Colloidal Matter in Presence of Liquid-Liquid Interfaces
Juliane Simmchen (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow)

Colloids are a beautiful example of the unseen richness of our world, with structures
ranging from simple spheres to complex hierarchical structures that have fascinated
scientists for centuries. Interfaces on the other side are ubiquitous in nature, industry
and scientific setups. Passive colloids are known to show fascinating abilities such as
surfactant-like stabilization of emulsions, for example the well-known Pickering
emulsions.
When tiny colloids are forced out of equilibrium, whether by catalytic processes, thermal
effects or simple conjugation with biological objects, the resulting behaviour is
fascinating and often offers unexpected parallels to the macroscopic world. We study
both active and passive colloids in the presence of liquid interfaces, discovering rich
behaviour despite the technical challenges of visualisation.
[1] Wittmann, Martin, et al. "Active spheres induce Marangoni flows that drive collective
dynamics." The European Physical Journal E 44 (2021): 1-11.
[2] Sharan, Priyanka, et al. "Study of active Janus particles in the presence of an
engineered oil–water interface." Langmuir 37.1 (2020): 204-210.