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Faceting and Flattening of Emulsion Droplets: A Mechanical Model

Ireth García-Aguilar, Piermarco Fonda, Eli Sloutskin, and Luca Giomi
Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 038001 – Published 21 January 2021
Physics logo See synopsis: The Strange Shapes of Cooling Droplets
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Abstract

When cooled down, emulsion droplets stabilized by a frozen interface of alkane molecules and surfactants have been observed to undergo a spectacular sequence of morphological transformations: from spheres to faceted liquid icosahedra, down to flattened liquid platelets. While generally ascribed to the interplay between the elasticity of the frozen interface and surface tension, the physical mechanisms underpinning these transitions have remained elusive, despite different theoretical pictures having been proposed in recent years. In this Letter, we introduce a comprehensive mechanical model of morphing emulsion droplets, which quantitatively accounts for various experimental observations, including the size scaling behavior of the faceting transition. Our analysis highlights the role of gravity and the spontaneous curvature of the frozen interface in determining the specific transition pathway.

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  • Received 14 September 2020
  • Accepted 1 December 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.038001

© 2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Polymers & Soft Matter

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The Strange Shapes of Cooling Droplets

Published 21 January 2021

Researchers uncover the mechanism that makes some oil droplets change shape from spheres to icosahedrons to flattened plates.

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Authors & Affiliations

Ireth García-Aguilar1, Piermarco Fonda1,2, Eli Sloutskin3, and Luca Giomi1,*

  • 1Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, P.O. Box 9506, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
  • 2Theory & Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
  • 3Physics Department and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 529002, Israel

  • *giomi@lorentz.leidenuniv.nl

Comments & Replies

Comment on “Faceting and Flattening of Emulsion Droplets: A Mechanical Model”

Pierre A. Haas, Raymond E. Goldstein, Diana Cholakova, Nikolai Denkov, and Stoyan K. Smoukov
Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 259801 (2021)

García-Aguilar et al. Reply:

Ireth García-Aguilar, Ayelet Atkins, Piermarco Fonda, Eli Sloutskin, and Luca Giomi
Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 259802 (2021)

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Vol. 126, Iss. 3 — 22 January 2021

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