Publications Details

Laser scanning confocal microscopy applied to multi-component wetting

Grillet, Anne M.; Ash, Benjamin J.; Brooks, Carlton F.; Emerson, John A.

Laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to study wetting of multi-component drops. A broad range of dynamic phenomena from micro- to nano-scale were elucidated by coupling together atomistic scale molecular dynamics simulations, continuum finite element calculations and experimental development. A suite of experimental techniques to measure composition variations was developed, in addition to modifying traditional tensiometry methods to work with very small quantities of fluid. It was found that laser scanning confocal microscopy is an effective tool to study concentration segregation in multi-component drops where the individual components have been labeled with contrasting fluorescent dyes.