Formation of Interfacial Nanodroplets through Changes in Solvent Quality

Abstract

We describe the formation of very thin interfacial oil droplets. The oil droplets are composed of decane and have the shape of a spherical cap. They are approximately 1-10 microm across and about 10-500 nm thick. We form these droplets by sequentially exposing a hydrophobic silicon wafer to two solutions of decane, where the second solvent is a poorer solvent than the first. We hypothesize that this method of decorating interfaces with droplets is quite general, and that the method may be useful for the controlled modification of interfaces. Inadvertent application of the method may lead to unanticipated properties of interfaces.