Fig. 2.
(A) Idealized droplet deformation under a compressive force Fl. The total energy E depends on the interdistance h and the deformation angle θ. (B) A typical energy landscape as a function of the deformation parameters. Patch adhesion occurs when the global energy minimum is located at h ≤ hc. (C) The model predicts that two droplets adhere spontaneously either by the addition of salt or an applied force. The energy profiles correspond to the conditions of four points in the phase diagram presented in Fig. 5C.