My research involves analyzing the stress patterns that form in a drying drop of small particles suspended within a medium, which is called a colloidal system. In our everyday lives, these systems include milk, blood, and paint. Using a microscope, a dried drop containing large, plastic spheres that is heavily diluted with water is examined. In this image, there is a ring of accumulated particles that forms on the perimeter, which has been documented as the “coffee ring” effect. However, unlike the other drops, there are no cracks that pass through the center, as the larger particles instead clump around anything they may find, even themselves.

Yuchen Liu 

Department of Physics and Astronomy 

Tools & Techniques: Olympus IX83 Inverted Microscope