Work

Rupture of a surfactant-laden draining thin film

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: As liquid films on solid substrates approach submicron thickness, they tend to become naturally unstable due to the action of long-range dispersion forces. Interestingly, the presence of surfactants and gravitational drainage alters the stability characteristics of these films. Using linear and nonlinear stability analyses in the lubrication limit, we show that draining films containing surfactants exhibit greater stability compared to stationary films with surfactants, as well as draining films with clean interfaces. Our findings can have potential implications for the stability of a wide variety of thin films, ranging from precorneal tear films to industrial coatings.

Source: Physical Review Fluids

DOI: 10.1103/physrevfluids.9.074004

Authors: Atul S. Vivek, Ranabir Dey, Harish N. Dixit

Institutions: Indian Space Research Organisation, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

Language: English

Topic: Fluid Dynamics and Thin Films

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, Science and Engineering Research Board

Awards: G1215422705, G2245820464, G7737455034