Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Glass-Based Devices to Generate Drops and Emulsions
Published on: April 5, 2022
Effect of electric field non-uniformity on droplets coalescence
Shirui Luo1, Jarrod Schiffbauer, Tengfei Luo
1Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
Abstract:
Electric field assisted coalescence is one of the most efficient methods for water-in-oil emulsion separation. In this paper, we experimentally study water droplet evolution in an oil phase under different electric field configurations. We determine that non-uniform fields can enhance the performance of electrocoalescence compared to uniform fields. The analysis indicates that the enhanced coalescence is due to the combined effects of dipole-dipole interaction between droplets and dielectrophoresis between individual droplets and the applied non-uniform field. The present study shows that a non-uniform electric field and the induced dielectrophoretic effect can accelerate the coalescence and phase separation of micro-emulsions. These results may provide useful guidance in designing an optimum electrode configuration for efficient electrocoalescence.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Electric Field of a Non Uniformly Charged Sphere
Consider a non-uniformly charged sphere, for which the density of charge depends only on the distance from a point in space and not on the direction. Such a sphere has a spherically symmetrical charge distribution. Here, the electric...
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...
Divergence and Curl of Electric Field
Induced Electric Dipoles
Since the absolute value of potential energy holds no physical meaning, its zero value can be chosen as per...
Electric Field of a Charged Disk
The system's symmetry is in the cylindrical directions across the plane of the charge. As a result, the electric fields created by various surface charge elements nullify each other in the direction parallel to the surface. Thereby, the resulting electric field is perpendicular to the plane. Since the disk is...
Electric Dipoles and Dipole Moment
Theoretically, studying electric dipoles leads to understanding why the resultant electric forces around us are weak. Since electric forces are strong, remnant net charges are rare. Hence, the interaction between dipoles helps us understand electrical interactions in...

