No Arabic abstract
In this paper general dynamic equations describing the time evolution of isothermal quasi-incompressible multicomponent liquids are derived in the framework of the classical Ginzburg-Landau theory of first order phase transformations. Based on the fundamental {equations of continuum mechanics}, a general convection-diffusion dynamics is set up first for compressible liquids. The constitutive relations for the diffusion fluxes and the capillary stress are determined in the framework of gradient theories. {Next the general definition of incompressibility is given}, which is taken into account {in the derivation} by using the Lagrange multiplier method. To validate the theory, the dynamic equations are solved numerically for the quaternary quasi-incompressible Cahn-Hilliard system. It is demonstrated that variable density (i) has no effect on equilibrium (in case of a suitably constructed free energy functional), {and (ii) can} influence non-equilibrium pattern formation significantly.
Thin elastic films can spontaneously attach to liquid interfaces, offering a platform for tailoring their physical, chemical, and optical properties. Current understanding of the elastocapillarity of thin films is based primarily on studies of planar sheets. We show that curved shells can be used to manipulate interfaces in qualitatively different ways. We elucidate a regime where an ultrathin shell with vanishing bending rigidity imposes its own rest shape on a liquid surface, using experiment and theory. Conceptually, the pressure across the interface inflates the shell into its original shape. The setup is amenable to optical applications as the shell is transparent, free of wrinkles, and may be manufactured over a range of curvatures.
The growth of surface plasmonic microbubbles in binary water/ethanol solutions is experimentally studied. The microbubbles are generated by illuminating a gold nanoparticle array with a continuous wave laser. Plasmonic bubbles exhibit ethanol concentration-dependent behaviors. For low ethanol concentrations (f_e) of < 67.5%, bubbles do not exist at the solid-liquid interface. For high f_e values of >80%, the bubbles behave as in pure ethanol. Only in an intermediate window of 67.5% < f_e < 80% do we find sessile plasmonic bubbles with a highly nontrivial temporal evolution, in which as a function of time three phases can be discerned. (1) In the first phase, the microbubbles grow, while wiggling. (2) As soon as the wiggling stops, the microbubbles enter the second phase in which they suddenly shrink, followed by (3) a steady reentrant growth phase. Our experiments reveal that the sudden shrinkage of the microbubbles in the second regime is caused by a depinning event of the three phase contact line. We systematically vary the ethanol concentration, laser power, and laser spot size to unravel water recondensation as the underlying mechanism of the sudden bubble shrinkage in phase 2.
Investigation into the physics of foaming has traditionally been focused on aqueous systems. Non-aqueous foams, by contrast, are not well understood, but have been the subject of a recent surge in interest motivated by the need to manage foaming across industrial applications. In this review, we provide a comprehensive discussion of the current state-of-the-art methods for characterizing non-aqueous foams, with a critical evaluation of the advantages and limitations of each. Subsequently we present a concise overview of the current understanding of the mechanisms and methods used for stabilizing and destabilizing non-aqueous foams. We conclude the review by discussing open questions to guide future investigations.
We analyze the capabilities of various recently developed techniques, namely Resistive Force Theory (RFT) and continuum plasticity implemented with the Material Point Method (MPM), in capturing dynamics of wheel--dry granular media interactions. We compare results to more conventionally accepted methods of modeling wheel locomotion. While RFT is an empirical force model for arbitrarily-shaped bodies moving through granular media, MPM-based continuum modeling allows the simulation of full granular flow and stress fields. RFT allows for rapid evaluation of interaction forces on arbitrary shaped intruders based on a local surface stress formulation depending on depth, orientation, and movement of surface elements. We perform forced-slip experiments for three different wheel types and three different granular materials, and results are compared with RFT, continuum modeling, and a traditional terramechanics semi-empirical method. Results show that for the range of inputs considered, RFT can be reliably used to predict rigid wheel granular media interactions with accuracy exceeding that of traditional terramechanics methodology in several circumstances. Results also indicate that plasticity-based continuum modeling provides an accurate tool for wheel-soil interaction while providing more information to study the physical processes giving rise to resistive stresses in granular media.
Ionic liquids are a special category of molten salts with melting points near ambient temperatures or by convention below 100 C. Owing to their numerous valuable physicochemical properties as bulk liquids, solvents, at surfaces and in confined environments, ILs have attracted increasing attention in both academic and industrial communities in a variety of application areas involving physics, chemistry, material science and engineering. Due to their nearly limitless number of combinations of cation and anion pairs and mixtures with cosolvents, a molecular level understanding of their hierarchical structures and dynamics, requiring strategies to connect several length and time scales, is of crucial significance for rational design of ILs with desired properties, and thereafter refining their functional performance in applications. As an invaluable compliment to experiments from synthesis to characterization, computational modelling and simulations have significantly increased our understanding on how physicochemical and structural properties of ILs can be controlled by their underlying chemical and molecular structures. In this chapter, we will give examples from our own modelling work based on selected IL systems, with focus on imidazolium based and tetraalkylphosphonium orthoborate ILs, studied at several spatiotemporal scales in different environments and with particular attention to applications of high technological interest.