Related papers: Elasto-capillary meniscus: Pulling out a soft stri…
A partially-wetting liquid can deform the underlying elastic substrate upon which it rests. This situation requires the development of theoretical models to describe the wetting forces imparted by the drop onto the solid substrate,…
We present the results of a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the surface-tension-driven coalescence of flexible structures. Specifically, we consider the dynamics of the rise of a wetting liquid between flexible sheets…
We consider the steady-state analysis of a pinned elastic plate lying on the free surface of a thin viscous fluid, forced by the motion of a bottom substrate moving at constant speed. A mathematical model incorporating elasticity,…
We consider theoretically liquid rise against gravity in capillaries with height-dependent cross-section. For a conical capillary made from a hydrophobic surface and dipped in a liquid reservoir, the equilibrium liquid height depends on the…
Understanding and harnessing the coupling between lubrication pressure and elasticity provides materials design strategies for applications such as adhesives, coatings, microsensors, and biomaterials. Elastic deformation of compliant solids…
Softer means stickier for solid adhesives, because material compliance facilitates close contact between non-conformal surfaces. Recent discoveries have revealed that soft materials can exhibit a rich array of new physics arising from…
We propose an approach to measure surface elastic constants of soft solids. Generally, this requires one to probe interfacial mechanics at around the elastocapillary length scale, which is typically microscopic. Deformations of microscopic…
We study the lubrication of fluid-immersed soft interfaces and show that elastic deformation couples tangential and normal forces and thus generates lift. We consider materials that deform easily, due to either geometry (e.g. a shell) or…
When a suspension dries, the suspending fluid evaporates, leaving behind a dry film composed of the suspended particles. During the final stages of drying, the height of the fluid film on the substrate drops below the particle size,…
The liquid shape between two vertical parallel plates in a gravity field due to capillary forces is studied. When the physical system achieves its mechanical equilibrium, the capillary surface has mean curvature proportional to its height…
We investigate the encapsulation of water by a thin elastic film as a minimal model of elastocapillary self-folding with fluid transport. An equilateral triangular polydimethylsiloxane film is lifted quasi-statically from a water surface,…
We examine the equilibrium and stability of an elastocapillary system to model drying-induced structural failures. The model comprises a circular elastic membrane with a hole at the center that is deformed by the capillary pressure of…
We consider some basic principles of fluid-induced lubrication at soft interfaces. In particular, we show how the presence of a soft substrate leads to an increase in the physical separation between surfaces sliding past each other. By…
When a fluid-immersed array of lamellae or filaments that is attached to a substrate is dried, evaporation leads to the formation of menisci on the tips of the plates or pillars that bring them together. Similarly, when hair dries it clumps…
We examine the response of a dense colloidal suspension to a local force applied by a small magnetic bead. For small forces, we find a linear relationship between the force and the displacement, suggesting the medium is elastic, even though…
Two cylinders rotating next to each other generate a large hydrodynamic force if the intermediate space is filled with a viscous fluid. Herein, we explore the case where the cylinders are separated by two layers of viscous immiscible…
We characterize the spatiotemporal deformation of an elastic film during the radial drainage of fluid from a narrowing gap. Elastic deformation of the film takes the form of a dimple and prevents full contact to be reached. With thinner…
When a fluid is pumped into a cavity in a confined elastic layer, at a critical pressure, destabilizing fingers of fluid invade the elastic solid along its meniscus (Saintyves, Dauchot, and Bouchaud, 2013). These fingers occur without…
We study experimentally the motion of non-deformable microbeads in a linear shear flow close to a wall bearing a thin and soft polymer layer. Combining microfluidics and 3D optical tracking, we demonstrate that the steady-state bead/surface…
Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study capillary adhesion from a nanometer scale liquid bridge between two parallel flat solid surfaces. The capillary force and the meniscus shape of the bridge are computed as the separation…