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Electrostatics slows down the breakup of liquid bridges on solid surfaces

Salar Jabbary Farrokhi1,*, Aaron D. Ratschow2,1,*, and Steffen Hardt1,†

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: hardt@nmf.tu-darmstadt.de
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 054002 – Published 11 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4y43-yb8l

Abstract

We experimentally study the breakup of water-glycerol liquid bridges on nonconductive surfaces and find that spontaneous charge deposition at the receding contact line, slide electrification, can have a substantial influence. Compared to bridge breakup on conductive surfaces, electrostatic forces slow down the dynamics during, and cause spontaneous motion of satellite drops after the bridge breakup. We present a model for electrostatic contact line dissipation that aligns with our experimental observations. Our findings demonstrate that slide electrification plays an important role in dewetting beyond drop-related scenarios.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 054002– Published 11 May, 2026
  • Received 14 November 2025
  • Accepted 30 March 2026
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