Trapping of drops by wetting defects

Controlling the motion of drops on solid surfaces is crucial in many natural phenomena and technological processes including the collection and removal of rain drops, cleaning technology and heat exchangers. Topographic and chemical heterogeneities on solid surfaces give rise to pinning forces that can capture and steer drops in desired directions. Here we determine general physical conditions required for capturing sliding drops on an inclined plane that is equipped with electrically tunable wetting defects. By mapping the drop dynamics on the one-dimensional motion of a point mass, we demonstrate that the trapping process is controlled by two dimensionless parameters, the trapping strength measured in units of the driving force and the ratio between a viscous and an inertial time scale. Complementary experiments involving superhydrophobic surfaces with wetting defects demonstrate the general applicability of the concept. Moreover, we show that electrically tunable defects can be used to guide sliding drops along actively switchable tracks—with potential applications in microfluidic

Low Friction Flows of Liquids at Nanopatterned Interfaces

With the recent important development of microfluidic systems, miniaturization of flow devices has become a real challenge. Microchannels, however, are characterized by a large surface to volume ratio, so that surface properties strongly affect flow resistance in submicrometric devices. We present here results showing that the concerted effect of wetting . properties and surface roughness may considerably reduce friction of the fluid past the boundaries. The slippage of the fluid at the channel boundaries is shown to be drastically increased by using surfaces that are patterned at the nanometer scale. This effect occurs in the regime where the surface pattern is partially dewetted, in the spirit of the 'superhydrophobic' effects that have been recently discovered at the macroscopic scales. Our results show for the first time that, in contrast to the common belief, surface friction may be reduced by surface roughness. They also open the possibility of a controlled realization of the 'nanobubbles' that have long been suspected to play a role in interfacial slippag

Superoutburst of a New Sub-Period-Minimum Dwarf Nova CSS130418 in Hercules

Multicolour photometry of a new dwarf nova CSS130418 in Hercules, which underwent superoutburst on April 18, 2013, allow to classified it as a WZ Sge-type dwarf nova. The phase light curves for different stages of superoutburst are presented. The early superhumps were used to determine the orbital period Porb = 64.84(1) minutes, which is shorter than the period minimum ~78 minutes for normal hydrogen-rich cataclysmic variables. We found the mean period of ordinary superhumps Psh = 65.559(1) minutes. The quiescent spectrum is rich in helium, showing double peaked emissionlines of H I and He I from accretion disk, so the dwarf nova is in a late stage of stellar evolution

Cooperativity‐Driven Reactivity of a Dinuclear Copper Dimethylglyoxime Complex

In this report, we present the dinuclear copper(II) dimethylglyoxime (H$_2$dmg) complex [Cu$_2$(H$_2$dmg)(Hdmg)(dmg)]$^+$ (1), which, in contrast to its mononuclear analogue [Cu(Hdmg)$_2$] (2), is subject to a cooperativity-driven hydrolysis. The combined Lewis acidity of both copper centers increases the electrophilicity of the carbon atom in the bridging μ$_2$-O−N=C-group of H$_2$dmg and thus, facilitates the nucleophilic attack of H2O. This hydrolysis yields butane-2,3-dione monoxime (3) and NH$_2$OH that, depending on the solvent, is then either oxidized or reduced. In ethanol, NH$_2$OH is reduced to NH$_4$$^+$, yielding acetaldehyde as the oxidation product. In contrast, in CH$_3$CN, NH$_2$OH is oxidized by Cu$^{II}$ to form N$_2$O and [Cu(CH$_3$CN)4]$^+$. Herein are presented the combined synthetic, theoretical, spectroscopic and spectrometric methods that indicate and establish the reaction pathway of this solvent-dependent reaction

Investigation of Luminescent Triplet States in Tetranuclear Cu-I Complexes : Thermochromism and Structural Characterization

To develop new and flexible Cu-I containing luminescent substances, we extend our previous investigations on two metal-centered species to four metal-centered complexes. These complexes could be a basis for designing new organic light-emitting diode (OLED) relevant species. Both the synthesis and in-depth spectroscopic analysis, combined with high-level theoretical calculations are presented on a series of tetranuclear Cu-I complexes with a halide containing Cu4X4 core (X=iodide, bromide or chloride) and two 2-(diphenylphosphino)pyridine bridging ligands with a methyl group in para (4-Me) or ortho (6-Me) position of the pyridine ring. The structure of the electronic ground state is characterized by X-ray diffraction, NMR, and IR spectroscopy with the support of theoretical calculations. In contrast to the para system, the complexes with ortho-substituted bridging ligands show a remarkable and reversible temperature-dependent dual phosphorescence. Here, we combine for the first time the luminescence thermochromism with time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy. Thus, we receive experimental data on the structures of the two triplet states involved in the luminescence thermochromism. The transient IR spectra of the underlying triplet metal/halide-to-ligand charge transfer (M-3/XLCT) and cluster-centered ((CC)-C-3) states were obtained and interpreted by comparison with calculated vibrational spectra. The systematic and significant dependence of the bridging halides was analyzed.Peer reviewe

Produljen tijek Creutzfeldt -Jakobove bolesti uz opsežnu degeneraciju središnjega živčanog sustava

In Slovak genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients with E200K mutation in the prion protein gene the mean duration of clinical stage is significantly shorter in methionine homozygous then in methionine / valine heterozygous patients (3.70±2.00 vs. 7.84±7.30 months). An atypical prolonged course (13 months) of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease complicated by malignant neuroleptic syndrome in a 48-year-old methionine homozygous carrier of E200K mutation is reported. Progression was documented by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, functional-biochemical magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electroencephalography. Post mortem neurohistologic findings confirmed the definitive diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and revealed severe reduction of cerebral and cerebellar cortex with almost complete depletion of neuronal cells. The possible explanation of unusual duration of the disease in genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is discussed. The importance of early diagnosis and timely therapeutic intervention (when effective treatment becomes available) sufficiently preceding the development of irreversible degenerative changes if the central nervous system is emphasized.Srednje trajanje kliničkog stadija u slovačkih bolesnika s genetskom Creutzfeldt-Jakobovom bolešću s mutacijom EZOOK u genu prionskog proteina (PRNP) značajno je kraće u bolesnika homozigotnih za metionin nego u onih heterozigotnih za metionin/valin (3,70±Z,OO prema 7,84±7,30 mjeseci). Opisuje se atipičan produljeni tijek (13 mjeseci) Creutzfeldt-jakobove bolesti komplicirane malignim neurolepticnim sindromom u 48-godišnjeg nositelja mutacije EZOOK homozigotnog za metionin. Progresija je dokumentirana kompjutoriziranom tomografijom, magnetskom rezonancom, funkcionalno biokemijskom spektroskopijom magnetskom rezonancom i elektroencefalografijom. Neurohistološki nalazi pri obdukciji potvrdili su definitivnu dijagnozu Creutzfeldt-Jakobove bolesti i otkrili teško smanjenje cerebralnog i cerebelarnog korteksa uz gotovo potpun nestanak neuronskih stanica. Raspravlja se o mogućem objašnjenju neuobičajenog trajanja bolesti u slučaju genetske Creutzfeldt-Jakobove bolesti. Naglašava se važnost rane dijagnoze i terapijske intervencije (kad učinkovita terapija bude dostupna), koje ce dostatno prethoditi razvoju zapaženih ireverzibilnih degenerativnih promjena središnjega živčanog sustava

Surface Roughness and Effective Stick-Slip Motion

The effect of random surface roughness on hydrodynamics of viscous incompressible liquid is discussed. Roughness-driven contributions to hydrodynamic flows, energy dissipation, and friction force are calculated in a wide range of parameters. When the hydrodynamic decay length (the viscous wave penetration depth) is larger than the size of random surface inhomogeneities, it is possible to replace a random rough surface by effective stick-slip boundary conditions on a flat surface with two constants: the stick-slip length and the renormalization of viscosity near the boundary. The stick-slip length and the renormalization coefficient are expressed explicitly via the correlation function of random surface inhomogeneities. The effective stick-slip length is always negative signifying the effective slow-down of the hydrodynamic flows by the rough surface (stick rather than slip motion). A simple hydrodynamic model is presented as an illustration of these general hydrodynamic results. The effective boundary parameters are analyzed numerically for Gaussian, power-law and exponentially decaying correlators with various indices. The maximum on the frequency dependence of the dissipation allows one to extract the correlation radius (characteristic size) of the surface inhomogeneities directly from, for example, experiments with torsional quartz oscillators.Comment: RevTeX4, 14 pages, 3 figure