25 research outputs found
Anomalous near-equilibrium capillary rise
We report and rationalize the observation of a crossover from the classical
Lucas-Washburn dynamics to a long-lived anomalously slow regime for capillary
rise in simple glass tubes. We propose an analytical model considering the role
of thermal motion and the nanoscale surface topography to account for the
experimental observations. The proposed model indicates that the contact line
perimeter and the surface topography dimensions determine the crossover
condition and anomalous imbibition rate. Our findings have important
implications for the scientific understanding and technical application of
capillary imbibition and suggest strategies to control the adsorption of
specific liquids in porous materials