Stability of a Floating Water Droplet on an Oil Surface

This article presents a new configuration of a water droplet floating on oil surface. The configuration is characterized by an acute contact angle (i.e., θ2 < π/2). In contrast, the previously identified droplet had an obtuse contact angle, which was easily sunk by a small disturbance. By employi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Phan, Chi
Format: Journal Article
Published: American Chemical Society 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36120
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author Phan, Chi
author_facet Phan, Chi
author_sort Phan, Chi
building Curtin Institutional Repository
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description This article presents a new configuration of a water droplet floating on oil surface. The configuration is characterized by an acute contact angle (i.e., θ2 < π/2). In contrast, the previously identified droplet had an obtuse contact angle, which was easily sunk by a small disturbance. By employing a common surfactant, the new configuration was experimentally verified in a mineral oil with a density similar to that of crude oils. The new droplet is kinetically more stable than the previous configuration and can sustain strong disturbances. The results also highlight the significance of dynamic interfacial adsorption on the stability of the floating droplet.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-361202017-09-13T15:17:09Z Stability of a Floating Water Droplet on an Oil Surface Phan, Chi This article presents a new configuration of a water droplet floating on oil surface. The configuration is characterized by an acute contact angle (i.e., θ2 < π/2). In contrast, the previously identified droplet had an obtuse contact angle, which was easily sunk by a small disturbance. By employing a common surfactant, the new configuration was experimentally verified in a mineral oil with a density similar to that of crude oils. The new droplet is kinetically more stable than the previous configuration and can sustain strong disturbances. The results also highlight the significance of dynamic interfacial adsorption on the stability of the floating droplet. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36120 10.1021/la403830k American Chemical Society restricted
spellingShingle Phan, Chi
Stability of a Floating Water Droplet on an Oil Surface
title Stability of a Floating Water Droplet on an Oil Surface
title_full Stability of a Floating Water Droplet on an Oil Surface
title_fullStr Stability of a Floating Water Droplet on an Oil Surface
title_full_unstemmed Stability of a Floating Water Droplet on an Oil Surface
title_short Stability of a Floating Water Droplet on an Oil Surface
title_sort stability of a floating water droplet on an oil surface
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36120