Seminar Jishen Zhang

Tunable thin elastodrops: a model system for flow–structure coupling at finite inertia

Deformable objects such as drops, bubbles, and capsules exhibit rich dynamics when transported by fluid flows, but their mechanical properties are often intrinsically coupled, making it difficult to isolate the role of elasticity and internal response. Developing tunable model systems is therefore essential to explore how deformability and internal mechanics shape fluid–structure interactions.

In this work, I introduce tunable thin elastodrops: elastic capsules with highly uniform membrane thickness and independently adjustable mechanical properties. These objects are fabricated using a controlled coating method that enables direct tuning of membrane thickness and internal pressure, allowing independent control of elasticity, geometry, and internal state. Their negligible bending stiffness ensures a tension-dominated response, making them suitable model systems for studying deformable-body dynamics.

This experimental platform provides access to regimes that are difficult to reach with classical drops or bubbles, and opens the way to systematic investigations of deformation, transport, and instabilities of elastic bodies in fluid environments. Tunable elastodrops thus offer a versatile macroscopic model system to probe fluid–structure interaction and soft-matter dynamics.