Bubbles and drops between circular frames: shape, force and stability analysis.

Interactions between bubbles and drops play an important role in many physical phenomena. Whether we consider the interaction between two bubbles (drops) or between many (foams or emulsions), these interactions are complex and still poorly understood. An interesting case arises when two equal- and constant-volume bubbles (drops) interact with each other while being held by two axisymmetrically positioned frames of circular opening - a configuration which is frequently used in characterisation devices.

Solidification of Polyurethane Model Foams via Catalyst Drainage from a Secondary Foam.

Due to their unique mechanical and thermal properties, polyurethane foams are widely used in multiple fields of applications, including cushioning, thermal insulation or biomedical engineering. However, the way polyurethane foams are usually manufactured - via chemical foaming - produces samples where blowing and gelling occur at the same time, resulting in a morphology control achieved by trial and error processes. Here, a novel strategy is introduced to build model homogeneous polyurethane foams of controlled density with millimetric bubbles from liquid templates.

Interfacial rheology of linearly growing polyelectrolyte multilayers at the water-air interface: from liquid to solid viscoelasticity.

Despite the long history of investigations of polyelectrolyte multilayer formation on solid or liquid surfaces, important questions remain open concerning the construction of the first set of layers. These are generally deposited on a first anchoring layer of different chemistry, influencing their construction and properties. We propose here an in-depth investigation of the formation of NaPSS/PAH multilayers at the air/water interface in the absence of a chemically different anchoring layer, profiting from the surface activity of NaPSS.

PEG-in-PDMS drops stabilised by soft silicone skins as a model system for elastocapillary emulsions with explicit morphology control.

Hypothesis: The morphology of ordinary macro-emulsions is controlled by their high interfacial energies, i.e., by capillarity, leading to well-known structural features which can be tuned only over a narrow range.

Perturbing the catenoid: Stability and mechanical properties of nonaxisymmetric minimal surfaces.

Minimal surface problems arise naturally in many soft matter systems whose free energies are dominated by surface or interface energies. Of particular interest are the shapes, stability, and mechanical stresses of minimal surfaces spanning specific geometric boundaries. The "catenoid" is the best-known example where an analytical solution is known which describes the form and stability of a minimal surface held between two parallel, concentric circular frames.