A new setup for giant soap films characterization

• Published in: The European physical journal. E, Soft matter and biological physics Vol. 44; no. 4; p. 52
• Main Authors: Mariot, Sandrine, Pasquet, Marina, Klein, Vincent, Restagno, Frédéric, Rio, Emmanuelle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2021; Springer Nature B.V; EDP Sciences: EPJ
• Subjects: Artists; Biological and Medical Physics; Biophysics; Bubbling; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Complex Systems; Condensed Matter; Condensed matter physics; Fluid mechanics; Knowledge management; Mechanics; Nanotechnology; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Polymer Sciences; Resistors; Soap films; Soft and Granular Matter; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thickness measurement; Thin Films; Tips and Tricks - Soft Matter
• ISSN: 1292-8941; 1292-895X
• DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00054-5

Artists, using empirical knowledge, manage to generate and play with giant soap films and bubbles. Until now, scientific studies of soap films generated at a controlled velocity and without any feeding from the top, studied films of a few square centimeters. The present work aims to present a new setup to generate and characterize giant soap films (2 m × 0.7 m). Our setup is enclosed in a humidity-controlled box of 2.2 m high, 1 m long, and 0.75 m large. Soap films are entrained by a fishing line withdrawn out of a bubbling solution at various velocities. We measure the maximum height of the generated soap films, as well as their lifetime, thanks to automatic detection. This is allowed by light-sensitive resistors collecting the light reflected on the soap films and ensures robust statistical measurements. In the meantime, thickness measurements are performed with a UV–VIS-spectrometer, allowing us to map the soap film’s thickness over time. Graphic abstract