A model for investigating the behaviour of non-spherical particles at interfaces

An investigation of the stable orientations of orthorhombic particles in a thin film and their effect on its critical failure pressure

“…As such it is well suited to studying the problem of particles at interfaces and the deformations that they create. A detailed description of the approach used here can be found in Morris et al [7] but a brief outline is included to introduce the terms used later in the analysis.…”

“…However, the particles found in industrial foams and films are often irregularly shaped, possessing sharp edges and asperities which affect their behaviour in the film [5,6]. Whilst insights into film stability and particle behaviour can be gained from models of spherical particles, it is desirable to develop them further so that they are able to model non-spherical particles [7,8]. By simulating non-spherical particles at interfaces it is possible to investigate more thoroughly the fundamental aspects of particle stabilisation of thin films whilst relating these findings to experimental observations.…”

“…Morris et al [7] presented an approach to modelling a range of non-spherical particles in a film or at an interface. This was used to investigate the stable orientations of cubic particles at an interface and how they vary with contact angle [15].…”

Identifying the Transition Capillary Pressure of a Superhydrophobic Surface Containing Cylindrical Rods

“…The model used for these simulations is based on those previously developed for the simulation of particles in thin films. 15,16,18,19 The Surface Evolver program is used to find the minimum energy surface of a system subject to a series of userdefined constraints. As such, it is well suited to the simulation of quasi-static systems dominated by capillary forces.…”

Equilibrium orientations of non-spherical and chemically anisotropic particles at liquid–liquid interfaces and the effect on emulsion stability

“…Whilst spheres are the most studied particulate emulsifier experimentally, there have also been reports on the interfacial activity of discs [5][6][7], cylinders [7][8][9][10], ellipsoids [11][12][13], cubes [14][15][16], dumbbells [17][18][19][20][21] and hemispheres [22][23][24][25], aided by advances in the measurement of the adsorption of colloids to liquid-liquid interfaces [26][27][28]. In addition, new synthetic routes to complex nanoparticles have allowed us to explore the use of chemically anisotropic 'Janus' particles as surfactants [29,30].…”