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The fate of soluble and insoluble surfactant monolayers subjected to drop impacts

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Abstract

Surfactant monolayers were formed on a water surface and subjected to water drops falling from a nozzle. Surface tension was measured during these experiments to determine the effect of the drop impacts on the surfactant monolayer. The purpose of this work was to determine whether monolayers can be altered by drop impacts without the formation of a splash. Accordingly, a small fall height was used to avoid drop splashes and concomitant surfactant loss by droplet ejection. The relevance of this work pertains to the fate of surfactant monolayers during rain events. Results are presented for a soluble and insoluble surfactant. The results show that the insoluble monolayer is virtually unaffected by the drops, indicating that the monolayer immediately reforms after the drop impact. The soluble monolayer shows significant changes in measured surface tension during droplet impact when the surfactant concentration is high.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support from the Office of Naval Research through the Naval Research Laboratory is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0921, USA

    J. R. Saylor

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Saylor, J.R. The fate of soluble and insoluble surfactant monolayers subjected to drop impacts. Exp Fluids 34, 540–547 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-002-0569-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-002-0569-6

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