Preliminary results of Texus 8 experiments on effects of surface tension minimum

A stable, observable liquid-gas interface was realized in an experimental cell (3 × 2 × 1 cm) under microgravity conditions. The liquid used was an aqueous 6.24 10^?3 molal solution of n-heptanol. A temperature gradient, established at the interface, resulted in the build-up of a Marangoni convection cell with the liquid flowing in an unusual direction (i.e. at the surface the liquid flowed from the cold to the hot side).The same experiment on Earth gives rise to a Marangoni cell superimposed on buoyancy cells. The Marangoni and the buoyancy cells then turn in opposite directions.