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Capillary-based Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Size-controllable Formation of Monodisperse Microdroplets
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Elastocapillary bending of microfibers around liquid droplets
Rafael D Schulman1, Amir Porat2, Kathleen Charlesworth1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1, Canada. dalnoki@mcmaster.ca.
Soft Matter
|December 10, 2016
Summary
Flexible microfibers bend and spontaneously wind around liquid droplets when the droplet size reaches a critical elastocapillary length. This phenomenon is explained by elastic beam theory and energetic principles.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Microfibers exhibit complex behaviors when interacting with liquids.
- Elastocapillary phenomena involve the interplay of elastic forces and surface tension.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the elastocapillary deformation of flexible microfibers in contact with liquid droplets.
- To determine the critical conditions under which microfibers spontaneously wind around droplets.
Main Methods:
- Experimental observation of microfiber bending and winding around droplets of varying sizes.
- Theoretical modeling using elastic beam theory.
- Energetic analysis to predict winding criteria.
Main Results:
- Microfiber bending increases with increasing droplet size.
- Spontaneous winding of fibers around droplets occurs at a critical droplet size.
- The critical size is proportional to the bending elastocapillary length.
Conclusions:
- A minimal model based on elastic beam theory accurately predicts experimental observations.
- Energetic considerations provide a consistent criterion for microfiber winding around droplets.
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