Capillary force-induced structural instability in liquid infiltrated elastic circular tubes

TL;DR

This paper investigates how capillary forces can cause structural instability in liquid-filled elastic tubes, revealing a universal scaling law validated through simulations, with implications for nano-device design.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical and simulation-based analysis of capillary-induced instability, establishing a universal elasto-capillary length scaling law for elastic tubes.

Findings

Identifies a well-defined elasto-capillary length scale.

Validates the scaling law with carbon nanotubes filled with liquid iron.

Suggests potential applications in nano-device engineering.

Abstract

The capillary-induced structural instability of an elastic circular tube partially filled by a liquid is studied by combining theoretical analysis and molecular dynamics simulations. The analysis shows that, associated with the instability, there is a well-defined length scale (elasto-capillary length), which exhibits a scaling relationship with the characteristic length of the tube, regardless of the interaction details. We validate this scaling relationship for a carbon nanotube partially filled by liquid iron. The capillary-induced structural transformation could have potential applications for nano-devices.