Inviscid wetting and spreading by capillarity: the 'walking' instability

移动的液体通过置换周围的气体在固体上扩散。最近的发现是，在某些情况下，储存在液体形状中的能量可以转化为液体运动的能量--就像在液滴“行走不稳定”中那样--这是一种迄今未知的能量转换途径，具有潜在的巨大意义。这项研究的目的是通过开发理论稳定性预测并通过与实验验证这些预测来绘制出这一新途径可操作的情况。实现我们目标的方法是基于新的数学技术(用于预测)和最近的创新方法来定制实验室中的固体表面属性(用于测试)。这项研究的智力价值在于预测的新技术，以及那些赋予预测行为生命的技术。这项研究将对人力资源开发和技术产生更广泛的影响。在技术方面，在制造领域，用于半导体加工和太阳能电池板应用的宽幅硅衬底铸造的浸入式光刻将受益，而在农业科学领域，液滴雾化的新范例将使杀虫剂喷雾能够更好地本地化，而在保健领域，可调液滴驱动将有利于芯片实验室诊断设备。在人力资源方面，将通过开发一个推广模块，将女性研究生培训为技术领导者，为高中生及其家长带来液体变形运动的兴奋，从而努力扩大女性在科学、技术、工程和数学学科中的参与。

1236582SteenA moving liquid spreads across a solid by displacing the surrounding gas. The recent discovery that, under certain circumstances, the energy stored in the liquid shape can be converted into the energy of liquid motion - as in the droplet "walking instability" - represents a heretofore unknown pathway of energy conversion of potentially vast significance. The objective of this study is to map out the circumstances where this new pathway is operative by developing theoretical stability predictions and by testing these predictions against experiment. The approach that enables achieving our objective is jointly based on fresh mathematical techniques (for prediction) and recent innovative methods to tailor solid surface properties in the lab (for testing). The intellectual merit of this study lies in the new techniques for prediction and those to bring to life the predicted behavior. Broader impacts of this study will accrue for both human resource development and technology. On the side of technology, in the manufacturing arena, immersion lithography for semiconductor processing and casting of wide-format silicon subtrates for solar panel applications stand to benefit while, in the agricultural sciences arena, new paradigms for droplet atomization will enable better localization of pesticide spray while, in the health-care arena, tunable droplet actuation stands to be of benefit to lab-on-chip diagnostic devices. On the side of human resources, female graduate students will be trained as technical leaders through the development of an outreach module that brings the excitement of liquid shape-change motions to high school students and their parents and thereby also works to broaden female participation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.