Pattern Formation of Ethyl Salicylate Droplets in Surfactant Systems

• Bachelor thesis (2026)

This project follows up on the discovery of a novel pulsatory behaviour of ethyl salicylate droplets on aqueous sodium decanoate solutions (Malgorzata Mrozik, 2025). It focuses on the investigation of spontaneous pattern formation, oscillatory dynamics, and transitions between different states of this excitable system, with the goal of identifying the underlying physical and chemical mechanisms.

Experimental Setup

• 10mM aqueous sodium decanoate solution (20 mL)
• ethylsalicylate coloured by red dye (10 uL)
• plastic Petri dish (diameter 9 cm)

YouTube videos (Playlist  Radim)

Sodium Decanoate Solution (10mM, pH 12)

pH 11.3 (CO2)

pH 10.7 (CO2)

Sodium decanoate (10mM, pH 12) + 1 /100 (v/v) water glass

Sodium decanoate (10mM, pH 12) + 1.5 /100 (v/v) water glass

Sodium decanoate (10mM, pH 12) + 2 /100 (v/v) water glass