MSI PI Xiang Cheng (associate professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science) and colleagues have published a study that reveals, for the first time, why liquid droplets can erode hard surfaces. The study, published recently in the journal Nature Communications, uses a novel technique called high-speed stress microscopy to measure force, stress, and pressure underneath liquid drops as they hit surfaces.
The paper can be found on the journal website: Ting-Pi Sun, Franco Alvarez-Novoa, Klebbert Andrade, Pable Gutierrez, Leonardo Gordillo, Xiang Cheng. Stress Distribution and Surface Shock Wave of a Drop Impact. Nature Communications, 13 art. no. 1703 (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04509-3.
An article about this research has been published as a University of Minnesota Research Brief: New Study Solves Mystery of How Soft Liquid Droplets Erode Hard Surfaces. The story includes a short slow-motion video of a water droplet impacting a sandy surface.
Professor Xiang uses MSI resources as part of research using holographic microscopy to study 3D flow induced by microswimmers.