Capillarity and Wetting Phenomena: Drops, Bubbles, Pearls, Waves [Paperback]

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.

As I glance out my window in the early morning, I can see beads of droplets gracing a spider web. The film of dew that has settled on the threads is unstable and breaks up spontaneously into droplets. This phenomenon has implications for the treatment of textile fibers (the process known as oiling ), glass, and carbon. It is no less important when applying mascara! I take my morning shower. The moment I step out, I dry off by way of evaporation (which makes me feel cold) and by dewetting (the process by which dry areas form spontaneously and expand on my skin). As I rush into my car under a pelting rain, my attention is caught by small drops stuck on my windshield. I also notice larger drops rolling down and others larger still that, like snails, leave behind them a trail of water. I ask myself what the difference is between these rolling drops and grains of sand tumbling down an incline. I wonder why the smallest drops remain stuck. The answers to such questions do help car manufacturers treat the surface of glass and adjust the tilt of windshields.Capillarity: Unconstrained Interfaces / Capillarity and Gravity / Hysteresis and Elasticity of Triple Lines / Wetting and Long-Range Forces b/ Hydrodynamics of Interfaces -- Thin Films, Waves, and Ripples / Dynamics of the Triple Line / Dewetting / Surfactants / Special Interfaces / Transport Phenomena

From the reviews:

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Review by P. R. Douville, emeritus, Central Connecticut State University

You are an intelligent spider sitting on your web. Early morning light forms tiny rainbows as it passes through the beads of dew strung alonglC¶