Molecular dynamics study of the effect of surfactants on droplet deformation in shear flows

We use molecular dynamics simulations to study the effect of surfactants on the mechanism of drop deformation in shear flows. Our results show deviations from fluid mechanics predictions, in both the high and the low surfactant concentration limits. We find that these deviations are a result of the local conformation of the surfactant layer which mediates the stress transfer across the interface. We show that the ability of the surfactant to affect the stress transfer across the interface is a result of the interplay between the architecture of the surfactant and the surface coverage.