Films that pattern themselves
When a drying film decides its own texture
Pattern formation and Marangoni instability in blade coating of conductive thin films.
Visualization
Blade coating flow, made visible
We visualize the complex flow under the blade and relate the pattern that survives drying to the coating parameters.
Stability
Marangoni instability of a thin film
Linear stability analysis of Marangoni flows tells us when a smooth film stays smooth — and when it breaks into a pattern.