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Liquid Droplets Act as “Compass Needles” for the Stresses in a Deformable Membrane

Rafael D. Schulman, René Ledesma-Alonso, Thomas Salez, Elie Raphaël, and Kari Dalnoki-Veress
Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 198002 – Published 11 May 2017
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Abstract

We examine the shape of droplets atop deformable thin elastomeric films prepared with an anisotropic tension. As the droplets generate a deformation in the taut film through capillary forces, they assume a shape that is elongated along the high tension direction. By measuring the contact line profile, the tension in the membrane can be completely determined. Minimal theoretical arguments lead to predictions for the droplet shape and membrane deformation that are in excellent agreement with the data. On the whole, the results demonstrate that droplets can be used as probes to map out the stress field in a membrane.

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  • Received 1 March 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.198002

© 2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Fluid DynamicsPolymers & Soft MatterCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Synopsis

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Drops Act Like Tension “Compasses”

Published 11 May 2017

A liquid drop’s shape can be used to detect tension anisotropies in an underlying elastic membrane.

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Authors & Affiliations

Rafael D. Schulman1, René Ledesma-Alonso2,3, Thomas Salez3,4, Elie Raphaël3, and Kari Dalnoki-Veress1,3,*

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M1, Canada
  • 2CONACYT—Universidad de Quintana Roo, Boulevar Bahía s/n, Chetumal, 77019 Quintana Roo, México
  • 3Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie Théorique, UMR CNRS Gulliver 7083, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
  • 4Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808, Japan

  • *dalnoki@mcmaster.ca

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Issue

Vol. 118, Iss. 19 — 12 May 2017

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