History of thought on molecular origins of surface phenomena offers a critical and detailed examination and assessment of modern theories, focusing on statistical mechanics and application of results in mean-field approximation to model systems. Emphasis on liquid-gas surface, with a focus on liquid-liquid surfaces in the final chapters. 1989 edition.

History of surface phenomena offers critical and detailed examination and assessment of modern theories, focusing on statistical mechanics and application of results in mean-field approximation to model systems. 1989 edition.

Open microfluidics, the study of microflows having a boundary with surrounding air, encompasses different aspects such as paper or thread-based microfluidics, droplet microfluidics and open-channel microfluidics. Open-channel microflow is a flow at the micro-scale, guided by solid structures, and having at least a free boundary (with air or vapor) other than the advancing meniscus. This book is devoted to the study of open-channel microfluidics which (contrary to paper or thread or droplet microfluidics) is still very sparsely documented, but bears many new applications in biology, biotechnology, medicine, material and space sciences. Capillarity being the principal force triggering an open microflow, the principles of capillarity are first recalled. The onset of open-channel microflow is next analyzed and the fundamental notion of generalized Cassie angle (the apparent contact angle which accounts for the presence of air) is presented. The theory of the dynamics of open-channel microflows is then developed, using the notion of averaged friction length which accounts for the presence of air along the boundaries of the flow domain. Different channel morphologies are studied and geometrical features such as valves and capillary pumps are examined. An introduction to two-phase open-channel microflows is also presented showing that immiscible plugs can be transported by an open-channel flow. Finally, a selection of interesting applications in the domains of space, materials, medicine and biology is presented, showing the potentialities of open-channel microfluidics.

This classic sets forth the fundamentals of thermodynamics and kinetic theory simply enough to be understood by beginners, yet with enough subtlety to appeal to more advanced readers, too.

The study of capillarity is in the midst of a veritable explosion. What is offered here is not a comprehensive review of the latest research but rather a compendium of principles designed for the undergraduate student and for readers interested in the physics underlying these phenomena.

Starting from the basic principles of wetting, electrowetting and fluid dynamics all the way up to those engineering aspects relevant for the development of specific devices, this is a comprehensive introduction and overview of the theoretical and practical aspects. Written by two of the most knowledgeable experts in the field, the text covers both current as well as possible future applications, providing basic working principles of lab-on-a-chip devices and such optofluidic devices as adaptive lenses and optical switches. Furthermore, novel e-paper display technology, energy harvesting and supercapacitors as well as electrowetting in the nano-world are discussed. Finally, the book contains a series of exercises and questions for use in courses on microfluidics or electrowetting. With its all-encompassing scope, this book will equally serve the growing community of students and academic and industrial researchers as both an introduction and a standard reference.

Planar fluid interfaces -- Interfaces of moderate curvature : theory of capillarity -- Surface bending moment and curvature elastic moduli -- General curved interfaces and biomembranes -- Liquid films and interactions between particle and surface -- Particles at interfaces : deformations and hydrodynamic interactions -- Lateral capillary forces between partially immersed bodies -- Lateral capillary forces between floating particles -- Capillary forces between particles bound to a spherical interface -- Mechanics of lipid membranes and interaction between inclusions -- Capillary bridges and capillary-bridge forces -- Capillary forces between particles of irregular contact line -- Two-dimensional crystallization of particulates and proteins -- Effect of oil drops and particulates on the stability of foams.

There is a wide variety of heterogeneous fluid systems that possess interphase surfaces. This monograph is devoted to pioneering studies in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of such systems. Starting from the Liouville equation, the equations of surface hydrodynamics are derived with allowance for discontinuities of thermodynamic parameters of interphase boundaries. Brownian motion of a large solid particle in a fluid and nucleation are treated as results of fluctuations of flows across particle surfaces. With the use of the Gibbs method, a shock wave in a gas is considered as a sort of an interphase surface, and the surface tension of a shock front is introduced for the first time.

Liquid-Vapor Phase-Change Phenomena presents the basic thermophysics and transport principles that underlie the mechanisms of condensation and vaporization processes. The text has been thoroughly updated to reflect recent innovations in research and to strengthen the fundamental focus of the first edition. Starting with an integrated presentation of the nonequilibrium thermodynamics and interfacial phenomena associated with vaporization and condensation, coverage follows of the heat transfer and fluid flow mechanisms in such processes. The second edition includes significant new material on the nanoscale and microscale thermophysics of boiling and condensation phenomena and the use of advanced computational tools to create new models of phase-change events. The importance of basic phenomena to a wide variety of applications is emphasized and illustrated throughout using examples and problems. Suitable for senior undergraduate and first-year graduate students in mechanical or chemical engineering, the book can also be a helpful reference for practicing engineers or scientists studying the fundamental physics of nucleation, boiling and condensation.