Topic
Surface tension
About: Surface tension is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 25410 publications have been published within this topic receiving 695471 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
More filters
••
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the equilibrium properties of the surface of amorphous silica and find that the shape of the clusters is independent of temperature and that it becomes more spherical with increasing size.
Abstract: We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the equilibrium properties of the surface of amorphous silica. Two types of geometries are investigated: (i) clusters with different diameters (13.5, 19, and 26.5 A) and (ii) a thin film with thickness 29 A. We find that the shape of the clusters is independent of temperature and that it becomes more spherical with increasing size. The surface energy is in qualitative agreement with the experimental value for the surface tension. The density distribution function shows a small peak just below the surface, the origin of which is traced back to a local chemical ordering at the surface. Close to the surface the partial radial distribution functions as well as the distributions of the bond–bond angles show features which are not observed in the interior of the systems. By calculating the distribution of the length of the Si–O rings we can show that these additional features are related to the presence of two-membered rings at the surface. The surface den...
193 citations
••
TL;DR: In situ experimental confirmation of the effect of capillary pressure on micrometer-scale deformations made possible by using a low Young's modulus material as an elastic surface.
Abstract: Sessile liquid drops are predicted to deform an elastic surface onto which they are placed because of the combined action of the liquid surface tension at the periphery of the drop and the capillary pressure inside the drop. Here, we show for the first time the in situ experimental confirmation of the effect of capillary pressure on this deformation. We demonstrate micrometer-scale deformations made possible by using a low Young's modulus material as an elastic surface. The experimental profiles of the deformed surfaces fit well the theoretical predictions for surfaces with a Young's modulus between 25 and 340 kPa.
193 citations
••
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a theoretical model and experimental results about the viscous friction between foam and smooth wall, which is a general phenomenon in the rheological behavior of foams and has to be considered explicitly in the description of foam flow through pipes and orifices.
193 citations
••
TL;DR: The RIPPLE model as mentioned in this paper obtains finite difference solutions for incompressible flow problems having strong surface tension forces at free surfaces of arbitrarily complex topology, which represents surface tension as a localized volume force.
Abstract: A new free surface flow model, RIPPLE, is summarized. RIPPLE obtains finite difference solutions for incompressible flow problems having strong surface tension forces at free surfaces of arbitrarily complex topology. The key innovation is the continuum surface force model which represents surface tension as a (strongly) localized volume force. Other features include a higher-order momentum advection model, a volume-of-fluid free surface treatment, and an efficient two-step projection solution method. RIPPLE's unique capabilities are illustrated with two example problems: low-gravity jet-induced tank flow, and the collision and coalescence of two cylindrical rods.
192 citations
••
TL;DR: The engineered membranes exhibited stable MD performance with low surface tension feed waters, demonstrating the potential application omniphobic membranes in desalinating complex, high salinity industrial wastewaters.
Abstract: We investigated the factors that determine surface omniphobicity of microporous membranes and evaluated the potential application of these membranes in desalination of low surface tension wastewaters by membrane distillation (MD). Specifically, the effects of surface morphology and surface energy on membrane surface omniphobicity were systematically investigated by evaluating wetting resistance to low surface tension liquids. Single and multilevel re-entrant structures were achieved by using cylindrical glass fibers as a membrane substrate and grafting silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) on the fibers. Surface energy of the membrane was tuned by functionalizing the fiber substrate with fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) having two different lengths of fluoroalkyl chains. Results show that surface omniphobicity of the modified fibrous membrane increased with higher level of re-entrant structure and with lower surface energy. The secondary re-entrant structure achieved by SiNP coating on the cylindrical fibers was found to play a critical role in enhancing the surface omniphobicity. Membranes coated with SiNPs and chemically modified by the FAS with a longer fluoroalkyl chain (or lower surface energy) exhibited excellent surface omniphobicity and showed wetting resistance to low surface tension liquids such as ethanol (22.1 mN m(-1)). We further evaluated performance of the membranes in desalination of saline feed solutions with varying surface tensions by membrane distillation (MD). The engineered membranes exhibited stable MD performance with low surface tension feed waters, demonstrating the potential application omniphobic membranes in desalinating complex, high salinity industrial wastewaters.
192 citations