On the dynamics of liquid lenses

The spreading of a lens of one liquid on the surface of another liquid is examined. Lubrication theory is used to derive a coupled system of equations for the air–liquid and liquid–liquid interfaces. In the case of highly viscous lenses, extensional stresses are promoted and an additional equation for the lens velocity is derived. The potential singularity at the three-phase line is relieved by a microscopic precursor layer of the spreading fluid assumed to be present ahead of the macroscopic lens. This layer is stabilised via the inclusion of disjoining pressure effects in the lens. The results of our full parametric study show that, for weak gravitational forces, the shape of the lens at equilibrium depends solely on the surface tension ratio for sufficiently deep substrate thicknesses. For thin substrates, the underlying liquid film deforms severely near the point of deposition exhibiting flattening and dimpling.

Graphical abstractSchematic of the equilibrium configuration of a two-dimensional lens.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide