culminating in the local compressible viscous solution valid for t →0 and r →0 , demonstrating a nontrivial flow structure that changes with the degree of the bulk compressibility. In the course of this study, by starting with the general physically relevant formulation of compressible viscous flow, we clarify the parameter range(s) of validity of the key analytical solutions including classical ones (inviscid incompressible and compressible, etc.) and understand the solution structure, its intermediate asymptotics nature, characteristics influencing physical processes, and the role of potential and rotational flow components. In particular, it is pointed out that sufficiently close to the plate edge surface tension must be taken into account. Overall, the idea is to highlight the interesting physics behind the singularities in the pressure-impulse theory.

  7. Similar solutions of double-diffusive dissipative layers along free surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Napolitano, L. G.; Viviani, A.; Savino, R.

    1990-10-01

    Free convection due to buoyant forces (natural convection) and surface tension gradients (Marangoni convection) generated by temperature and concentration gradients is discussed together with the formation of double-diffusive boundary layers along liquid-gas interfaces. Similarity solutions for each class of free convection are derived and the resulting nonlinear two-point problems are solved numerically using the quasi-linearization method. Velocity, temperature, concentration profiles, interfacial velocity, heat and mass transfer bulk coefficients for various Prandtl and Schmidt numbers, and different values of the similarity parameters are determined. The convective flows are of particular interest because they are considered to influence the processes of crystal growth, both on earth and in a microgravity environment.

  8. Roughness of stylolites: implications of 3D high resolution topography measurements.

    PubMed

    Schmittbuhl, J; Renard, F; Gratier, J P; Toussaint, R

    2004-12-03

    Stylolites are natural pressure-dissolution surfaces in sedimentary rocks. We present 3D high resolution measurements at laboratory scales of their complex roughness. The topography is shown to be described by a self-affine scaling invariance. At large scales, the Hurst exponent is zeta(1) approximately 0.5 and very different from that at small scales where zeta(2) approximately 1.2. A crossover length scale at around L(c)=1 mm is well characterized. Measurements are consistent with a Langevin equation that describes the growth of a stylolitic interface as a competition between stabilizing long range elastic interactions at large scales or local surface tension effects at small scales and a destabilizing quenched material disorder.

  9. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Willow, Soohaeng Yoo; Xantheas, Sotiris S.

    The effect of the Hofmeister anion series on the structure and stability of proteins is often discussed using simple systems such as a water-vapor interface with the assumption that the vapor region mimics the hydrophobic surface. Microscopic theories suggest that the Hofmeister anion series is highly correlated with the different contributions of the various ions to the surface tension of such a water-vapor interface. Proteins, however, have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions rather than just a pure hydrophobic one. Using a solvated parallel β -sheet layer consisting of both hydrophobic and positively charged hydrophilic surfaces as a more realistic modelmore » to represent a protein surface, we investigated the interaction of such a system with hydrophilic-like (SO42-) and hydrophobic-like (ClO4-) anions via Born-Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics (BOMD) simulations. We found that both the SO42- and ClO4- anions prefer to reside on the hydrophilic rather than on the hydrophobic surface of the parallel β -sheet layer. In addition, our simulations suggest that the ClO4- ions not only penetrate towards the peptide groups through the hydrophilic residues, but also allow water molecules to penetrate as well to form water-peptide hydrogen bonds, while the SO42- ions stabilize the interface of the water-hydrophilic surface. Our results render a plausible explanation of why hydrophobic-like Hofmeister anions act as protein denaturants. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.« less

  10. Analysis of a static undulation on the surface of a thin dielectric liquid layer formed by dielectrophoresis forces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Carl V.; McHale, Glen; Mottram, Nigel J.

    2011-07-01

    A layer of insulating liquid of dielectric constant ɛOil and average thickness h- coats a flat surface at y = 0 at which a one-dimensional sinusoidal potential V(x ,0)=VOcos(πx /p) is applied. Dielectrophoresis forces create a static undulation (or "wrinkle") distortion h(x) of period p at the liquid/air interface. Analytical expressions have been derived for the electrostatic energy and the interfacial energy associated with the surface undulation when h(x)=h--(1/2)Acos(2πx /p) yielding a scaling relationship for A as a function of h-, p, VO, ɛOil and the surface tension. The analysis is valid as A/p → 0, and in this limit convergence with numerical simulation of the system is shown.

  11. Monolayer Colloidal Crystals by Modified Air-Water Interface Self-Assembly Approach

    PubMed Central

    Ye, Xin; Huang, Jin; Zeng, Yong; Sun, Lai-Xi; Geng, Feng; Liu, Hong-Jie; Wang, Feng-Rui; Jiang, Xiao-Dong; Wu, Wei-Dong; Zheng, Wan-Guo

    2017-01-01

    Hexagonally ordered arrays of polystyrene (PS) microspheres were prepared by a modified air-water self-assembly method. A detailed analysis of the air-water interface self-assembly process was conducted. Several parameters affect the quality of the monolayer colloidal crystals, i.e., the colloidal microsphere concentration on the latex, the surfactant concentration, the polystyrene microsphere diameter, the microsphere polydispersity, and the degree of sphericity of polystyrene microspheres. An abrupt change in surface tension was used to improve the quality of the monolayer colloidal crystal. Three typical microstructures, i.e., a cone, a pillar, and a binary structure were prepared by reactive-ion etching using a high-quality colloidal crystal mask. This study provides insight into the production of microsphere templates with flexible structures for large-area patterned materials. PMID:28946664

  12. Edge Fracture in Complex Fluids.

    PubMed

    Hemingway, Ewan J; Kusumaatmaja, Halim; Fielding, Suzanne M

    2017-07-14

    We study theoretically the edge fracture instability in sheared complex fluids, by means of linear stability analysis and direct nonlinear simulations. We derive an exact analytical expression for the onset of edge fracture in terms of the shear-rate derivative of the fluid's second normal stress difference, the shear-rate derivative of the shear stress, the jump in shear stress across the interface between the fluid and the outside medium (usually air), the surface tension of that interface, and the rheometer gap size. We provide a full mechanistic understanding of the edge fracture instability, carefully validated against our simulations. These findings, which are robust with respect to choice of rheological constitutive model, also suggest a possible route to mitigating edge fracture, potentially allowing experimentalists to achieve and accurately measure flows stronger than hitherto possible.

  13. Apollo-Soyuz pamphlet no. 8: Zero-g technology. [experimental designispace processing and aerospace engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Page, L. W.; From, T. P.

    1977-01-01

    The behavior of liquids in zero gravity environments is discussed with emphasis on foams, wetting, and wicks. A multipurpose electric furnace (MA-010) for the high temperature processing of metals and salts in zero-g is described. Experiments discussed include: monolectic and synthetic alloys (MA-041); multiple material melting point (MA-150); zero-g processing of metals (MA-070); surface tension induced convection (MA-041); halide eutectic growth; interface markings in crystals (MA-060); crystal growth from the vapor phase (MA-085); and photography of crystal growth (MA-028).

  14. Substructured multibody molecular dynamics.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Grest, Gary Stephen; Stevens, Mark Jackson; Plimpton, Steven James

    2006-11-01

    We have enhanced our parallel molecular dynamics (MD) simulation software LAMMPS (Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator, lammps.sandia.gov) to include many new features for accelerated simulation including articulated rigid body dynamics via coupling to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute code POEMS (Parallelizable Open-source Efficient Multibody Software). We use new features of the LAMMPS software package to investigate rhodopsin photoisomerization, and water model surface tension and capillary waves at the vapor-liquid interface. Finally, we motivate the recipes of MD for practitioners and researchers in numerical analysis and computational mechanics.

  15. Meso-Scale Progressive Damage Behavior Characterization of Triaxial Braided Composites under Quasi-Static Tensile Load

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, Yiru; Zhang, Songjun; Jiang, Hongyong; Xiang, Jinwu

    2018-04-01

    Based on continuum damage mechanics (CDM), a sophisticated 3D meso-scale finite element (FE) model is proposed to characterize the progressive damage behavior of 2D Triaxial Braided Composites (2DTBC) with 60° braiding angle under quasi-static tensile load. The modified Von Mises strength criterion and 3D Hashin failure criterion are used to predict the damage initiation of the pure matrix and fiber tows. A combining interface damage and friction constitutive model is applied to predict the interface damage behavior. Murakami-Ohno stiffness degradation scheme is employed to predict the damage evolution process of each constituent. Coupling with the ordinary and translational symmetry boundary conditions, the tensile elastic response including tensile strength and failure strain of 2DTBC are in good agreement with the available experiment data. The numerical results show that the main failure modes of the composites under axial tensile load are pure matrix cracking, fiber and matrix tension failure in bias fiber tows, matrix tension failure in axial fiber tows and interface debonding; the main failure modes of the composites subjected to transverse tensile load are free-edge effect, matrix tension failure in bias fiber tows and interface debonding.

  16. Polymer matrix and graphite fiber interface study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, D. F.; Zimmerman, R. S.; Odom, E. M.

    1985-01-01

    Hercules AS4 graphite fiber, unsized, or with EPON 828, PVA, or polysulfone sizing, was combined with three different polymer matrices. These included Hercules 3501-6 epoxy, Hercules 4001 bismaleimide, and Hexcel F155 rubber toughened epoxy. Unidirectional composites in all twelve combinations were fabricated and tested in transverse tension and axial compression. Quasi-isotropic laminates were tested in axial tension and compression, flexure, interlaminar shear, and tensile impact. All tests were conducted at both room temperature, dry and elevated temperature, and wet conditions. Single fiber pullout testing was also performed. Extensive scanning electron microphotographs of fracture surfaces are included, along with photographs of single fiber pullout failures. Analytical/experimental correlations are presented, based on the results of a finite element micromechanics analysis. Correlations between matrix type, fiber sizing, hygrothermal environment, and loading mode are presented. Results indicate that the various composite properties were only moderately influenced by the fiber sizings utilized.

  17. On the interfacial thermodynamics of nanoscale droplets and bubbles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corti, David S.; Kerr, Karl J.; Torabi, Korosh

    2011-07-01

    We present a new self-consistent thermodynamic formalism for the interfacial properties of nanoscale embryos whose interiors do not exhibit bulklike behavior and are in complete equilibrium with the surrounding mother phase. In contrast to the standard Gibbsian analysis, whereby a bulk reference pressure based on the same temperature and chemical potentials of the mother phase is introduced, our approach naturally incorporates the normal pressure at the center of the embryo as an appropriate reference pressure. While the interfacial properties of small embryos that follow from the use of these two reference pressures are different, both methods yield by construction the same reversible work of embryo formation as well as consistency between their respective thermodynamic and mechanical routes to the surface tension. Hence, there is no a priori reason to select one method over another. Nevertheless, we argue, and demonstrate via a density-functional theory (with the local density approximation) analysis of embryo formation in the pure component Lennard-Jones fluid, that our new method generates more physically appealing trends. For example, within the new approach the surface tension at all locations of the dividing surface vanishes at the spinodal where the density profile spanning the embryo and mother phase becomes completely uniform (only the surface tension at the Gibbs surface of tension vanishes in the Gibbsian method at this same limit). Also, for bubbles, the location of the surface of tension now diverges at the spinodal, similar to the divergent behavior exhibited by the equimolar dividing surface (in the Gibbsian method, the location of the surface of tension vanishes instead). For droplets, the new method allows for the appearance of negative surface tensions (the Gibbsian method always yields positive tensions) when the normal pressures within the interior of the embryo become less than the bulk pressure of the surrounding vapor phase. Such a prediction, which is allowed by thermodynamics, is consistent with the interpretation that the mother phase's attempted compression of the droplet is counterbalanced by the negative surface tension, or free energy cost to decrease the interfacial area. Furthermore, for these same droplets, the surface of tension can no longer be meaningfully defined (the surface of tension always remains well defined in the Gibbsian method). Within the new method, the dividing surface at which the surface tension equals zero emerges as a new lengthscale, which has various thermodynamic analogs to and similar behavior as the surface of tension.

  18. Surface tension anomalies in room temperature ionic liquids-acetone solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abe, Hiroshi; Murata, Keisuke; Kiyokawa, Shota; Yoshimura, Yukihiro

    2018-05-01

    Surface tension anomalies were observed in room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL)-acetone solutions. The RTILs are 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazorium iodide with [Cnmim][I] in a [Cnmim][I]-x mol% acetone. The maximum value of the surface tension appeared at 40 mol% acetone, although density decreased monotonically with an increase in acetone concentration. A small alkyl chain length effect of the Cnmim+ cations was observed in the surface tension. By the Gibbs adsorption isotherm, it was found that I- anion-mediated surface structure became dominant above 40 mol%. In the different [Cnmim][TFSI]-acetone mixtures, normal decay of the surface tension was observed on the acetone concentration scale, where TFSI- is bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide.

  19. Simulating compressible-incompressible two-phase flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Denner, Fabian; van Wachem, Berend

    2017-11-01

    Simulating compressible gas-liquid flows, e.g. air-water flows, presents considerable numerical issues and requires substantial computational resources, particularly because of the stiff equation of state for the liquid and the different Mach number regimes. Treating the liquid phase (low Mach number) as incompressible, yet concurrently considering the gas phase (high Mach number) as compressible, can improve the computational performance of such simulations significantly without sacrificing important physical mechanisms. A pressure-based algorithm for the simulation of two-phase flows is presented, in which a compressible and an incompressible fluid are separated by a sharp interface. The algorithm is based on a coupled finite-volume framework, discretised in conservative form, with a compressive VOF method to represent the interface. The bulk phases are coupled via a novel acoustically-conservative interface discretisation method that retains the acoustic properties of the compressible phase and does not require a Riemann solver. Representative test cases are presented to scrutinize the proposed algorithm, including the reflection of acoustic waves at the compressible-incompressible interface, shock-drop interaction and gas-liquid flows with surface tension. Financial support from the EPSRC (Grant EP/M021556/1) is gratefully acknowledged.

  20. Experimental Values of the Surface Tension of Supercooled Water

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hacker, P. T.

    1951-01-01

    The results of surface-tension measurements for supercooled water are presented. A total of 702 individual measurements of surface tension of triple-distilled water were made in the temperature range, 27 to -22.2 C, with 404 of these measurements at temperatures below 0 C. The increase in magnitude of surface tension with decreasing temperature, as indicated by measurements above 0 C, continues to -22.2 C. The inflection point in the surface-tension - temperature relation in the vicinity of 0 C, as indicated by the International Critical Table values for temperatures down to -8 C, is substantiated by the measurements in the temperature range, 0 to -22.2 C. The surface tension increases at approximately a linear rate from a value of 76.96+/-0.06 dynes per centimeter at -8 C to 79.67+/-0.06 dynes per centimeter at -22.2 C.

  1. Annular inhomogeneities with eigenstrain and interphase modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Markenscoff, Xanthippi; Dundurs, John

    2014-03-01

    Two and three-dimensional analytical solutions for an inhomogeneity annulus/ring (of arbitrary thickness) with eigenstrain are presented. The stresses in the core may become tensile (for dilatational eigenstrain in the annulus) depending on the relative shear moduli. For shear eigenstrain, an “interface rotation” and rotation jumps at the interphase also occur, consistent with the Frank-Bilby interface model. A Taylor series expansion for small thickness of the annulus is obtained to the second-order as to model thin interphases, with the limit agreeing with the Gurtin-Murdoch surface membrane, but also accounting for curvature effects.. The Eshelby “driving forces” on a boundary with eigenstrain are calculated, and for small, but finite, interphase thicknesses they account for the interaction of the two interfaces of the layer, and the next order term may induce instabilities, for some bimaterial combinations, if it becomes large enough to render the driving force zero. It is also proven that for 2-D inhomogeneities with eigenstrain the stresses have reduced material dependence for any geometry of the inhomogeneity. The case when the outer boundary of the inhomogeneity annulus with eigenstrain is a free surface is also analyzed and agrees with classical surface tension results in the limit, but, moreover, the thick free surface terms (next order in the expansion depending on the radius) are also obtained and may induce instabilities depending on the bimaterial combinations. Applications of inhomogeneity annuluses with eigenstrain are wide and include interphases in thermal barrier coatings and coated particles in electrically/thermally conductive adhesives.

  2. Surface Tension of Liquid Alkali, Alkaline, and Main Group Metals: Theoretical Treatment and Relationship Investigations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aqra, Fathi; Ayyad, Ahmed

    2011-09-01

    An improved theoretical method for calculating the surface tension of liquid metals is proposed. A recently derived equation that allows an accurate estimate of surface tension to be made for the large number of elements, based on statistical thermodynamics, is used for a means of calculating reliable values for the surface tension of pure liquid alkali, alkaline earth, and main group metals at the melting point, In order to increase the validity of the model, the surface tension of liquid lithium was calculated in the temperature range 454 K to 1300 K (181 °C to 1027 °C), where the calculated surface tension values follow a straight line behavior given by γ = 441 - 0.15 (T-Tm) (mJ m-2). The calculated surface excess entropy of liquid Li (- dγ/ dT) was found to be 0.15 mJ m-2 K-1, which agrees well with the reported experimental value (0.147 mJ/m2 K). Moreover, the relations of the calculated surface tension of alkali metals to atomic radius, heat of fusion, and specific heat capacity are described. The results are in excellent agreement with the existing experimental data.

  3. Evaluation on Dorsey Method in Surface Tension Measurement of Solder Liquids Containing Surfactants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Xingke; Xie, Feiming; Fan, Jinsheng; Liu, Dayong; Huang, Jihua; Chen, Shuhai

    2018-06-01

    With the purpose of developing a feasible approach for measuring the surface tension of solders containing surfactants, the surface tension of Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu-xP solder alloys, with various drop sizes as well as different phosphorus (P) content, was evaluated using the Dorsey method based on the sessile drop test. The results show that the accuracy of the surface tension calculations depends on both of sessile drop size and the liquid metal composition. With a proper drop size, in the range of 4.5 mm to 5.3 mm in equivalent spherical diameters, the deviation of the surface tension calculation can be limited to 1.43 mN·m-1 and 6.30 mN·m-1 for SnAgCu and SnAgCu-P, respectively. The surface tension of SnAgCu-xP solder alloys decreases quickly to a minimum value when the P content reaches 0.5 wt% and subsequently increases slowly with the P content further increasing. The formation of a P-enriched surface layer and Sn4P3 intermetallic phases is regarded to be responsible for the decreasing and subsequent increasing of surface tension, respectively.

  4. Measurement of surface tension by sessile drop tensiometer with superoleophobic surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kwak, Wonshik; Park, Jun Kwon; Yoon, Jinsung; Lee, Sanghyun; Hwang, Woonbong

    2018-03-01

    A sessile drop tensiometer provides a simple and efficient method of determining the surface tension of various liquids. The technique involves obtaining the shape of an axisymmetric liquid droplet and iterative fitting of the Young-Laplace equation, which balances the gravitational deformation of the drop. Since the advent of high quality digital cameras and desktop computers, this process has been automated with precision. However, despite its appealing simplicity, there are complications and limitations in a sessile drop tensiometer, i.e., it must dispense spherical droplets with low surface tension. We propose a method of measuring surface tension using a sessile drop tensiometer with a superoleophobic surface fabricated by acidic etching and anodization for liquids with low surface tension and investigate the accuracy of the measurement by changing the wettability of the measuring plate surface.

  5. Structure and chemical composition of layers adsorbed at interfaces with champagne.

    PubMed

    Aguié-Béghin, V; Adriaensen, Y; Péron, N; Valade, M; Rouxhet, P; Douillard, R

    2009-11-11

    The structure and the chemical composition of the layer adsorbed at interfaces involving champagne have been investigated using native champagne, as well as ultrafiltrate (UFch) and ultraconcentrate (UCch) obtained by ultrafiltration with a 10(4) nominal molar mass cutoff. The layer adsorbed at the air/liquid interface was examined by surface tension and ellipsometry kinetic measurements. Brewster angle microscopy demonstrated that the layer formed on polystyrene by adsorption or drop evaporation was heterogeneous, with a domain structure presenting similarities with the layer adsorbed at the air/liquid interface. The surface chemical composition of polystyrene with the adlayer was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The contribution of champagne constituents varied according to the liquid (native, UFch, and UCch) and to the procedure of adlayer formation (evaporation, adsorption, and adsorption + rinsing). However, their chemical composition was not significantly influenced either by ultrafiltration or by the procedure of deposition on polystyrene. Modeling this composition in terms of classes of model compounds gave approximately 35% (w/w) of proteins and 65% (w/w) of polysaccharides. In the adlayer, the carboxyl groups or esters represent about 18% of carbon due to nonpolypeptidic compounds, indicating the presence of either uronic acids in the complex structure of pectic polysaccharides or of polyphenolic esters. This structural and chemical information and its relationship with the experimental procedures indicate that proteins alone cannot be used as a realistic model for the macromolecules forming the adsorption layer of champagne. Polysaccharides, the other major macromolecular components of champagne wine, are assembled with proteins at the interfaces, in agreement with the heterogeneous character of the adsorbed layer at interfaces.

  6. An efficient mass-preserving interface-correction level set/ghost fluid method for droplet suspensions under depletion forces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ge, Zhouyang; Loiseau, Jean-Christophe; Tammisola, Outi; Brandt, Luca

    2018-01-01

    Aiming for the simulation of colloidal droplets in microfluidic devices, we present here a numerical method for two-fluid systems subject to surface tension and depletion forces among the suspended droplets. The algorithm is based on an efficient solver for the incompressible two-phase Navier-Stokes equations, and uses a mass-conserving level set method to capture the fluid interface. The four novel ingredients proposed here are, firstly, an interface-correction level set (ICLS) method; global mass conservation is achieved by performing an additional advection near the interface, with a correction velocity obtained by locally solving an algebraic equation, which is easy to implement in both 2D and 3D. Secondly, we report a second-order accurate geometric estimation of the curvature at the interface and, thirdly, the combination of the ghost fluid method with the fast pressure-correction approach enabling an accurate and fast computation even for large density contrasts. Finally, we derive a hydrodynamic model for the interaction forces induced by depletion of surfactant micelles and combine it with a multiple level set approach to study short-range interactions among droplets in the presence of attracting forces.

  7. The Influence of Dynamic Contact Angle on Wetting Dynamics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rame, Enrique; Garoff, Steven

    2005-01-01

    When surface tension forces dominate, and regardless of whether the situation is static or dynamic, the contact angle (the angle the interface between two immiscible fluids makes when it contacts a solid) is the key parameter that determines the shape of a fluid-fluid interface. The static contact angle is easy to measure and implement in models predicting static capillary surface shapes and such associated quantities as pressure drops. By contrast, when the interface moves relative to the solid (as in dynamic wetting processes) the dynamic contact angle is not identified unambiguously because it depends on the geometry of the system Consequently, its determination becomes problematic and measurements in one geometry cannot be applied in another for prediction purposes. However, knowing how to measure and use the dynamic contact angle is crucial to determine such dynamics as a microsystem throughput reliably. In this talk we will present experimental and analytical efforts aimed at resolving modeling issues present in dynamic wetting. We will review experiments that show the inadequacy of the usual hydrodynamic model when a fluid-fluid meniscus moves over a solid surface such as the wall of a small tube or duct. We will then present analytical results that show how to parametrize these problems in a predictive manner. We will illustrate these ideas by showing how to implement the method in numerical fluid mechanical calculations.

  8. Lubricant distribution and its effect on slider air bearing performance over bit patterned media disk of disk drives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Lin

    2011-04-01

    The distribution dynamics of a thin lubricant film on a bit-patterned media disk and its effect on the performance of the ultralow flying air bearing slider of disk drives are studied by direct numerical simulations. Our analysis shows that the physics governing lubricant distribution dynamics changes when deep enough sub-100-nm nanostructures are patterned on the disk surface. Air shearing under the slider that dominates lubricant flow on a flat disk may become negligible on a bit-patterned media disk. Surface tension and disjoining pressure become dominant factors instead. Our results show that disks with nanoscale patterns/roughness may no longer be treated as flat, and the air bearing load may strongly depend not only on the geometric detail of disk patterns but also on how lubricants are distributed on the patterns when slider-disk clearance is reduced to sub-10-nm. Air bearing load and consequently the slider's flying attitude are affected by disk pattern geometry, average lubricant thickness, and material properties of lubricant such as the surface tension coefficient and Hamaker constant. The significantly expanded parameter space, upon which ultralow flying slider's dynamics depends, has to be seriously considered in evaluating the head/disk interface tribology performance of next generation patterned media magnetic recording systems.

  9. Asymptotic stability of shear-flow solutions to incompressible viscous free boundary problems with and without surface tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tice, Ian

    2018-04-01

    This paper concerns the dynamics of a layer of incompressible viscous fluid lying above a rigid plane and with an upper boundary given by a free surface. The fluid is subject to a constant external force with a horizontal component, which arises in modeling the motion of such a fluid down an inclined plane, after a coordinate change. We consider the problem both with and without surface tension for horizontally periodic flows. This problem gives rise to shear-flow equilibrium solutions, and the main thrust of this paper is to study the asymptotic stability of the equilibria in certain parameter regimes. We prove that there exists a parameter regime in which sufficiently small perturbations of the equilibrium at time t=0 give rise to global-in-time solutions that return to equilibrium exponentially in the case with surface tension and almost exponentially in the case without surface tension. We also establish a vanishing surface tension limit, which connects the solutions with and without surface tension.

  10. Foam fractionation as a tool to study the air-water interface structure-function relationship of wheat gluten hydrolysates.

    PubMed

    Wouters, Arno G B; Rombouts, Ine; Schoebrechts, Nele; Fierens, Ellen; Brijs, Kristof; Blecker, Christophe; Delcour, Jan A

    2017-03-01

    Enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat gluten protein improves its solubility and produces hydrolysates with foaming properties which may find applications in food products. First, we here investigated whether foam-liquid fractionation can concentrate wheat gluten peptides with foaming properties. Foam and liquid fractions had high and very low foam stability (FS), respectively. In addition, foam fractions were able to decrease surface tension more pronouncedly than un-fractionated samples and liquid fractions, suggesting they are able to arrange themselves more efficiently at an interface. As a second objective, foam fractionation served as a tool to study the structural properties of the peptides, causing these differences in air-water interfacial behavior. Zeta potential and surface hydrophobicity measurements did not fully explain these differences but suggested that hydrophobic interactions at the air-water interface are more important than electrostatic interactions. RP-HPLC showed a large overlap between foam and liquid fractions. However, a small fraction of very hydrophobic peptides with relatively high average molecular mass was clearly enriched in the foam fraction. These peptides were also more concentrated in un-fractionated DH 2 hydrolysates, which had high FS, than in DH 6 hydrolysates, which had low FS. These peptides most likely play a key role in stabilizing the air-water interface. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Surface tension isotherms of the dioxane-acetone-water and glycerol-ethanol-water ternary systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dzhambulatov, R. S.; Dadashev, R. Kh.; Elimkhanov, D. Z.; Dadashev, I. N.

    2016-10-01

    The results of the experimental and theoretical studies of the concentration dependence of surface tension of aqueous solutions of the 1,4-dioxane-acetone-water and glycerol-ethanol-water ternary systems were given. The studies were performed by the hanging-drop method on a DSA100 tensiometer. The maximum error of surface tension was 1%. The theoretical models for calculating the surface tension of the ternary systems of organic solutions were analyzed.

  12. The effects of surface tension on flooding in counter-current two-phase flow in an inclined tube

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Deendarlianto; Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Safety Research, P.O. Box 510 119, D-01314 Dresden; Ousaka, Akiharu

    2010-10-15

    The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of surface tension on flooding phenomena in counter-current two-phase flow in an inclined tube. Previous studies by other researchers have shown that surface tension has a stabilizing effect on the falling liquid film under certain conditions and a destabilizing or unclear trend under other conditions. Experimental results are reported herein for air-water systems in which a surfactant has been added to vary the liquid surface tension without altering other liquid properties. The flooding section is a tube of 16 mm in inner diameter and 1.1 m length, inclined atmore » 30-60 from horizontal. The flooding mechanisms were observed by using two high-speed video cameras and by measuring the time variation of liquid hold-up along the test tube. The results show that effects of surface tension are significant. The gas velocity needed to induce flooding is lower for a lower surface tension. There was no upward motion of the air-water interfacial waves upon flooding occurrence, even for lower a surface tension. Observations on the liquid film behavior after flooding occurred suggest that the entrainment of liquid droplets plays an important role in the upward transport of liquid. Finally, an empirical correlation for flooding velocities is proposed that includes functional dependencies on surface tension and tube inclination. (author)« less

  13. Viscosity and stability of ultra-high internal phase CO2-in-water foams stabilized with surfactants and nanoparticles with or without polyelectrolytes.

    PubMed

    Xue, Zheng; Worthen, Andrew; Qajar, Ali; Robert, Isaiah; Bryant, Steven L; Huh, Chun; Prodanović, Maša; Johnston, Keith P

    2016-01-01

    To date, relatively few examples of ultra-high internal phase supercritical CO2-in-water foams (also referred to as macroemulsions) have been observed, despite interest in applications including "waterless" hydraulic fracturing in energy production. The viscosities and stabilities of foams up to 0.98 CO2 volume fraction were investigated in terms of foam bubble size, interfacial tension, and bulk and surface viscosity. The foams were stabilized with laurylamidopropyl betaine (LAPB) surfactant and silica nanoparticles (NPs), with and without partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM). For foams stabilized with mixture of LAPB and NPs, fine ∼70 μm bubbles and high viscosities on the order of 100 cP at>0.90 internal phase fraction were stabilized for hours to days. The surfactant reduces interfacial tension, and thus facilitates bubble generation and decreases the capillary pressure to reduce the drainage rate of the lamella. The LAPB, which is in the cationic protonated form, also attracts anionic NPs (and anionic HPAM in systems containing polymer) to the interface. The adsorbed NPs at the interface are shown to slow down Ostwald ripening (with or without polymer added) and increase foam stability. In systems with added HPAM, the increase in the bulk and surface viscosity of the aqueous phase further decreases the lamella drainage rate and inhibits coalescence of foams. Thus, the added polymer increases the foam viscosity by threefold. Scaling law analysis shows the viscosity of 0.90 volume fraction foams is inversely proportional to the bubble size. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Autonomous Control of Fluids in a Wide Surface Tension Range in Microfluidics.

    PubMed

    Ge, Peng; Wang, Shuli; Liu, Yongshun; Liu, Wendong; Yu, Nianzuo; Zhang, Jianglei; Shen, Huaizhong; Zhang, Junhu; Yang, Bai

    2017-07-25

    In this paper, we report the preparation of anisotropic wetting surfaces that could control various wetting behaviors of liquids in a wide surface tension range (from water to oil), which could be employed as a platform for controlling the flow of liquids in microfluidics (MFs). The anisotropic wetting surfaces are chemistry-asymmetric "Janus" silicon cylinder arrays, which are fabricated via selecting and regulating the functional groups on the surface of each cylinder unit. Liquids (in a wide surface tension range) wet in a unidirectional manner along the direction that was modified by the group with large surface energy. Through introducing the Janus structure into a T-shaped pattern and integrating it with an identical T-shaped poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchannel, the as-prepared chips can be utilized to perform as a surface tension admeasuring apparatus or a one-way valve for liquids in a wide surface tension range, even oil. Furthermore, because of the excellent ability in controlling the flowing behavior of liquids in a wide surface tension range in an open system or a microchannel, the anisotropic wetting surfaces are potential candidates to be applied both in open MFs and conventional MFs, which would broaden the application fields of MFs.

  15. Strength evolution of a reactive frictional interface is controlled by the dynamics of contacts and chemical effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Renard, François; Beauprêtre, Sophie; Voisin, Christophe; Zigone, Dimitri; Candela, Thibault; Dysthe, Dag K.; Gratier, Jean-Pierre

    2012-08-01

    Assessing the healing rate of a fault is relevant to the knowledge of the seismic machinery. However, measuring fault healing at the depths where it occurs still remains inaccessible. We have designed an analog laboratory experiment of a simulated rough fault that undergoes healing and investigate the relative roles of interface chemical reactivity and sliding velocity on the healing rate. Slide-hold-slide experiments are conducted on a bare interface with various materials in contact (glass/glass, salt/glass, and salt/salt) with or without the presence of a reactive fluid and the slider-surface pull-off force is measured. Our results show that the interface strengthens with hold time, whatever the conditions of the experiments. In addition, we quantify the effect of chemical reactivity on the healing rate. Considering the glass/glass case as a reference, we show that the healing rate is increased by a factor of 2 for the salt/glass case; by a factor of 3 for the salt/salt case; and by about a factor of 20 when saturated brine is added on a salt/salt interface. We also measure that the sliding velocity affects the healing rate for salt/salt interfaces at room humidity. A careful optical monitoring of the interface allows a direct observation of the contact growth characteristics associated to each type of materials. Finally, the large differences of healing rate are interpreted through a mechanistic approach, where the various experimental conditions allow separating different healing mechanisms: increase of adhesion of the contacts by welding, contact growth due to creep or due to neck growth driven by surface tension.

  16. Numerical Treatment of Stokes Solvent Flow and Solute-Solvent Interfacial Dynamics for Nonpolar Molecules.

    PubMed

    Sun, Hui; Zhou, Shenggao; Moore, David K; Cheng, Li-Tien; Li, Bo

    2016-05-01

    We design and implement numerical methods for the incompressible Stokes solvent flow and solute-solvent interface motion for nonpolar molecules in aqueous solvent. The balance of viscous force, surface tension, and van der Waals type dispersive force leads to a traction boundary condition on the solute-solvent interface. To allow the change of solute volume, we design special numerical boundary conditions on the boundary of a computational domain through a consistency condition. We use a finite difference ghost fluid scheme to discretize the Stokes equation with such boundary conditions. The method is tested to have a second-order accuracy. We combine this ghost fluid method with the level-set method to simulate the motion of the solute-solvent interface that is governed by the solvent fluid velocity. Numerical examples show that our method can predict accurately the blow up time for a test example of curvature flow and reproduce the polymodal (e.g., dry and wet) states of hydration of some simple model molecular systems.

  17. The Voronoi Implicit Interface Method for computing multiphase physics

    PubMed Central

    Saye, Robert I.; Sethian, James A.

    2011-01-01

    We introduce a numerical framework, the Voronoi Implicit Interface Method for tracking multiple interacting and evolving regions (phases) whose motion is determined by complex physics (fluids, mechanics, elasticity, etc.), intricate jump conditions, internal constraints, and boundary conditions. The method works in two and three dimensions, handles tens of thousands of interfaces and separate phases, and easily and automatically handles multiple junctions, triple points, and quadruple points in two dimensions, as well as triple lines, etc., in higher dimensions. Topological changes occur naturally, with no surgery required. The method is first-order accurate at junction points/lines, and of arbitrarily high-order accuracy away from such degeneracies. The method uses a single function to describe all phases simultaneously, represented on a fixed Eulerian mesh. We test the method’s accuracy through convergence tests, and demonstrate its applications to geometric flows, accurate prediction of von Neumann’s law for multiphase curvature flow, and robustness under complex fluid flow with surface tension and large shearing forces. PMID:22106269

  18. Numerical Treatment of Stokes Solvent Flow and Solute-Solvent Interfacial Dynamics for Nonpolar Molecules

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Hui; Zhou, Shenggao; Moore, David K.; Cheng, Li-Tien; Li, Bo

    2015-01-01

    We design and implement numerical methods for the incompressible Stokes solvent flow and solute-solvent interface motion for nonpolar molecules in aqueous solvent. The balance of viscous force, surface tension, and van der Waals type dispersive force leads to a traction boundary condition on the solute-solvent interface. To allow the change of solute volume, we design special numerical boundary conditions on the boundary of a computational domain through a consistency condition. We use a finite difference ghost fluid scheme to discretize the Stokes equation with such boundary conditions. The method is tested to have a second-order accuracy. We combine this ghost fluid method with the level-set method to simulate the motion of the solute-solvent interface that is governed by the solvent fluid velocity. Numerical examples show that our method can predict accurately the blow up time for a test example of curvature flow and reproduce the polymodal (e.g., dry and wet) states of hydration of some simple model molecular systems. PMID:27365866

  19. The Voronoi Implicit Interface Method for computing multiphase physics.

    PubMed

    Saye, Robert I; Sethian, James A

    2011-12-06

    We introduce a numerical framework, the Voronoi Implicit Interface Method for tracking multiple interacting and evolving regions (phases) whose motion is determined by complex physics (fluids, mechanics, elasticity, etc.), intricate jump conditions, internal constraints, and boundary conditions. The method works in two and three dimensions, handles tens of thousands of interfaces and separate phases, and easily and automatically handles multiple junctions, triple points, and quadruple points in two dimensions, as well as triple lines, etc., in higher dimensions. Topological changes occur naturally, with no surgery required. The method is first-order accurate at junction points/lines, and of arbitrarily high-order accuracy away from such degeneracies. The method uses a single function to describe all phases simultaneously, represented on a fixed Eulerian mesh. We test the method's accuracy through convergence tests, and demonstrate its applications to geometric flows, accurate prediction of von Neumann's law for multiphase curvature flow, and robustness under complex fluid flow with surface tension and large shearing forces.

  20. The Voronoi Implicit Interface Method for computing multiphase physics

    DOE PAGES

    Saye, Robert I.; Sethian, James A.

    2011-11-21

    In this paper, we introduce a numerical framework, the Voronoi Implicit Interface Method for tracking multiple interacting and evolving regions (phases) whose motion is determined by complex physics (fluids, mechanics, elasticity, etc.), intricate jump conditions, internal constraints, and boundary conditions. The method works in two and three dimensions, handles tens of thousands of interfaces and separate phases, and easily and automatically handles multiple junctions, triple points, and quadruple points in two dimensions, as well as triple lines, etc., in higher dimensions. Topological changes occur naturally, with no surgery required. The method is first-order accurate at junction points/lines, and of arbitrarilymore » high-order accuracy away from such degeneracies. The method uses a single function to describe all phases simultaneously, represented on a fixed Eulerian mesh. Finally, we test the method’s accuracy through convergence tests, and demonstrate its applications to geometric flows, accurate prediction of von Neumann’s law for multiphase curvature flow, and robustness under complex fluid flow with surface tension and large shearing forces.« less

  1. A monotonicity preserving conservative sharp interface flow solver for high density ratio two-phase flows

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Le Chenadec, Vincent, E-mail: vlechena@stanford.edu; Pitsch, Heinz; Institute for Combustion Technology, RWTH Aachen, Templergraben 64, 52056 Aachen

    2013-09-15

    This paper presents a novel approach for solving the conservative form of the incompressible two-phase Navier–Stokes equations. In order to overcome the numerical instability induced by the potentially large density ratio encountered across the interface, the proposed method includes a Volume-of-Fluid type integration of the convective momentum transport, a monotonicity preserving momentum rescaling, and a consistent and conservative Ghost Fluid projection that includes surface tension effects. The numerical dissipation inherent in the Volume-of-Fluid treatment of the convective transport is localized in the interface vicinity, enabling the use of a kinetic energy conserving discretization away from the singularity. Two- and three-dimensionalmore » tests are presented, and the solutions shown to remain accurate at arbitrary density ratios. The proposed method is then successfully used to perform the detailed simulation of a round water jet emerging in quiescent air, therefore suggesting the applicability of the proposed algorithm to the computation of realistic turbulent atomization.« less

  2. Inviscid linear stability analysis of two fluid columns of different densities subject to gravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prathama, Aditya; Pantano, Carlos

    2017-11-01

    We investigate the inviscid linear stability of vertical interface between two fluid columns of different densities under the influence of gravity. In this flow arrangement, the two free streams are continuously accelerating, in contrast to the canonical Kelvin-Helmholtz or Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities whose base flows are stationary (or weakly time dependent). In these classical cases, the temporal evolution of the interface can be expressed as Fourier or Laplace solutions in time. This is not possible in our case; instead, we employ the initial value problem method to solve the equations analytically. The results, expressed in terms of the well-known parabolic cylinder function, indicate that the instability grows as the exponential of a quadratic function of time. The analysis shows that in this accelerating Kelvin-Helmholtz configuration, the interface is unconditionally unstable at all wave modes, despite the presence of surface tension. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration (Award No. DE-NA0002382) and the California Institute of Technology.

  3. Solitary wave solutions and their interactions for fully nonlinear water waves with surface tension in the generalized Serre equations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dutykh, Denys; Hoefer, Mark; Mitsotakis, Dimitrios

    2018-04-01

    Some effects of surface tension on fully nonlinear, long, surface water waves are studied by numerical means. The differences between various solitary waves and their interactions in subcritical and supercritical surface tension regimes are presented. Analytical expressions for new peaked traveling wave solutions are presented in the dispersionless case of critical surface tension. Numerical experiments are performed using a high-accurate finite element method based on smooth cubic splines and the four-stage, classical, explicit Runge-Kutta method of order 4.

  4. Model study of enhanced oil recovery by flooding with aqueous surfactant solution and comparison with theory.

    PubMed

    Fletcher, Paul D I; Savory, Luke D; Woods, Freya; Clarke, Andrew; Howe, Andrew M

    2015-03-17

    With the aim of elucidating the details of enhanced oil recovery by surfactant solution flooding, we have determined the detailed behavior of model systems consisting of a packed column of calcium carbonate particles as the porous rock, n-decane as the trapped oil, and aqueous solutions of the anionic surfactant sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT). The AOT concentration was varied from zero to above the critical aggregation concentration (cac). The salt content of the aqueous solutions was varied to give systems of widely different, post-cac oil-water interfacial tensions. The systems were characterized in detail by measuring the permeability behavior of the packed columns, the adsorption isotherms of AOT from the water to the oil-water interface and to the water-calcium carbonate interface, and oil-water-calcium carbonate contact angles. Measurements of the percent oil recovery by pumping surfactant solutions into calcium carbonate-packed columns initially filled with oil were analyzed in terms of the characterization results. We show that the measured contact angles as a function of AOT concentration are in reasonable agreement with those calculated from values of the surface energy of the calcium carbonate-air surface plus the measured adsorption isotherms. Surfactant adsorption onto the calcium carbonate-water interface causes depletion of its aqueous-phase concentration, and we derive equations which enable the concentration of nonadsorbed surfactant within the packed column to be estimated from measured parameters. The percent oil recovery as a function of the surfactant concentration is determined solely by the oil-water-calcium carbonate contact angle for nonadsorbed surfactant concentrations less than the cac. For surfactant concentrations greater than the cac, additional oil removal occurs by a combination of solubilization and emulsification plus oil mobilization due to the low oil-water interfacial tension and a pumping pressure increase.

  5. Hydrodynamic Instability in an Extended Landau/Levich Model of Liquid-Propellant Combustion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Margolis, Stephen B.; Sackesteder, Kurt (Technical Monitor)

    1998-01-01

    The classical Landau/Levich models of liquid propellant combustion, which serve as seminal examples of hydrodynamic instability in reactive systems, have been combined and extended to account for a dynamic dependence, absent in the original formulations, of the local burning rate on the local pressure and/or temperature fields. The resulting model admits an extremely rich variety of both hydrodynamic and reactive/diffusive instabilities that can be analyzed in various limiting parameter regimes. In the present work, a formal asymptotic analysis, based on the realistic smallness of the gas-to-liquid density ratio, is developed to investigate the combined effects of gravity, surface tension and viscosity on the hydrodynamic instability of the propagating liquid/gas interface. In particular, a composite asymptotic expression, spanning three distinguished wavenumber regimes, is derived for both cellular and pulsating hydrodynamic neutral stability boundaries A(sub p)(k), where A(sub p) is the pressure sensitivity of the burning rate and k is the disturbance wavenumber. For the case of cellular (Landau) instability, the results demonstrate explicitly the stabilizing effect of gravity on long-wave disturbances, the stabilizing effect of viscosity and surface tension on short-wave perturbations, and the instability associated with intermediate wavenumbers for critical negative values of A(sub p). In the limiting case of weak gravity, it is shown that cellular hydrodynamic instability in this context is a long-wave instability phenomenon, whereas at normal gravity, this instability is first manifested through O(l) wavenumber disturbances. It is also demonstrated that, in the large wavenumber regime, surface tension and both liquid and gas viscosity all produce comparable stabilizing effects in the large-wavenumber regime, thereby providing significant modifications to previous analyses of Landau instability in which one or more of these effects were neglected. In contrast, the pulsating hydrodynamic stability boundary is found to be insensitive to gravitational and surface-tension effects, but is more sensitive to the effects of liquid viscosity, which is a significant stabilizing effect for O(l) and higher wavenumbers. Liquid-propellant combustion is predicted to be stable (i.e., steady and planar) only for a range of negative pressure sensitivities that lie between the two types of hydrodynamic stability boundaries.

  6. Effects of the conjugation of whey proteins with gellan polysaccharides on surfactant-induced competitive displacement from the air-water interface.

    PubMed

    Cai, B; Ikeda, S

    2016-08-01

    Whey proteins can be used to stabilize foams and emulsions against coalescence because of their ability to form viscoelastic films at the interface that resist film rupture on collision between colloidal particles. However, whey proteins are competitively displaced from the interface if small-molecule surfactants are added, leading to destabilization of the entire system. This is because surfactants are more effective in molecular packing at the interface, and they lower interfacial tension to a greater degree than whey proteins do, but their interfacial films are poor in viscoelasticity. We hypothesized that whey proteins would become more resistant to surfactant-induced competitive displacement if they were conjugated with network-forming polysaccharides. The protein moiety of the conjugate would be expected to enable its adsorption to the interface, and the polysaccharide moiety would be expected to form self-assembled networks, strengthening the interfacial film as a whole. In this study, whey proteins were conjugated with gellan polysaccharides using the Maillard reaction. Atomic force microscopy images of interfacial films formed by the whey protein-gellan conjugate at the air-water interface and transferred onto mica sheets using the Langmuir-Blodgett method revealed that gellan did form self-assembled networks at the interface and that interfacial films also contained a large number of unconjugated whey protein molecules. Following the addition of a small-molecule surfactant (Tween 20) to the sub-phase, surface pressure increased, indicating spontaneous adsorption of surfactants to the interface. Atomic force microscopy images showed decreases in interfacial area coverage by whey proteins as surface pressure increased. At a given surface pressure, the interfacial area coverage by whey protein-gellan conjugates was greater than coverage by unconjugated whey proteins, confirming that whey proteins became more resistant to surfactant-induced displacement after conjugation with gellan. Furthermore, gellan molecules added to the sub-phase after the formation of a monolayer of whey proteins at the air-water interface did not adsorb to the interfacial protein film. These results provide a molecular basis for designing interfacial structures to enhance the stability of colloidal systems. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Surface adsorption of oppositely charged C14TAB-PAMPS mixtures at the air/water interface and the impact on foam film stability.

    PubMed

    Fauser, Heiko; von Klitzing, Regine; Campbell, Richard A

    2015-01-08

    We have studied the oppositely charged polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixture of poly(acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonate) sodium salt (PAMPS) and tetradecyl trimethylammonium bromide (C14TAB) using a combination of neutron reflectivity and ellipsometry measurements. The interfacial composition was determined using three different analysis methods involving the two techniques for the first time. The bulk surfactant concentration was fixed at a modest value while the bulk polyelectrolyte concentration was varied over a wide range. We reveal complex changes in the surface adsorption behavior. Mixtures with low bulk PAMPS concentrations result in the components interacting synergistically in charge neutral layers at the air/water interface. At the bulk composition where PAMPS and C14TAB are mixed in an equimolar charge ratio in the bulk, we observe a dramatic drop in the surfactant surface excess to leave a large excess of polyelectrolyte at the interface, which we infer to have loops in its interfacial structure. Further increase of the bulk PAMPS concentration leads to a more pronounced depletion of material from the surface. Mixtures containing a large excess of PAMPS in the bulk showed enhanced adsorption, which is attributed to the large increase in total ionic strength of the system and screening of the surfactant headgroup charges. The data are compared to our former results on PAMPS/C14TAB mixtures [Kristen et al. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2009, 23, 7986]. A peak in the surface tension is rationalized in terms of the changing surface adsorption and, unlike in more concentrated systems, is unrelated to bulk precipitation. Also, a comparison between the determined interfacial composition with zeta potential and foam film stability data shows that the highest film stability occurs when there is enhanced synergistic adsorption of both components at the interface due to charge screening when the total ionic strength of the system is highest. The additional contribution to the foam stability of the negatively charged polyelectrolyte within the film bulk is also discussed.

  8. Surface potential of methyl isobutyl carbinol adsorption layer at the air/water interface.

    PubMed

    Phan, Chi M; Nakahara, Hiromichi; Shibata, Osamu; Moroi, Yoshikiyo; Le, Thu N; Ang, Ha M

    2012-01-26

    The surface potential (ΔV) and surface tension (γ) of MIBC (methyl isobutyl carbinol) were measured on the subphase of pure water and electrolyte solutions (NaCl at 0.02 and 2 M). In contrast to ionic surfactants, it was found that surface potential gradually increased with MIBC concentration. The ΔV curves were strongly influenced by the presence of NaCl. The available model in literature, in which surface potential is linearly proportional to surface excess, failed to describe the experimental data. Consequently, a new model, employing a partial charge of alcohol adsorption layer, was proposed. The new model predicted the experimental data consistently for MIBC in different NaCl solutions. However, the model required additional information for ionic impurity to predict adsorption in the absence of electrolyte. Such inclusion of impurities is, however, unnecessary for industrial applications. The modeling results successfully quantify the influence of electrolytes on surface potential of MIBC, which is critical for froth stability.

  9. Micro-mechanical damage of trabecular bone-cement interface under selected loading conditions: a finite element study.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Qing-Hang; Tozzi, Gianluca; Tong, Jie

    2014-01-01

    In this study, two micro finite element models of trabecular bone-cement interface developed from high resolution computed tomography (CT) images were loaded under compression and validated using the in situ experimental data. The models were then used under tension and shear to examine the load transfer between the bone and cement and the micro damage development at the bone-cement interface. In addition, one models was further modified to investigate the effect of cement penetration on the bone-cement interfacial behaviour. The simulated results show that the load transfer at the bone-cement interface occurred mainly in the bone cement partially interdigitated region, while the fully interdigitated region seemed to contribute little to the mechanical response. Consequently, cement penetration beyond a certain value would seem to be ineffective in improving the mechanical strength of trabecular bone-cement interface. Under tension and shear loading conditions, more cement failures were found in denser bones, while the cement damage is generally low under compression.

  10. Surface tensions of solutions containing dicarboxylic acid mixtures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Jae Young; Hildemann, Lynn M.

    2014-06-01

    Organic solutes tend to lower the surface tension of cloud condensation nuclei, allowing them to more readily activate. The surface tension of various dicarboxylic acid aerosol mixtures was measured at 20 °C using the Wilhelmy plate method. At lower concentrations, the surface tension of a solution with equi-molar mixtures of dicarboxylic acids closely followed that of a solution with the most surface-active organic component alone. Measurements of surface tension for these mixtures were lower than predictions using Henning's model and the modified Szyszkowski equation, by ˜1-2%. The calculated maximum surface excess (Γmax) and inverse Langmuir adsorption coefficient (β) from the modified Szyszkowski equation were both larger than measured values for 6 of the 7 mixtures tested. Accounting for the reduction in surface tension in the Köhler equation reduced the critical saturation ratio for these multi-component mixtures - changes were negligible for dry diameters of 0.1 and 0.5 μm, but a reduction from 1.0068 to 1.0063 was seen for the 4-dicarboxylic acid mixture with a dry diameter of 0.05 μm.

  11. Gas-liquid nucleation at large metastability: unusual features and a new formalism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santra, Mantu; Singh, Rakesh S.; Bagchi, Biman

    2011-03-01

    Nucleation at large metastability is still largely an unsolved problem, even though it is a problem of tremendous current interest, with wide-ranging practical value, from atmospheric research to materials science. It is now well accepted that the classical nucleation theory (CNT) fails to provide a qualitative picture and gives incorrect quantitative values for such quantities as activation-free energy barrier and supersaturation dependence of nucleation rate, especially at large metastability. In this paper, we present an alternative formalism to treat nucleation at large supersaturation by introducing an extended set of order parameters in terms of the kth largest liquid-like clusters, where k = 1 is the largest cluster in the system, k = 2 is the second largest cluster and so on. At low supersaturation, the size of the largest liquid-like cluster acts as a suitable order parameter. At large supersaturation, the free energy barrier for the largest liquid-like cluster disappears. We identify this supersaturation as the one at the onset of kinetic spinodal. The kinetic spinodal is system-size-dependent. Beyond kinetic spinodal many clusters grow simultaneously and competitively and hence the nucleation and growth become collective. In order to describe collective growth, we need to consider the full set of order parameters. We derive an analytic expression for the free energy of formation of the kth largest cluster. The expression predicts that, at large metastability (beyond kinetic spinodal), the barrier of growth for several largest liquid-like clusters disappears, and all these clusters grow simultaneously. The approach to the critical size occurs by barrierless diffusion in the cluster size space. The expression for the rate of barrier crossing predicts weaker supersaturation dependence than what is predicted by CNT at large metastability. Such a crossover behavior has indeed been observed in recent experiments (but eluded an explanation till now). In order to understand the large numerical discrepancy between simulation predictions and experimental results, we carried out a study of the dependence on the range of intermolecular interactions of both the surface tension of an equilibrium planar gas-liquid interface and the free energy barrier of nucleation. Both are found to depend significantly on the range of interaction for the Lennard-Jones potential, both in two and three dimensions. The value of surface tension and also the free energy difference between the gas and the liquid phase increase significantly and converge only when the range of interaction is extended beyond 6-7 molecular diameters. We find, with the full range of interaction potential, that the surface tension shows only a weak dependence on supersaturation, so the reason for the breakdown of CNT (with simulated values of surface tension and free energy gap) cannot be attributed to the supersaturation dependence of surface tension. This remains an unsettled issue at present because of the use of the value of surface tension obtained at coexistence.

  12. The algorithms for rational spline interpolation of surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schiess, J. R.

    1986-01-01

    Two algorithms for interpolating surfaces with spline functions containing tension parameters are discussed. Both algorithms are based on the tensor products of univariate rational spline functions. The simpler algorithm uses a single tension parameter for the entire surface. This algorithm is generalized to use separate tension parameters for each rectangular subregion. The new algorithm allows for local control of tension on the interpolating surface. Both algorithms are illustrated and the results are compared with the results of bicubic spline and bilinear interpolation of terrain elevation data.

  13. Study on the surface tensions of MDEA-methanol aqueous solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, S. Q.; Wang, L. M.; Wang, F.; Fu, D.

    2017-03-01

    The surface tensions (γ) of N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA)-methanol (MeOH) aqueous solutions were measured by using an automatic surface tension-meter (BZY-1). The temperature ranged from 303.2K to 323.2K. The mass fractions of MeOH and MDEA respectively ranged from 0.05 to 0.15 and 0.2 to 0.4. On the basis of the experimental measurement, the effects of temperature and mass fraction of MDEA and MeOH on surface tensions were analyzed.

  14. Origin of change in molecular-weight dependence for polymer surface tension.

    PubMed

    Thompson, R B; Macdonald, J R; Chen, P

    2008-09-01

    Self-consistent-field theory is used to reproduce the behavior of polymer surface tension with molecular-weight for both lower and higher molecular-weight polymers. The change in behavior of the surface tension between these two regimes is shown to be due to the almost total exclusion of polymer from the nonpolymer bulk phase. The predicted two regime surface tension behavior with molecular-weight and the exclusion explanation are shown to be valid for a range of different polymer compressibilities.

  15. Surface tension profiles in vertical soap films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adami, N.; Caps, H.

    2015-01-01

    Surface tension profiles in vertical soap films are experimentally investigated. Measurements are performed by introducing deformable elastic objets in the films. The shape adopted by those objects once set in the film is related to the surface tension value at a given vertical position by numerically solving the adapted elasticity equations. We show that the observed dependency of the surface tension versus the vertical position is predicted by simple modeling that takes into account the mechanical equilibrium of the films coupled to previous thickness measurements.

  16. Mixing in Sessile Drops Merging on a Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anna, Shelley; Zhang, Ying; Oberdick, Samuel; Garoff, Stephen

    2011-11-01

    We investigate the mixing of two sessile drops that merge on a surface. The drops consist of low viscosity glycerol-water mixtures deposited on a silicone elastomer surface with contact angle near 90°. We observe the shape of the drops and the location of their intersection by placing a fluorescent dye in one drop and using a laser light sheet to image a plane perpendicular to the surface. The initial healing of the meniscus bridge between the merging drops, and the damping of capillary waves appearing on their surfaces occur on timescales comparable to the inertio-capillary relaxation time. However, the interface between the two fluids remains sharp, broadening diffusively over several minutes. The shape of the merged drops and the boundary between them also continues to evolve on a timescale of minutes. This later motion is controlled by gravity, capillary pressure, and viscous stresses. Images of the 3D drop shape indicate that small contact line motions are correlated to the slow relaxation. Although the two drops contain identical liquids except for the presence of the dye, the shape of the interface consistently evolves asymmetrically, assuming a characteristic crescent shape. We note that very tiny surface tension gradients can produce an asymmetric flow like the one observed here. We characterize the long timescale flow as a function of the drop sizes, and we use numerical simulations to aid in elucidating the essential physics.

  17. Multistep building of a soft plant protein film at the air-water interface.

    PubMed

    Poirier, Alexandre; Banc, Amélie; Stocco, Antonio; In, Martin; Ramos, Laurence

    2018-09-15

    Gliadins are edible wheat storage proteins well known for their surface active properties. In this paper, we present experimental results on the interfacial properties of acidic solutions of gliadin studied over 5 decades of concentrations, from 0.001 to 110 g/L. Dynamic pendant drop tensiometry reveals that the surface pressure Π of gliadin solutions builds up in a multistep process. The series of curves of the time evolution of Π collected at different bulk protein concentrations C can be merged onto a single master curve when Π is plotted as a function of αt where t is the time elapsed since the formation of the air/water interface and α is a shift parameter that varies with C as a power law with an exponent 2. The existence of such time-concentration superposition, which we evidence for the first time, indicates that the same mechanisms govern the surface tension evolution at all concentrations and are accelerated by an increase of the bulk concentration. The scaling of α with C is consistent with a kinetic of adsorption controlled by the diffusion of the proteins in the bulk. Moreover, we show that the proteins adsorption at the air/water interface is kinetically irreversible. Correlated evolutions of the optical and elastic properties of the interfaces, as probed by ellipsometry and surface dilatational rheology respectively, provide a consistent physical picture of the building up of the protein interfacial layer. A progressive coverage of the interface by the proteins occurs at low Π. This stage is followed, at higher Π, by conformational rearrangements of the protein film, which are identified by a strong increase of the dissipative viscoelastic properties of the film concomitantly with a peculiar evolution of its optical profile that we have rationalized. In the last stage, at even higher surface pressure, the adsorption is arrested; the optical profile is not modified while the elasticity of the interfacial layer dramatically increases with the surface pressure, presumably due to the film ageing. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Assembly of acid-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes at oil/water interfaces.

    PubMed

    Feng, Tao; Hoagland, David A; Russell, Thomas P

    2014-02-04

    The efficient segregation of water-soluble, acid-functionalized, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) at the oil/water interface was induced by dissolving low-molecular-weight amine-terminated polystyrene (PS-NH2) in the oil phase. Salt-bridge interactions between carboxylic acid groups of SWCNTs and amine groups of PS drove the assembly of SWCNTs at the interface, monitored by pendant drop tensiometry and laser scanning confocal microscopy. The impact of PS end-group functionality, PS and SWCNT concentrations, and the degree of SWCNT acid modification on the interfacial activity was assessed, and a sharp drop in interfacial tension was observed above a critical SWCNT concentration. Interfacial tensions were low enough to support stable oil/water emulsions. Further experiments, including potentiometric titrations and the replacement of SWCNTs by other carboxyl-containing species, demonstrated that the interfacial tension drop reflects the loss of SWCNT charge as the pH falls near/below the intrinsic carboxyl dissociation constant; species lacking multivalent carboxylic acid groups are inactive. The trapped SWCNTs appear to be neither ordered nor oriented.

  19. Morphological experimental study of bone stress at the interface acetabular bone/prosthetic cup in the bipolar hip prosthesis.

    PubMed

    Anuşca, D; Pleşea, I E; Iliescu, N; Tomescu, P; Poenaru, F; Dascălu, V; Pop, O T

    2006-01-01

    By calculating the tension and distortion of the elements composing the bipolar prosthesis under extreme conditions encountered in real life using a special post-processing program, we established the variation curves of the contact pressure at the hip bone-cup, armor-cup and cup-femoral head interface. By comparing the data obtained from all the examined cases, important conclusions were drawn regarding the influence of tension and pressure distribution on the structural integrity and biomechanics of the prosthesis, as well as the acetabular wear and tear, in order to assess its reliability. The experimentally determined tension and distortion status at the acetabular bone-metal armour interface, lead to the wear and tear phenomenon, which can be explained by three mechanisms and theories incompletely reflecting the overall process. The histopathologic study of the acetabular bone tissue using FEM (finite elements method) on surgically removed specimens will probably lead to the identification of a series of factors that could reduce the rate of the wear and tear process.

  20. Interfacial waves generated by electrowetting-driven contact line motion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ha, Jonghyun; Park, Jaebum; Kim, Yunhee; Shin, Bongsu; Bae, Jungmok; Kim, Ho-Young

    2016-10-01

    The contact angle of a liquid-fluid interface can be effectively modulated by the electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) technology. Rapid movement of the contact line can be achieved by swift changes of voltage at the electrodes, which can give rise to interfacial waves under the strong influence of surface tension. Here we experimentally demonstrate EWOD-driven interfacial waves of overlapping liquids and compare their wavelength and decay length with the theoretical results obtained by a perturbation analysis. Our theory also allows us to predict the temporal evolution of the interfacial profiles in either rectangular or cylindrical containers, as driven by slipping contact lines. This work builds a theoretical framework to understand and predict the dynamics of capillary waves of a liquid-liquid interface driven by EWOD, which has practical implications on optofluidic devices used to guide light.

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