Conveners
M3-1 Soft Matter (DCMMP/SMC17) | Matière molle (DPMCM/MMC17)
- Barb Frisken (Simon Fraser University)
It is well understood that chains ends have an entropic preference for the surface of a polymer melt, and consequently the shorter chains of a polydisperse melt are favored at the surface. We study this effect for a bidisperse melt using numerical self-consistent field theory (SCFT). Semi-analytical approximations to the SCFT are derived for the concentration profiles resulting in simple...
We examine the elastocapillary deformation of flexible microfibers in contact with liquid droplets. As the size of the contacting droplet increases, the fiber is observed to bend more in response. Finally, at a critical droplet size, proportional to the bending elastocapillary length, the fiber spontaneously winds itself around the droplet. Simple theoretical models yield predictions which are...
Intricate patterns are abundant in nature, from the stripes of a zebra, to the formation of snowflakes, to the wavy peaks and valleys on a beach shore. Instabilities often drive this pattern formation where two competing interactions result in a frustration that is alleviated through the development of these beautiful patterns. One such instability occurs when a soft elastomeric film bonded to...
We report on the elastocapillary deformation of flexible microfibers in contact with bubbles trapped at the surface of a liquid bath resulting in stunning 2-dimensional microfiber coils. Microfibers are placed on top of bubbles and are found to migrate to and wrap around the perimeter of the deformed liquid surface for certain bubble-fiber size combinations. A simple model incorporating...
Studying nano-scale flow in thin viscous films is of both practical and theoretical interest, particularly when considering the role of the hydrodynamic boundary conditions. Here, thin bilayer polystyrene films were prepared freestanding in air, with one of the two films having micrometer scale cylindrical holes. Because of the free interfaces, such films flow without interfacial friction at...
A crystal and a glass are different at a molecular level which leads to strong consequences at the macroscopic scale. We have developed an ideal experimental system to model such structures. The 2D clusters are made of an emulsion of lightly attractive, stabilized oil droplets ($R \sim 10$ $\mu m$) in water which are assembled droplet by droplet (tens of droplets). We study the response of the...
