Surface energy and separation mechanics of droplet interface phospholipid bilayers.

Droplet interface bilayers are a convenient model system to study the physio-chemical properties of phospholipid bilayers, the major component of the cell membrane. The mechanical response of these bilayers to various external mechanical stimuli is an active area of research because of its implications for cellular viability and the development of artificial cells. In this article, we characterize the separation mechanics of droplet interface bilayers under step strain using a combination of experiments and numerical modelling. Initially, we show that the bilayer surface energy can be obtained using principles of energy conservation. Subsequently, we subject the system to a step strain by separating the drops in a step-wise manner, and track the evolution of the bilayer contact angle and radius. The relaxation time of the bilayer contact angle and radius along with the decay magnitude of the bilayer radius were observed to increase with each separation step. By analysing the forces acting on the bilayer and the rate of separation, we show that the bilayer separates primarily through the peeling process with the dominant resistance to separation coming from viscous dissipation associated with corner flows. Finally, we explain the intrinsic features of the observed bilayer separation by means of a mathematical model comprising the Young-Laplace equation and an evolution equation. We believe that the reported experimental and numerical results extend the scientific understanding of lipid bilayer mechanics, and that the developed experimental and numerical tools offer a convenient platform to study the mechanics of other types of bilayers.

Single bubble and drop techniques for characterizing foams and emulsions.

The physics of foams and emulsions has traditionally been studied using bulk foam/emulsion tests and single film platforms such as the Scheludko cell. Recently there has been a renewed interest in a third class of techniques that we term as single bubble/drop tests, which employ isolated whole bubbles and drops to probe the characteristics of foams and emulsions. Single bubble and drop techniques provide a convenient framework for investigating a number of important characteristics of foams and emulsions, including the rheology, stabilization mechanisms, and rupture dynamics. In this review we provide a comprehensive discussion of the various single bubble/drop platforms and the associated experimental measurement protocols including the construction of coalescence time distributions, visualization of the thin film profiles and characterization of the interfacial rheological properties. Subsequently, we summarize the recent developments in foam and emulsion science with a focus on the results obtained through single bubble/drop techniques. We conclude the review by presenting important venues for future research.

Linear shear rheology of aging ß-casein films adsorbing at the air/water interface.

In this work, the viscoelasticity of fragile ß-casein films has been followed using different macro- and microrheological techniques. The modulus of the complex surface viscosity |η∗| varies with time, allowing for the monitoring of the protein adsorption and annealing. ß-casein adsorption creates a soft glassy gel at the interface that experiences an aging process. Macrorheological experiments with multiple probe sizes in addition to microrheological experiments demonstrated the consistency of the surface rheological properties over a broad range of viscosities. Surface pressure measurements were performed to complement the characterization of the processes.

Phase Diagram of Fatty Acid Langmuir Monolayers from Rheological Measurements.

Langmuir monolayers of fatty acids and alcohols are two-dimensional systems with a rich equilibrium phase diagram. We have explored the temperature and surface-pressure-dependent shear response of monolayers formed by fatty acids of different chain lengths and a fatty alcohol. This has been accomplished with an interfacial shear rheometer utilizing magnetic tweezers and equipped with a refined temperature control and acquisition system. Our rheological results have allowed us to draw a phase diagram from the viscoelastic properties of these 2-D systems and show new phenomena that strongly depend on temperature: the existence of a maximum in viscosity at the L2' phase, the behavior of the elastic modulus to the storage modulus ratio at the L2 phase, and the increase or decrease in viscosity at the L2-LS phase transition. In addition, we unambiguously show that the LS phase displays a counterintuitive behavior in which the loss modulus increases with temperature. We demonstrate, through isothermal surface pressure sweeps and isobaric temperature sweeps, that the exponential dependence of the loss modulus on temperature at the LS phase appears for all hydrophobic tail lengths studied and for both acid and alcohol head groups.

Magnetic microwire probes for the magnetic rod interfacial stress rheometer.

The magnetic needle interfacial shear rheometer is a valuable tool for the study of the mechanical properties of thin fluid films or monolayers. However, it is difficult to differentiate the interfacial and subphase contributions to the drag on the needle. In principle, the problem can be addressed by decreasing the needle diameter, which decreases the bulk contribution while the interfacial contribution remains essentially the same. Here we show the results obtained when using a new type of needle, that of magnetic microwires with diameter approximately 10 times thinner than for commercial needles. We show that the lower inertia of the microwires calls for a new calibration procedure. We propose such a new calibration procedure based on the flow field solution around the needle introduced in refs 1 and 2. By measuring thin silicone oil films with well-controlled interfacial viscosities as well as eicosanol (C20) and pentadecanoic acid (PDA, C15) Langmuir monolayers, we show that the new calibration method works well for standard needles as well as for the microwire probes. Moreover, we show that the analysis of the force terms contributing to the force on the needle helps to ascertain whether the measurements obtained are reliable for given surface shear viscosity values. We also show that the microwire probes have at least a 10-fold-lower resolution limit, allowing one to measure interfacial viscosities as low as 10(-7) N·m/s.