Spontaneous mode-selection in the self-propelled motion of a solid/liquid composite driven by interfacial instability

Spontaneous motion of a solid/liquid composite induced by a chemical Marangoni effect, where an oil droplet attached to a solid soap is placed on a water phase, was investigated. The composite exhibits various characteristic motions, such as revolution (orbital motion) and translational motion. The results showed that the mode of this spontaneous motion switches with a change in the size of the solid scrap. The essential features of this mode-switching were reproduced by ordinary differential equations by considering nonlinear friction with proper symmetry. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3567096]