Institut Charles Sadron Event

The thesis deals with the interactions of soap films, bubbles, drops and capsules. The mechanical properties of the interface are related to the mechanical response of the shapes. Therefore, the stability of the different shapes and there shape transitions are analysed. The first chapter uses the theory of minimal surfaces to describe soap films with non-axisymmetric boundary conditions close to the axisymmetric solution of the catenoid. The second chapter considers two bubbles/drops or a capillary bridge held by two coaxial circular capillaries. By varying the distance between the two capillaries and the dimensions of the bubbles/drops/capillaries, a variety of tensions, shapes and shape transitions are observed. The observations are supported by theoretical and numerical methods. The third chapter deals with the formation and mechanical characterisation of a polymer skin at the interface between a polyethylene glycol - platin catalyst emulsion and a reactive silicone oil. The characterisation takes place directly during the chemical reaction and can therefore be followed over time. The last chapter considers the interactions of two such skins at the interface between two emulsion droplets.