Using Water’s Strength to Pull on Polymers- Watching Water Dry

Milner, Matt

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/95895 Copy

Description

Title

Using Water’s Strength to Pull on Polymers- Watching Water Dry

Author(s)

Milner, Matt

Issue Date

2017

Keyword(s)

Mechanical Science and Engineering

Abstract

Research is typically filled with long periods of monotony, before the excitement of a result can be achieved. I think that this is probably an experience shared amongst most graduate students doing research. I watch water droplets evaporate from polymers, it is not the most exciting process, but luckily time lapse photography exists. When talking about my research, I often liken it to watching paint dry, which gives someone, even who has never done research, a glimpse into what it is like. Although this may sound miserable, it is not. Research must involve the dull periods, no matter how long they last, in order to see the full picture and to understand. We must watch that paint dry, we must pay close attention, and most importantly, we must enjoy the process! The six images above show liquid water droplets embedded in a solid polymer at different points of evaporation. The top row of pictures shows a droplet evaporating in a stiffer polymer than the droplet in the bottom row. Depending on the stiffness of the polymer (and the resulting change in elastocapillary length), creases form on the droplet in different numbers and progress across the droplet in different ways.

Type of Resource

• text
• image

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95895

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2017 Matt Milner

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