Self-organization of core-shell and core-shell-corona structures in small liquid droplets

It was recently discovered that core-shell and core-shell-corona microstructures in immiscible liquid alloys, which were previously obtained only in outer space, can be fabricated under gravity condition on earth using conventional gas atomization. The origin was attributed solely to Marangoni motion driven by temperature-dependence of interfacial energy. We found in this letter, with the aid of computer simulation, that coupled processes of spinodal decomposition, decomposition-induced fluid flow, collision and collision-induced-collision among second-phase droplets all play critical rules at different stages in the formation of these structures. Their contributions relative to the Marangoni effect are analyzed as function of system size. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3591157]