Explaining the shape of freezing droplets
Monday, August 4, 2014 - 10:30
in Physics & Chemistry
A water droplet deposited onto an icecold surface clearly has more effect than a drop in the ocean: the droplet will freeze in a peculiar way, forming a pointy tip. Scientists of the University of Twente have, in cooperation with colleagues from Paris, Brussels and Munich, found an explanation for this remarkable shape. They used video images and advanced mathematics for this. Insight into this process is also useful for understanding processes like 3D printing. The results are published in the August 1 issue of Physical Review Letters.