Spontaneous elastocapillary deformations driving the formation of 2D microcoils

ORAL

Abstract

We report on the elastocapillary deformation of flexible microfibers in contact with bubbles trapped at the surface of a liquid bath. The elastocapillary interaction results in stunning 2-dimensional microfiber coils. Microfibers placed on top of bubbles are found to migrate to and wrap around the perimeter of the deformed liquid surface for certain bubble-fiber size combinations. A simple model incorporating surface and bending energies captures the spontaneous winding process.

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Authors

  • Adam Fortais

    • Department of Physics & Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
    • McMaster University

  • Kathleen Charlesworth

    • McMaster University

  • Rafael D Schulman

    • McMaster University

  • Kari Dalnoki-Veress

    • McMaster University