We present a quantitative theory and experiments for the expansion dynamics of domains in stratifying foam films. Foam films containing micelles, colloidal particles or polymer-surfactant complexes often form layered structures and thin in a stepwise fashion: circular domains of lower thickness are formed and expand following a R(t) proportional variant t1/2 law. In the present paper the film is modeled by an incompressible three-dimensional fluid with incompressible surfaces. The film tension difference between the film and domains results in the formation of a rim at the domain boundary and a gradient in film thickness and pressure in the surrounding film. The material transport due to this gradient lets the domains grow. We present experiments utilizing the thin balance method to qualitatively confirm the thinning mechanism and to determine material parameters including local film viscosity of a film composed of 4400 ppm acrylamide/acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonate-copolymer and 0.006 mmol/l dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide solution. We found a film viscosity of about 60 times the bulk viscosity, consistent with previous measurement in the same system but using another method.
We have studied free horizontal liquid films made with semidilute polyelectrolyte solutions. A stratification phenomenon is observed during film thinning, with a step size close to the mesh size of the polymer network: dark domains nucleate and expand, the outer polymer layer dewetting a thinner film. The kinetics of dark spot expansion is not simply related to bulk viscosity and becomes faster when the film thickness decreases, suggesting an increase of the chain mobility of the confined polymer chains. These findings are similar to recent ones for other confined liquids and are the first reported so far for freely standing films.
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