Annuaire
Lauriane Pierrot Deseilligny
PhD studen from the University of Oxford (Visiting PhD student hosted by Agilio)
| Quand ? |
25/09/2026 à 14:00 |
|---|---|
| Où ? |
Salle Collet |
Phase behaviour in nanoconfinement
Liquid–liquid phase separation is involved in a wide range of natural systems. Examples are the formation of protein condensates inside cells that regulate gene expression and cellular organization, and nucleation of amorphous carbonate in marine microalgae coccolith vesicles.
These phase separation processes take place in confined geometry, where steric constraints limit molecular mobility and the high surface-to-volume ratio increases the contribution of interfacial effects. Deviations from bulk phase behavior are expected: the phase diagram of a confined binary liquid mixture can involve shifts in both the coexistence conditions and critical points.
The presentation will focus on recent work on nanoconfinement-induced liquid-liquid phase separation, and show the deviations we observe compared to the bulk. The results rely on surface force measurements as well as local composition profiling down to a few nanometers.
The final part will extend this question to liquid–vapour interfaces. In picolitre droplets, confinement also modifies interfacial behavior. We will examine the resulting meniscus geometry and its deviations from a catenoid solution.