Guillaume Palumbo | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

Algebraic depletion interactions in two-temperature mixtures

The phase separation that occurs in two-temperature mixtures, which are driven out of equilibrium at the local scale, has been thoroughly characterized, but much less is known about the depletion interactions that drive it. Using numerical simulations in dimension 2, we show that the depletion interactions extend beyond two particle diameters in dilute systems, as expected at equilibrium, and decay algebraically with an exponent $-4$. Solving for the $N$-particle distribution function in the stationary state, perturbatively in the interaction potential, we show that algebraic correlations with an exponent $-2d$ arise from triplets of particles at different temperatures in spatial dimension $d$. Finally, simulations allow us to extend our results beyond the perturbative limit.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Effect of external tension on the wetting of an elastic sheet

Recent studies of elasto-capillary phenomena have triggered interest in a basic variant of the classical Young-Laplace-Dupré (YLD) problem: The capillary interaction between a liquid drop and a thin solid sheet of low bending stiffness. Here, we consider a two-dimensional model where the sheet is subjected to an external tensile load and the drop is characterized by a well-defined Young's contact angle $θ_Y$. Using a combination of numerical, variational, and asymptotic techniques, we discuss wetting as a function of the applied tension. We find that, for wettable surfaces with $0<θ_Y<π/2$, complete wetting is possible below a critical applied tension thanks to the deformation of the sheet in contrast with rigid substrates requiring $θ_Y=0$. Conversely, for very large applied tensions, the sheet becomes flat and the classical YLD situation of partial wetting is recovered. At intermediate tensions, a vesicle forms in the sheet, which encloses most of the fluid and we provide an accurate asymptotic description of this wetting state in the limit of small bending stiffness. We show that bending stiffness, however small, affects the entire shape of the vesicle. Rich bifurcation diagrams involving partial wetting and ``vesicle'' solution are found. For moderately small bending stiffnesses, partial wetting can coexist both with the vesicle solution and complete wetting. Finally, we identify a tension-dependent bendo-capillary length, $λ_\text{BC}$, and find that the shape of the drop is determined by the ratio $A/λ_\text{BC}^2$, where $A$ is the area of the drop.

cond-mat.soft↗