Spreading of an Oil-in-Water Emulsion on a Glass Plate: Phase Inversion and Pattern Formation

Antoine Deblais (1) , Rim Harich (1) , Daniel Bonn (2) , Annie Colin (3) , Hamid Kellay (1)

1 LOMA - Laboratoire Ondes et Matière d'Aquitaine
2 Soft Matter Group, Van der Waals–Zeeman Institute
3 CRPP - Centre de recherches Paul Pascal

Rigid blade coating of glass plates by oil in water emulsions stabilized by surfactants is studied. Complete surface coverage is obtained only for speeds exceeding a threshold velocity dependent on the height between the blade end and the surface. Below this threshold, the emulsion can be inverted in the vicinity of the blade. The inversion dynamics of the oil in water emulsion and the deposition patterns induced by this phase inversion are studied using a microscope mounted set up. We show that these dynamics are universal for different volume fractions and deposition velocities. This inversion as well as the destabilization of the emulsion film deposited at high speeds gives rise to different patterns on the glass surface. These patterns are discussed in terms of the emulsion characteristics as well as the deposition velocity.

Domaines: Matière Molle [cond-mat.soft]

Antoine Deblais, Rim Harich, Daniel Bonn, Annie Colin, Hamid Kellay. Spreading of an Oil-in-Water Emulsion on a Glass Plate: Phase Inversion and Pattern Formation. Langmuir, 2015, 31 (22), pp.5971-5981. ⟨10.1021/la504639q⟩. ⟨hal-01171325⟩