{"id":1607,"date":"2022-02-01T17:20:33","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T16:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/wordpress_test\/?p=1607"},"modified":"2026-10-19T21:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T20:27:16","slug":"coalescence-of-fluid-drops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/2022\/02\/01\/coalescence-of-fluid-drops\/","title":{"rendered":"Coalescence of fluid drops"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1607\" class=\"elementor elementor-1607\" data-elementor-settings=\"[]\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-97f3f29 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"97f3f29\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-517edddf\" data-id=\"517edddf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1eb94c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1eb94c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.5.5 - 03-02-2022 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#818a91;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#818a91;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<div style=\"font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.75; color: #43545a;\"><!-- INTRODUCTION -->\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 20px 0; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.7;\"><strong style=\"color: #344a52; font-weight: 600;\"> What happens when two droplets meet? For simple liquids, they merge into a single larger drop, driven by surface tension. For complex fluids, however, their internal structure and unusual flow properties can make this seemingly simple process much more intricate. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 22px 0; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.7;\">In the Soft Matter group, we investigate the physics of droplet coalescence using ultra-fast imaging, rheology, and advanced image analysis. We explore how viscous and inertial forces govern merging droplets, how surrounding gas and molecular interactions influence the first moments of contact, and how complex fluid properties shape droplet dynamics.<\/p>\n<!-- RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT -->\n<div style=\"border-left: 3px solid #10708A; background: #F2F7F8; padding: 18px 22px; border-radius: 0 10px 10px 0; margin: 28px 0 32px 0;\">\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 1.4px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #10708a; margin-bottom: 8px;\">Research focus<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.65; color: #43545a;\">From the first microscopic bridge between two droplets to their complete merging, we aim to understand how fluid properties and interfacial forces determine the dynamics of coalescence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<!-- PUBLICATIONS -->\n<h3 style=\"font-size: 23px; font-weight: 650; color: #243e47; margin: 0 0 8px 0;\">Selected Publications<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #667a80; margin: 0 0 22px 0;\">Recent insights into droplet dynamics and the behaviour of complex fluids.<\/p>\n<!-- PUBLICATION 1 -->\n<div style=\"border: 1px solid #E0E9EC; border-radius: 12px; padding: 16px 24px; margin-bottom: 14px; background: #FFFFFF;\">\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 1px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #10708a; margin-bottom: 9px;\">Droplet Coalescence<\/div>\n<a style=\"font-size: 19px; font-weight: 650; line-height: 1.45; color: #10708a; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1103\/PhysRevFluids.10.L042001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Early stages of drop coalescence \u2197 <\/a>\n<p style=\"font-size: 14px; color: #74868b; line-height: 1.6; margin: 8px 0 12px 0;\">A. Deblais, K. Xie, P. Lewin-Jones et al. \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 <em>Physical Review Fluids<\/em> \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 2025<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.65; color: #43545a; margin: 0;\">Combining experiments and numerical modelling, this study reveals how surrounding gas and van der Waals forces influence the earliest moments of droplet merging, including the formation and initial growth of the liquid bridge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<!-- PUBLICATION 2 -->\n<div style=\"border: 1px solid #E0E9EC; border-radius: 12px; padding: 16px 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; background: #FFFFFF;\">\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 1px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #10708a; margin-bottom: 9px;\">Complex Fluid Droplets<\/div>\n<a style=\"font-size: 19px; font-weight: 650; line-height: 1.45; color: #10708a; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1039\/D5SM00279F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Unveiling droplet morphologies: real-time viscosity mapping reveals the physics of drying polymer solutions \u2197 <\/a>\n<p style=\"font-size: 14px; color: #74868b; line-height: 1.6; margin: 8px 0 12px 0;\">E. Mirzahossein, M. Grzelka &amp; D. Bonn \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 <em>Soft Matter<\/em> \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 2025<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.65; color: #43545a; margin: 0;\">Using real-time, spatially resolved viscosity measurements, researchers uncover how a gel-like surface layer forms during droplet drying and determines the emergence of striking shapes, from coffee rings to buckled structures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<!-- CONTACT -->\n<p style=\"font-size: 15px; color: #667a80; border-top: 1px solid #E0E9EC; padding-top: 18px; margin: 0;\"><strong style=\"color: #344a52;\">Research contact:<\/strong> Daniel Bonn \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 <a style=\"color: #10708a; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"mailto:d.bonn@uva.nl\">d.bonn@uva.nl \u2197<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understanding the coalescence dynamics of complex fluids<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1607"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5022,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607\/revisions\/5022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}