Nonequilibrium Period with Emergence of Marangoni Circulations in Meniscus Splitting (Adv. Mater. Interfaces 5/2026)

Key Points

• The aim is to understand how marangoni circulations affect meniscus splitting during the drying of aqueous polymer dispersions.
• Utilized an open-top Hele–Shaw cell for experimental setup
• Applied particle image velocimetry to visualize fluid movement
• Observed the growth and dynamics of marangoni convection in pectin dispersions
• Significant bulk circulations were detected beneath the surface interface
• Confluence and bifurcation of mass flow were observed, impacting skin-layer densification
• The study highlights complex fluid movements not visible to the naked eye

Abstract