Abstract

The dewetting phenomenon of a liquid film in the presence of a surfactant exists in various natural, industrial, and biomedical processes but still remains mysterious in some specific scenarios. Here, we investigate the dewetting behavior of water films initiated by surfactant-laden droplet impact and show that the maximum dewetting diameter can even reach more than 50 times that of the droplet size. We identify the S-type variation of the dewetting area and demonstrate its correlation to the dynamic surface tension reduction. From a viewpoint of energy conversion, we attribute the dewetting to the released surface energy caused by the surfactant addition and establish a linear relation between the maximum dewetting and the surfactant concentration in the film, i.e., dmax2 ∝ cfilm, which agrees well with the experiments. These results may advance the physics of liquid film dewetting triggered by surfactant injection, which shall further guide practical applications.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call