2004/11/12 by Jana Tóthová, J. Tothova, M. Richterová +6
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics and Thin Films #Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity #cond-mat.soft
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/0411341
3 pages
arxiv created 2004/11/12 · openalex publication_date 2004/11/12 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In the presence of surfactants, the interfacial tension (IFT) of microscopic droplets differs significantly from IFT of macroscopic drops for the same surfactant solutions. As a result, IFT between two immiscible liquids can strongly depend on the experimental design. In the present work a simple theoretical description of two possible techniques for measurement of IFT at microdroplet surfaces is proposed: the spinning drop and the micropipette methods. We take into account that for microdroplets the IFT can be not the unique parameter determining the surface elastic energy. The previous interpretation of the experiments is generalized within the Helfrich's concept of interfacial elasticity. Simple equations are obtained that could be used to test the Helfrich's theory and in the direct determination, in addition to IFT, of such characteristics of the interface as the bending rigidity and spontaneous curvature.