title: Formation Mechanism of Flattened Top HFBI Domical Droplets.
abstract: A water droplet assumes a spherical shape because of its own surface tension. However, water droplets containing dissolved hydrophobin (HFBI) have flat surfaces. In our previous study, the mechanism of this unique phenomenon was revealed. HFBI forms a self-organized membrane that has a densely packed and honeycomb-like structure. Furthermore, the buckling strength of the membrane is higher than the surface tension of the HFBI droplet. Therefore, an HFBI domical droplet has a flat surface. However, it was not clear why only the top of the domical droplet was flattened while other areas such as the side face were not. In this study, we observed HFBI domical droplets to investigate this phenomenon. The flat top area (self-organized HFBI membrane) remained parallel to the ground even if the substrate was tilted. Therefore, buoyancy was thought to be a factor affecting the HFBI membrane. In addition, the side face of the HFBI domical droplet was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and it was found that the sides of the HFBI droplet were not composed of densely packed HFBI membranes.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Catalytic Transformation Program for Carbon Utilization (ACT-C), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) , Tokyo 102-0076, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.affiliation: Advanced Catalytic Transformation Program for Carbon Utilization (ACT-C), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) , Tokyo 102-0076, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haruyama
mesh_terms: D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water