Scientists reveal different dynamics of droplet formation on fibers
Thin fibers play a tremendous role in many areas of our daily life, from the use of glass fibers in ultra-fast data transmission to textile fibers in our clothing. In order to enable special properties of these fibers, they are often coated with a thin liquid layer that is supposed to be stable and homogeneous. However, for the production of drinkable water, the exact opposite features are desired: there, one aims at harvesting water, which is transported along the fiber as a liquid film or as liquid droplets, from fog. Now, scientists have been able to reveal, by means of lacquer films on glass fibers, whether liquid films slowly flow along the fiber or if they can slip faster on the fiber. The team composed of Karin Jacobs and Sabrina Haefner from Saarland University, together with Oliver Bäumchen from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen, and...