The
adsorption of particles at liquid–liquid interfaces
is of great scientific and technological importance. In particular,
for nonspherical particles, the capillary forces that drive adsorption
vary with position and orientation, and complex adsorption pathways
have been predicted by simulations. On the basis of the latter, it
has been suggested that the timescales of adsorption are determined
by a balance between capillary and viscous forces. However, several
recent experimental results point out the role of contact line pinning
in the adsorption of particles to interfaces and even suggest that
the adsorption dynamics and pathways are completely determined by
the latter, with the timescales of adsorption being determined solely
by particle characteristics. In the present work, the adsorption trajectories
of model ellipsoidal particles are investigated experimentally using
cryo-SEM and by monitoring the altitudinal orientation angle using
high-speed confocal microscopy. By varying the viscosity and the viscosity
jump across the interfaces, we specifically interrogate the role of
viscous forces
