Surfactant solutions are usually used under conditions accompanied by transient dynamic surfaces, and therefore the dynamic surface tension (DST) is important in many industrial processes. Theories regarding DST have been developed exclusively on the adsorption theory that molecules are transported from bulk solution to the interface. However, the adsorption theory is not closed and requires another relationship between the interfacial concentration of the adsorbing molecules and the bulk concentration of molecules near and at the surface, which at present is based on assumptions. In addition, DST obtained by the adsorption theory contains several parameters that must be determined beforehand, and it is not simple to use for practical purposes. Here, we propose a new model based on the concept that surfactant molecules rotate during the process reaching the equilibrium surface state, which is different from the conventional adsorption theory, and we obtained a simple expression of DST as a function of the surface age. In addition, an experiment was carried out to determine DST by measuring the period and weight of droplets falling from a capillary. The expression by the proposed model was compared with the results of this experiment and with those reported previously by several other authors, and good agreement was obtained. Furthermore, the characteristic time in the model was shown to be correlated with the concentrations of solutions regardless of the type of solutions examined.

Flows are generally divided into two types: shear flows and shear-free elongational (extensional) flows. Both are necessary for a thorough understanding of the flow properties of a fluid. Shear flows are easy to achieve in practice, for example, through Poiseuille or Couette flows. Shear-free elongational flows are experimentally hard to achieve, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the flow properties of fluids in micro-devices. Nevertheless, flows through micro-orifices are useful for probing the properties of elongational flows at high elongational rates; although these flows exhibit shear and elongation, the elongation is dominant and the shear is negligible in the central region of the flows. We previously reported an anomalous reduction in pressure drops in the flows of water, a 50/50 mixture of glycerol and water, and silicone oils through micro-orifices. In the present paper, we rearrange the data presented in the previous paper and reveal a simple relationship where the pressure drop is proportional to the velocity through the micro-orifices, independent of the orifice diameter and the viscosity of the liquids tested. We explain our observations by introducing a “fluid element” model, in which fluid elements are formed on entering the orifice. The model is based on the idea that low molecular liquids, including water, generate strong elongational stress, similar to a polymer solution, in the flow through micro-orifices.

Micro-fluid mechanics is an important area of research in modern fluid mechanics because of its many potential industrial and biological applications. However, the field is not fully understood yet. In previous work, when passing ultrapure water (UPW) in which air was dissolved (UPW*) through micro-orifices, we found that the flow velocity decreased and stopped over time, and membranes were frequently formed in the orifice when the flow stopped. The membrane came from the dissolved air in UPW*, and membrane formation was closely related to electric charges generated in orifices by the flow. In the present paper, we clarified the components of the membrane and suggested a mechanism for membrane formation. We examined the effect of contaminants on the membrane formation and confirmed our previous results. We identified the chemical components of the membrane and those present in the UPW* itself by using an electron probe microanalyzer and found that the proportion of each element differed between the membrane and UPW*. Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopy showed that the membrane consisted of organic substances such as carotenoids, amides, esters, and sugars. We irradiated UPW* with ultraviolet light to cut organic chains that may be left in UPW* as contaminants. We found a similar membrane and organic compounds as in nonirradiated UPW*. Furthermore, although the UPW that was kept from contact with air after it was supplied from the UPW maker (UPW₀) and bubbled with Ar gas (UPW₀ bubbled with Ar) formed no membrane, the UPW₀ bubbled with CO₂ formed thin membranes, and Raman and IR analysis showed that this membrane contained carboxylic acid salts, carotenoids, or a mixture of both. We found that electric grounding of the orifice reduces the probability of membrane formation and that the jets issuing from an aperture bear negative charges, and we assumed that the micro-orifices possess positive charges generated by flows. Consequently, we suggest that organic compounds are synthesized from nonorganic matter in air or CO₂ dissolved in water by the action of hydroxyl radicals generated by flows through micro-orifices.