  When droplets impact fibrous media, the liquid can be captured by the fibers
or contact then break away. Previous studies have shown that the efficiency of
drop capture by a rigid fiber depends on the impact velocity and defined a
threshold velocity below which the drop is captured. However, it is necessary
to consider the coupling of elastic and capillary effects to achieve a greater
understanding of the capture process for soft substrates. Here, we study
experimentally the dynamics of a single drop impacting on a thin flexible
fiber. Our results demonstrate that the threshold capture velocity depends on
the flexibility of fibers in a non-monotonic way. We conclude that tuning the
mechanical properties of fibers can optimize the efficiency of droplet capture.
