Freezing of a Liquid Marble

TL;DR

This paper reports the first observations of freezing liquid marbles, revealing unique morphological changes and dynamics distinct from traditional water droplet freezing, with implications for understanding phase change phenomena in non-wetting systems.

Contribution

It introduces the first experimental study of liquid marble freezing, detailing morphological transitions and differences from water droplet freezing on superhydrophobic surfaces.

Findings

Liquid marbles change shape from spherical to flying-saucer during freezing.

Frozen liquid marbles do not develop the pointy tip seen in water droplets.

Distinct freezing dynamics observed compared to water droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces.

Abstract

In this study, we present for the first time the observations of a freezing liquid marble. In the experiment, liquid marbles are gently placed on the cold side of a Thermo-Electric Cooler (TEC) and the morphological changes are recorded and characterized thereafter. These liquid marbles are noticed to undergo a shape transition from a spherical to a flying-saucer shaped morphology. The freezing dynamics of liquid marbles is observed to be very different from that of a freezing water droplet on a superhydrophobic surface. For example, the pointy tip appearing on a frozen water drop could not be observed for a frozen liquid marble. In the end, we highlight a possible explanation for the observed morphology.