Scientists have revealed the precise molecular mechanisms that cause drops of liquid to combine, in a discovery that could have a range of applications.
Scientists have revealed the precise molecular mechanisms that cause drops of liquid to combine, in a discovery that could have a range of applications.
Insights into how droplets merge could help make 3D printing technologies more accurate and may help improve the forecasting of thunderstorms and other weather events, the study suggests.
Simulated interactions
A team of researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Warwick ran molecular simulations on a supercomputer to analyse interactions between tiny ripples that form on the surface of droplets.
These ripples – known as thermal-capillary waves – are too small to be detected by the naked eye or by using the most advanced experimental techniques.
Researchers found that these tiny waves cross the gap between nearby droplets and make the first contact between them.
Read more at University of Edinburgh
Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash
