Elasto-capillarity: deforming an elastic structure with a liquid droplet

Abstract

Although negligible at macroscopic scales, capillary forces become dominant as the sub-millimetric scales of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are considered. We review various situations, not limited to micro-technologies, where capillary forces are able to deform elastic structures. In particular, we define the different length scales that are relevant for 'elasto-capillary' problems. We focus on the case of slender structures (lamellae, rods and sheets) and describe the size of a bundle of wet hair, the condition for a flexible rod to pierce a liquid interface or the fate of a liquid droplet deposited on a flexible thin sheet. These results can be generalized to similar situations involving adhesion or fracture energy, which widens the scope of possible applications from biological systems, to stiction issues in micro-fabrication processes, the manufacturing of 3D microstructures or the formation of blisters in thin film coatings.