Aims and Scope

More than 200 years ago, Young and Laplace derived from macroscopic arguments the basic equations describing the equilibrium configuration of partially wetting liquids. Starting about 50 years ago, the dynamics of wetting became of central interest. Nowadays, many fundamental questions still remain unresolved, however. Young’s equation, for example, has been validated at the microscopic scale only recently. This Spring School will be devoted to such fundamental questions in interfacial science and capillary phenomena, with a view to industrial applications. It is designed for young students starting a PhD or researchers working or interested by the field. Its aim is to provide state-of-the-art lectures and to discuss the basics of the field in an integrated manner. Participants will have the opportunity to present their works or problems to exchange ideas. This Spring School is organized in ULB (Brussels, Belgium) by the Belgian thematic network on Micromanipulation and Microfluidics (IAP 7/38 MicroMAST).

Topics :

• Basics of Surface Tension
• Wetting fundamentals: statics
• Wetting fundamentals: dynamics
• Wetting in various geometries
• Self-similarity in problems involving surface tension
• Advanced experimental tools
• Advanced numerical tools
• Smart Wetting
• Capillary effects in microfluidics
• Capillary effects in nature
• Applications in industry
• Super-hydrophobic states
• Surface tension in micro-manipulation