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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 50: Wetting, Droplets, and Microfluidics (joint session DY/CPP)
DY 50.5: Talk
Thursday, March 21, 2024, 16:00–16:15, BH-N 334
Coalescence of biphasic droplets embedded in free-standing smectic A films — •Christoph Klopp1, Torsten Trittel2, and Ralf Stannarius1 — 1Otto von Guericke Universität Magdeburg, Institut für Physik, ANP — 2TH Brandenburg, Fachbereich Technik
Coalescence of droplets is ubiquitous in nature and modern technology. Various experimental and theoretical studies explored droplet dynamics in three dimensions (3D) and on two-dimensional (2D) solid or liquid substrates, e.g. [1-3]. We investigate micrometer-sized flat droplets consisting of an isotropic core surrounded by a nematic rim (biphasic droplets) in freely suspended smectic A liquid-crystal films. In contrast to purely isotropic droplets which are characterized by a sharp edge and no long-range interactions, the nematic rim introduces a continuous film thickness change resulting in long-range mutual attraction of droplets. We show the appearance of a unique structural wall separating the isotropic cores of the droplets during the merging process.
[1] J. D. Paulsen et al., Nat. Commun., 5, 3182 (2014) [2] D. G. A. L. Aarts et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 95, 164503 (2005) [3] N. S. Shuravin et al., Phys. Rev. E, 99, 062702 (2019)
Keywords: Coalescence; Thin Films; Liquid Crystals