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Rupture of a surfactant-laden draining thin film

Atul S. Vivek1,2,*, Ranabir Dey2,†, and Harish N. Dixit2,3,‡

  • 1Control Actuation Systems Group, Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Indian Space Research Organisation, Thiruvananthapuram 695022, India
  • 2Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana 502285, India
  • 3Centre for Interdisciplinary Programs, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana 502285, India

  • *me22resch04004@iith.ac.in
  • †ranabir@mae.iith.ac.in
  • ‡hdixit@mae.iith.ac.in
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 9, 074004 – Published 25 July, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.9.074004

Abstract

Surfactant-laden thin liquid films overlaid on solid substrates are encountered in a variety of industrial and biological settings. As these films reach submicron thickness, they tend to become unstable owing to the influence of long-range dispersion forces. In the current study, we investigate how gravitational drainage affects the stability attributes of such thin liquid films. Using scaling arguments, we demonstrate that gravity and dispersion forces can exert their influence simultaneously over a wide range of film thicknesses. In the lubrication limit, we carry out linear stability analysis and nonlinear simulations to understand the evolution of draining thin films. Linear stability indicates the existence of two unstable modes and two cutoff wave numbers, as opposed to a single unstable mode and a unique cutoff wave number observed in stationary films. It is also found that surfactant-laden flowing films are more stable than stationary films with surfactants as well as draining films with clean interfaces. The origin of stabilization is identified as the enhanced surfactant perturbations generated due to drainage. We demonstrate that films exhibiting intermediate levels of surfactant activity and significant drainage exhibit the lowest rates of disturbance growth, leading to extending the time of rupture.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 9, 074004– Published 25 July, 2024
  • Received 11 January 2024
  • Accepted 27 March 2024
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