<< Recently, (AA) observed a curious breath figure pattern when water condenses on solid surfaces coated with a thin lubricant oil film. Water drops of various sizes, ranging from tens of microns to several millimetres, start to perform a self-avoiding, serpentinelike dance. As the drop moves, it consumes smaller droplets along its path, converting interfacial energy into kinetic energy to sustain its motion. These self-avoiding drops preferentially avoid crossing their own paths as well as the paths of other drops; they can only intersect their previous paths once sufficient recondensation has occurred. This self-avoiding behavior arises because the previous path (..) contains little to no water content to fuel self-propulsion, so the drops continually seek areas with higher local water content. >>️
<< This intricate serpentine dance is driven by short-range interactions between droplets, mediated by overlapping menisci, similar to the Cheerios effect. Remarkably, long-range order spontaneously emerges from these short-range interactions, with the collective motion exhibiting self-similarity—breath figure patterns appear roughly similar across different scales. >>
<< The serpentine motions of the drops, which can span distances many times their diameters, eventually deplete the local lubricant film, causing a transition from serpentine to circular motion. This circular motion can be seen as a unique form of serpentine motion occurring in lubricant-poor regions. As the drops move, they continually redistribute the lubricant across the substrate, leading to a dynamic interplay between serpentine and circular motions. This ongoing redistribution can be visualized by illuminating the surface with diffused white light and capturing the resulting interference patterns with a digital camera. Variations in lubricant thickness produce different hues, creating a vibrant, colorful canvas and an intricate dance floor for the condensing drops. >>️
<< The phenomenon described in (AA) paper represents a fascinating example of active matter driven by condensation, rather than the more commonly observed chemical reactions or Marangoni effects. >>
Marcus Lin, Fauzia Wardani, Dan Daniel. Dancing drops on lubricated surfaces. Phys. Rev. Fluids 9, 110504. Nov 22, 2024.
Marcus Lin, Solomon Adera, Joanna Aizenberg, Yao Xi, Dan Daniel. V0030: Serpents and Ouroboros: Emergent collective motion of condensate droplets. 76th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics. Nov 19-21, 2023.
Also: drop, droplet, droploid, dance, in https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html
Keywords: gst, drop, droplet, droploid, dance
