# Buckling in Armored Droplets

## TL;DR

This study investigates the buckling behavior of armored droplets stabilized by Janus and homogeneous nanoparticles using dissipative particle dynamics simulations, revealing how particle type influences droplet shape and stability during volume reduction.

## Contribution

It provides new insights into how Janus and homogeneous particles differently affect droplet buckling and shape evolution at the mesoscopic level.

## Key findings

- Janus particles induce crater-like depressions in droplets.
- Homogeneous particles passively follow volume reduction with minimal shape deviation.
- Particle monolayer structure influences buckling and stability.

## Abstract

The issue of the buckling mechanism in droplets stabilized by solid particles (armored droplets) is tackled at a mesoscopic level using dissipative particle dynamics simulations. We consider spherical water droplet in a decane solvent coated with nanoparticle monolayers of two different types: Janus and homogeneous. The chosen particles yield comparable initial three-phase contact angles, chosen to maximize the adsorption energy at the interface. We study the interplay between the evolution of droplet shape, layering of the particles, and their distribution at the interface when the volume of the droplets is reduced. We show that Janus particles affect strongly the shape of the droplet with the formation of a crater-like depression. This evolution is actively controlled by a close-packed particle monolayer at the curved interface. On the contrary, homogeneous particles follow passively the volume reduction of the droplet, whose shape does not deviate too much from spherical, even when a nanoparticle monolayer/bilayer transition is detected at the interface. We discuss how these buckled armored droplets might be of relevance in various applications including potential drug delivery systems and biomimetic design of functional surfaces.