Mode selection in the spontaneous motion of an alcohol droplet

Ken Nagai, Yutaka Sumino, Hiroyuki Kitahata, Kenichi Yoshikawa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

186 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An alcohol (pentanol) droplet exhibits spontaneous motion on an aqueous solution, driven by a solutal Marangoni effect. We found that the droplet's mode of motion is controlled by its volume. A droplet with a volume of less than 0.1μl shows irregular translational motion, whereas intermediate-sized droplets of 0.1-200μl show vectorial motion. When the volume is above 300μl, the droplet splits into smaller drops. These experimental results regarding mode selection are interpreted in terms of the wave-number selection depending on the droplet volume.

Original languageEnglish
Article number065301
JournalPhysical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
Volume71
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2005

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