arXiv subjects

Eli Sloutskin

Publications and source records attributed to Eli Sloutskin.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Faceting and flattening of emulsion droplets: a mechanical model

When cooled down, emulsion droplets stabilized by a frozen interface of alkane molecules and surfactants have been observed to undergo a spectacular sequence of morphological transformations: from spheres to faceted icosahedra, down to flattened liquid platelets. While generally ascribed to the interplay between the elasticity of the frozen interface and surface tension, the physical mechanisms underpinning these transitions have remained elusive, despite different theoretical pictures having been proposed in recent years. In this article, we introduce a comprehensive mechanical model of morphing emulsion droplets, which quantitatively accounts for various experimental observations, including the scaling behavior of the faceting transition. Our analysis highlights the role of gravity and the spontaneous curvature of the frozen interface in determining the specific transition pathway.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2021

Reply to Comment on "Faceting and flattening of emulsion droplets: a mechanical model" by Haas et al

In their Comment [arXiv:2102.03842], Haas et al. advance two hypotheses on the nature of the shape transformations observed in surfactant-stabilized emulsion droplets, as the theoretical models that us [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 038001 (2021)] and others [P. A. Haas et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 088001 (2017), Phys. Rev. Research 1, 023017 (2019)] have introduced to account for these observations. (1) Because of the different surfactants used in experimental studies, the physical mechanisms underpinning the shape transformations may, in fact, differ in spite of the extraordinary resemblance in the output. (2) The theoretical models are mathematically equivalent by virtue of the small magnitude of the stretching and gravitational energies. In this Reply, we argue that neither of these hypotheses is well justified.

cond-mat.soft↗