Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures
Published on: July 28, 2008
Breaking of an emulsion under an ac electric field
Abdou R Thiam1, Nicolas Bremond, Jérôme Bibette
1UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS UMR 7195, ESPCI ParisTech, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75231 Paris, France.
Abstract:
By using microfluidic chips, we investigate the stability regarding coalescence of droplet pairs under an electric field as a function of drop separation and ac field intensity. Three different regimes are found: stable, coalescence, and partial merging. From this, we identify the two breaking scenarios of a one dimensional train of droplets: in one case the coalescence front propagates; in the other case, in which pairs belong to the partial merging regime, the coalescence front can become heterogeneous. From these findings, we can propose a destruction mechanism for a macroscopic emulsion, which includes the packing condition for which total and immediate destruction is effective.
Related Concept Videos
Electric Field
In the new picture, imagine that the first charge sets up an electric field independent of all other charges in the universe. When another charge comes in its vicinity, the second charge experiences an electric force depending on the electric field at that point. The source charge does not...
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions
The surface integral of an electric field is given by Gauss's law in integral form and is related to...
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity.
Electric Field at the Surface of a Conductor
In the 19th century, Michael Faraday conducted the famous ice pail experiment to prove that the charges always reside on the surface of a conductor. The experimental set-up consists of a conducting uncharged container mounted on an insulating stand. The outer surface of the container is...
Induced Electric Fields
Electric Field of Two Equal and Opposite Charges
A separation of the positive and negative charges can lead to a weak, remnant effect of the positive and negative charges. The expectation is that the more the distance between the positive and...

