Abstract
Small solid particles can be attached to an air-liquid interface due to the pulling of surface tension. We investigate experimentally under which conditions a spherical solid particle can be attached under a pendant drop, varying the density and diameter of the particle, as well as the size of the liquid drop. We demonstrate that depending on the drop size, the largest particle size that can be attached is limited by two different mechanisms, either falling from the nozzle together with the drop, or separating from the bottom of the liquid drop. Moreover, we show that for smaller volumes of the drop, a suction Laplace pressure can dramatically increase the maximum size of the particle that can be supported. Finally, we propose a theoretical model for each of these regimes to explain the maximum size of particle that can remain attached to a pendant drop. (C) 2021 Author(s).