Particle Separation from Liquid Marbles by the Viscous Folding of Liquid Films

Particle separation from fluid interfaces is one of the major challenges due to the large capillary energy associated with particle adsorption. Previous approaches rely on physicochemical modification or tuning the electrostatic action. Here, we show experimentally that particle separation can be achieved by fast dynamics of drop impact on soap films. When a droplet wrapped with particles (liquid marble) collides with a soap film, it undergoes bouncing and coalescence, stripping and viscous separation, or tunneling through the film. Despite the violence of splashing events, the process robustly yields the stripping in a tunable range. This viscous separation is supported by the transfer front of dynamic contact among the film, particle crust, and drop and can be well controlled in a deterministic manner by selectable impact parameters. By extensive experiments, together with thermodynamic analysis, we disclose that the separation thresholds depend on the energy competition between the kinetic energy, the increased surface energy, and the viscous dissipation. The mechanical cracking of the particle crust arises from the complex coupling between interfacial stress and viscous forces. This study is of potential benefit in soft matter research and also permits the study of a drop with colloid and surface chemistry.

Automated summary

Particle separation can be achieved by the fast dynamics of droplet impact on soap films. This viscous separation can be controlled in a deterministic manner by selectable impact parameters. This study is important for soft matter research and the study of droplets with colloid and surface chemistry.