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Recent research led by Dr. Thamires Lima from Drake University Engineering College, in collaboration with ExxonMobil, has unveiled a surprising behavior in simple liquids: under sufficient force, these fluids can fracture in a manner akin to solids. Published in Physical Review Letters, this study challenges long-standing beliefs in the field of fluid mechanics and materials science.

During experiments, both a petroleum-based liquid and a polystyrene-based liquid, despite having different chemical compositions, exhibited a solid-like fracture at a critical stress of 2 megapascals (MPa). This phenomenon, previously observed in more complex polymers, suggests that the viscosity of a liquid, rather than its chemical composition, plays a crucial role in its fracture behavior.

The research team, including Nicolas Alvarez and Emmanuel Ulysse, observed that the liquids did not behave as traditionally expected; they did not flow or deform plastically but instead fractured at a specific stress threshold. This finding indicates that the concept of fracture in materials science may need to be expanded beyond elastic and plastic deformation to include viscous liquids under extreme conditions.

Further investigations are planned to explore the underlying mechanisms of this solid-like fracture, which could have significant implications for various industries, including the development of new materials and the improvement of existing processes.

Reference:

1. Thamires A. Lima, Nicolas J. Alvarez, Stuart E. Smith, Kazem V. Edmond, Manesh Gopinadhan, Emmanuel Ulysse. Unexpected Solidlike Fracture in Simple Liquids. Physical Review Letters, 2026; 136 (12) DOI: 10.1103/t2vy-32wr