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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 102: Focus Session: Wetting on Adaptive Substrates III (joint session CPP/DY/O)

O 102.6: Invited Talk

Friday, March 22, 2024, 11:15–11:45, H 0110

Of Singularities and Controversies: The Soft Wetting Enigma — •Stefan Karpitschka — University of Konstanz

The surface mechanics of soft solids are ubiquitously important in nature and technology. Static and dynamic wetting of soft polymer gels by simple liquids has emerged as an archetypical model system: The singular capillary traction at the edge of a droplet creates a micro-scale wetting ridge which slows down dramatically the macroscopic dynamics. Capillary, elastic, viscous and osmotic effects all contribute simultaneously in a highly non-linear regime, which has sparked controversial discussions of the underlying theoretical description. In this talk I will present recent measurements on ultra-thin to ultra-soft materials, along with new theoretical and numerical results, scrutinizing sources of non-linear behavior in both statics and dynamics.

Keywords: Wetting; Soft Matter; Viscoelasticity; Poroelasticity; Capillarity