Elasticity of an interfacial particle raft
arXiv:cond-mat/0406723 · doi:10.1209/epl/i2004-10202-x
Abstract
We study the collective behaviour of a close packed monolayer of non-Brownian particles at a fluid-liquid interface. Such a particle raft forms a two-dimensional elastic solid and can support anisotropic stresses and strains, e.g. it buckles in uniaxial compression and cracks in tension. We characterise this solid in terms of a Young's modulus and Poisson ratio derived from simple theoretical considerations and show the validity of these estimates by using an experimental buckling assay to deduce the Young's modulus.
7 pages, 5 figures