Interfacial Characterization of Ruthenium-Based Amphiphilic Photosensitizers.

Nonreactive surfactant molecules have long been used and characterized for a wide range of applications in industries, life science, and everyday life. Recently, new types of functional amphiphilic molecules have emerged that bear another function, for example, a light-absorbing action, or catalytic properties. However, the surfactant properties of these molecules remain to date essentially unknown.

Sculpting Liquids with Ultrathin Shells.

Thin elastic films can spontaneously attach to liquid interfaces, offering a platform for tailoring their physical, chemical, and optical properties. Current understanding of the elastocapillarity of thin films is based primarily on studies of planar sheets. We show that curved shells can be used to manipulate interfaces in qualitatively different ways.

Low gas permeability of particulate films slows down the aging of gas marbles.

Introducing solid particles into liquid films drastically changes their properties: "gas marbles" can resist overpressure and underpressure ten times larger than their pure liquid counterparts - also known as soap bubbles - before deforming. Such gas marbles can therefore prove to be useful as gas containers able to support stresses. Yet, as their liquid counterparts, they can undergo gas transfer, which can reduce the scope of their applications.

Gas Marbles: Much Stronger than Liquid Marbles.

Enwrapping liquid droplets with hydrophobic particles allows the manufacture of so-called "liquid marbles" [Aussillous and Quéré Nature (London) 411, 924 (2001); NATUAS0028-083610.1038/35082026Mahadevan Nature (London)411, 895 (2001)NATUAS0028-083610.1038/35082164].

Viscosity of particulate soap films: approaching the jamming of 2D capillary suspensions.

We compute the effective viscosity of particulate soap films thanks to local velocity fields obtained by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) during film retraction experiments. We identify the jamming of these 2D capillary suspensions at a critical particle surface fraction (≃0.84) where effective viscosity diverges.