Observation of Interfacial Instability of an Ultrathin Water Film

We observed the instability of a few-nanometer-thick water film encapsulated inside a graphene nanoscroll using transmission electron microscopy. The film, that was left after recession of a meniscus, formed ripples along the length of the nanoscroll with a distance only 20%-44% of that predicted by the classical Plateau Rayleigh instability theory. The results were explained by a theoretical analysis that incorporates the effect of the van der Waals interactions between the water film and the graphene layers. We derived important insights into the behavior of liquid under nanoscale confinement and in nanofluidic systems.

Automated summary

We observed the instability of a few-nanometer-thick water film encapsulated inside a graphene nanoscroll using transmission electron microscopy. The film formed ripples with a smaller distance than predicted by the classical theory, which can be explained by the van der Waals interactions between the water film and graphene layers. This provides important insights into the behavior of liquid under nanoscale confinement and in nanofluidic systems.