DRY & WET: meniscus splitting from a mixture of polysaccharides and water

Abstract

Drying-induced patterns, “meniscus splitting”, are introduced through a series of experiments using self-assembled polysaccharides. When physicochemical factors such as the geometry of the evaporative air–liquid interface are controlled, the depositing polymer bridges the gap between two substrates to create multiple nuclei at specific positions for membrane growth. These phenomena were first discovered by our group based on viscous fingering, known as tears of wine. By developing interfacial instability, meniscus splitting causes partitioning of a space by membranes, similar to dissipative structures seen in nature, “from one space into multiple spaces.” In the field of advanced biomimetic materials, the method of convective meniscus splitting would be useful for devising a powerful strategy for the preparation of hierarchically self-assembled materials from a variety of polymeric materials. Drying-induced patterns, “meniscus splitting,” are introduced through a series of demonstrations using self-assembled polysaccharides as a method for the preparation of advanced biomimetic materials. Under the control of physicochemical factors, the depositing polymer bridges the gap between two substrates to make multiple nuclei at specific positions for membrane growth. By developing interfacial instability, meniscus splitting causes partitioning of a space, similar to dissipative structures seen in nature, from one space into multiple spaces.