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Spreading of liquid drops on Agar gels

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Abstract

We study the spreading of pure water drops or water drops with surfactine (surfactant produced by bacteria Bacillus Subtilis) on gels (Agar/Water gel). We find that, surprisingly, the drops do not spread indefinitely, but remain in a state of partial wetting. Eventually the liquid diffuses into the gel on a time scale short with respect to evaporation times. The drops containing surfactant show a complex dynamics: at first the spreading velocity decreases, until the front stops and starts receding at about constant velocity. Concurrently, a second front detaches from the rim of the drop if the agar concentration is sufficiently low, and continues to move outwards.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), UMR 7057, CNRS & Université Paris Diderot, Bât. Condorcet CC7056, 75205, Paris Cedex 13, France

    M. Banaha, A. Daerr & L. Limat

Authors
  1. M. Banaha
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  2. A. Daerr
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  3. L. Limat
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Correspondence to M. Banaha.

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Banaha, M., Daerr, A. & Limat, L. Spreading of liquid drops on Agar gels. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 166, 185–188 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2009-00904-1

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