Freezing-induced topological transition of double-emulsion

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Meijer, Jochem G., Kant, Pallav, Lohse, Detlef
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2023
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author Meijer, Jochem G.
Kant, Pallav
Lohse, Detlef
author_facet Meijer, Jochem G.
Kant, Pallav
Lohse, Detlef
contents Solidification of complex liquids is pertinent to numerous natural and industrial processes. Here, we examine the freezing of a W/O/W double-emulsion, i.e., water-in-oil compound droplets dispersed in water. We show that the solidification of such hierarchical emulsions can trigger a topological transition; for example, in our case, we observe the transition from the stable W/O/W state to a (frozen) O/W single-emulsion configuration. Strikingly, this transition is characterised by sudden expulsion of the inner water drop from the encapsulating oil droplet. We propose that this topological transition is triggered by the freezing of the encapsulating oil droplet from the outside in, putting tension on the inner water drop thus, destabilizing the W/O/W configuration. Using high-speed imaging we characterize the destabilization process. Interestingly, we find that below a critical size of the inner drop, $R_{\mathrm{in,crit}} \approx 19 \, μ\mathrm{m}$, the topological transition does not occur any more and the double-emulsion remains stable, in line with our interpretation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2312_04317
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Freezing-induced topological transition of double-emulsion
Meijer, Jochem G.
Kant, Pallav
Lohse, Detlef
Soft Condensed Matter
Solidification of complex liquids is pertinent to numerous natural and industrial processes. Here, we examine the freezing of a W/O/W double-emulsion, i.e., water-in-oil compound droplets dispersed in water. We show that the solidification of such hierarchical emulsions can trigger a topological transition; for example, in our case, we observe the transition from the stable W/O/W state to a (frozen) O/W single-emulsion configuration. Strikingly, this transition is characterised by sudden expulsion of the inner water drop from the encapsulating oil droplet. We propose that this topological transition is triggered by the freezing of the encapsulating oil droplet from the outside in, putting tension on the inner water drop thus, destabilizing the W/O/W configuration. Using high-speed imaging we characterize the destabilization process. Interestingly, we find that below a critical size of the inner drop, $R_{\mathrm{in,crit}} \approx 19 \, μ\mathrm{m}$, the topological transition does not occur any more and the double-emulsion remains stable, in line with our interpretation.
title Freezing-induced topological transition of double-emulsion
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.04317