Work

Self-assembling clusters of particles on a shrinking liquid surface

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: After rainfall, pine needles often float on the surface of small puddles. As the water evaporates, they self-assemble into distinct clusters. Motivated by this natural phenomenon, we experimentally investigate the dynamic evolution of synthetic particles as the liquid surface shrinks in area. Our experiments demonstrate the tendency of particles to aggregate, forming distinct clusters as the liquid boundary shrinks. We systematically examine the emergence of these clusters and explore how their sizes and numbers evolve with changes in the packing fraction. We also analyze particle rotation during the process and discuss the formation of the final configuration comprising clusters of various orientations. Complementary numerical simulations demonstrate qualitative agreement with our experimental findings. This study sheds additional light on the self-assembly of macroscopic particles in a dynamically evolving medium.

Source: Physical Review Research

DOI: 10.1103/physrevresearch.7.013293

Authors: Xin Li, Shuchen Zhang, Mark J. Bowick, Duanduan Wan

Institutions: Wuhan University, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, French-American Center for Theoretical Science

Language: English

Topic: Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,625

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Wuhan University, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara