Physical Transformation AtlasPTA
Pathway · p-ca60911b9d · candidate

Surface energy difference → Electrical work

Surface energy differenceMarangoni effectMechanical motionRotating-machine generator actionCharge carriersElectrical work

Epistemic state of the route

known constituent relations
5 / 5 established or replicated · weakest constituent replicated
constituent maturity floor
K4 · experimentally observed
search for this exact route
Not assessed — complete composition not searched.
recorded-pathway overlap
shares relations, in order, with Solutocapillary Marangoni rotor · 2/5 relations shared
route-level evidence
0 sources for the complete composition · 8 cited by the constituent steps
boundaries and interfaces
BOUNDARY compatible · no region transition

Explorematrix context · physics checks · steps · route evidence · constituent evidence · cite

Matrix context

D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.

D.15 × C.34 · Surface energy difference × Marangonifamily: MarangoniD.15 × C.14 · Surface energy difference × Electromagnetic inductionfamily: Electromagnetic induction

Steps

  1. 01
    surface → kinetic · loss to thermal
    • a gradient of surface tension along a free liquid interface, from composition (solutocapillary) or temperature (thermocapillary)
    liquid
    refs [1] [2]
  2. 02
    kinetic → mechanical · loss to thermal
    • a floating or interface-bound body whose asymmetry (shape, or where it emits a surfactant or absorbs heat) leaves a net surface-tension force or torque on it
    • the body must be free to move on the interface; a rigid wall only sets up a flow
    liquid
    Two independent groups: thermocapillary microgears (Maggi et al. 2015, light-heated, up to 300 r.p.m.) and solutocapillary camphor rotors carrying magnets past a coil (Frenkel et al. 2019, 10–20 h). Distinct from Marangoni flow turning a rotor: here the Marangoni stress acts on the moving body directly.
    refs [3] [4]
  3. 03
    mechanical → electrical · loss to thermal
    • a shaft turning a rotor inside a stator, or a magnet moved past a coil
    conductor required · magnetic field required
    refs [5] [6]
  4. 04
    electrical → electrical · loss to thermal
    refs [5] [7]
  5. 05
    Charge carriers —converts into→ Electrical workestablishedclaim record
    electrical → electrical · loss to thermal
    • carriers driven through an external load at the potential difference the source maintains
    refs [8]

Evidence for the complete composition · 0

No source on record for this exact composition. The sources below support the individual steps, not the route as a whole.

Evidence for the constituent relations · 8

  1. [1]
    L. E. Scriven, C. V. Sternling. The Marangoni Effects (1960)
    Nature 187, 186-188 · doi:10.1038/187186a0 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-20 · record
  2. [2]
    Q. Dai et al.. Directional interfacial motion of liquids: Fundamentals, evaluations, and manipulation strategies (2021)
    Tribology International 154, 106749 · doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2020.106749 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-20 · record
  3. [3]
    C. Maggi et al.. Micromotors with asymmetric shape that efficiently convert light into work by thermocapillary effects (2015)
    Nature Communications 6, 7855 · doi:10.1038/ncomms8855 · record
  4. [4]
    M. Frenkel et al.. Mini-Generator of Electrical Power Exploiting the Marangoni Flow Inspired Self-Propulsion (2019)
    ACS Omega 4, 15265–15268 · doi:10.1021/acsomega.9b02257 · record
  5. [5]
    M. Faraday. Experimental researches in electricity (1832)
    Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 122, 125–162 · doi:10.1098/rstl.1832.0006 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
  6. [6]
    S. L. Dixon, C. A. Hall. Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Turbomachinery (7th ed.) (2014)
    Butterworth-Heinemann · doi:10.1016/C2011-0-05059-7 · crossref ✓ 2026-09-19 · record
  7. [7]
    L. D. Landau, E. M. Lifshitz, L. P. Pitaevskii. Electrodynamics of Continuous Media (Course of Theoretical Physics, Vol. 8, 2nd ed.) (1984)
    Pergamon · book, no DOI · record
  8. [8]
    N. W. Ashcroft, N. D. Mermin. Solid State Physics (1976)
    Holt, Rinehart and Winston · book, no DOI · record

Cite this route

Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). route p-ca60911b9d: Surface energy difference → Marangoni effect → Mechanical motion → Rotating-machine generator action → Charge carriers → Electrical work. Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/path/ca60911b9d

Ids and matrix addresses are stable across revisions; the revision hash identifies the exact canonical files the record was compiled from and is meta.data_hash in every /api export. Reuse terms: see the license field in any export.