What we study
Research
Physics of droplets, wetting and adhesion science, and soft matter — from bioinspired surfaces to droplet electrification. We combine theory, simulation, and experiment to uncover and rationalize new physical phenomena.
Wetting & Adhesion
How droplets stick, slide, and let go. We study the forces governing contact lines, capillarity, and adhesion between liquids and solids.
Active matter
Active matter is ubiquitous in nature, from bacterial swarms to bird flocks. We show that evaporating condensate droplets form a synthetic active-matter system with applications in heat transfer and water harvesting.
Coulomb explosions
During evaporation, charged millimetric water drops can spontaneously emit fine liquid jets which break up into microdroplets, a phenomenon known as Coulomb explosion.
Droplet electrification
When water rubs against a solid surface, it naturally acquires electric charges. We study the consequences of this spontaneous droplet electrification.
Speech droplets
When we speak, we expel a spray of respiratory droplets into the air, which can carry pathogens over meters. Here, we show that face masks substantially reduce speech droplets.
Fluid jet
Fluid jet impact dynamics on soft materials. We found that jet rebound is unaffected by wetting properties.
In motion