Blockage of thermocapillary flows by surface-active impurities

Due to its high surface tension, the water-air interface is particularly susceptible to contamination by surface-active molecules, which can significantly alter the hydrodynamic behavior of the interface. This is especially true in the case of thermocapillary flows. In this study, we present a general framework that enables a quantitative analysis of this phenomenon, demonstrating how key properties of the otherwise undetectable surfactants can be derived from experimental data.