Snap-in dynamics of single particles to water drops

The interaction between solid particles and gas-liquid interfaces is relevant in technological applications. Former studies did focus on detachment-dynamics of particles from thin liquid films or on attachment-dynamics of particles to gas bubbles. Here, we investigated snap-in dynamics of individual micron-sized particles to water drops by means of the colloidal probe technique. The snap-in time (∼0.1 ms) and the snap-in force of hydrophilic and hydrophobic particles were measured. The snap-in time increased with particle size regardless of wettability. The snap-in force increased with particle size and wettability. We show that the snap-in dynamics is dominated by capillarity and inertia.