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Drift instability in the motion of a fluid droplet with a chemically reactive surface driven by Marangoni flow
Natsuhiko Yoshinaga1, Ken H Nagai, Yutaka Sumino
1WPI - Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan. yoshinaga@wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp
Abstract:
We theoretically derive the amplitude equations for a self-propelled droplet driven by Marangoni flow. As advective flow driven by surface tension gradient is enhanced, the stationary state becomes unstable and the droplet starts to move. The velocity of the droplet is determined from a cubic nonlinear term in the amplitude equations. The obtained critical point and the characteristic velocity are well supported by numerical simulations.
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