Dynamics of complex fluid-fluid interfaces

Statistics of fluctuating colloidal fluid-fluid interfaces.

Fluctuations of the interface between coexisting colloidal fluid phases have been measured with confocal microscopy. Due to a very low surface tension, the thermal motions of the interface are so slow that a record can be made of the positions of the interface. The theory of the interfacial height fluctuations is developed. For a host of correlation functions, the experimental data are compared...

Dilatational Rheology and Controlled Generation of Microscale Complex Fluid Interfaces

Dynamics of interfaces and layers in a stratified turbulent fluid

This paper formulates a model of mixing in a stratified and turbulent fluid. The model uses the horizontally averaged vertical buoyancy gradient and the density of turbulent kinetic energy as variables. Heuristic ‘mixing-length’ arguments lead to a coupled set of parabolic differential equations. A particular form of mechanical forcing is proposed; for certain parameter values the relationship ...

Nanoparticle assembly at fluid interfaces: structure and dynamics.

The self-assembly of nanoparticles at fluid interfaces, driven by the reduction in interfacial energy, was investigated. With spherical, tri-n-octyl-phosphine-oxide covered cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanoparticles (1-8 nm), thermal fluctuations compete with the interfacial segregation giving rise to a size-dependent self-assembly of the particles. The structure of the nanoparticle assembly was stu...

Immobilization of Colloidal Monolayers at Fluid–Fluid Interfaces

Monolayers of colloidal particles trapped at an interface between two immiscible fluids play a pivotal role in many applications and act as essential models in fundamental studies. One of the main advantages of these systems is that non-close packed monolayers with tunable inter-particle spacing can be formed, as required, for instance, in surface patterning and sensing applications. At the sam...