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Alternating current electrothermal modulated moving contact line dynamics of immiscible binary fluids over patterned
Golak Kunti1, Anandaroop Bhattacharya, Suman Chakraborty
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal - 721302, India. suman@mech.iitkgp.ernet.in.
Soft Matter
|September 5, 2017
Summary
We numerically studied immiscible fluid flow in capillaries using alternating current electrothermal flow. Results show controllable stick-slip interface motion and a critical force for droplet formation, aiding microfluidic device design.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Microfluidics
- Electrokinetics
Background:
- Understanding multiphase flow in confined geometries is crucial for microfluidic applications.
- Alternating current electrothermal (ACET) flow offers a tunable method for manipulating fluid interfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To numerically investigate the dynamics of two immiscible fluids in a parallel plate capillary.
- To explore the use of ACET flow for controlling fluid interface motion.
- To identify conditions leading to interface breakup and droplet formation.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulation of incompressible binary fluid flow.
- Utilizing a phase-field order parameter approach to track the fluid interface.
- Applying ACET kinetics with alternating wettability surfaces.
Main Results:
- Observed stick-slip behavior of the fluid interface due to electrothermal and surface tension forces.
- Demonstrated control over interface motion by adjusting surface wettability and ACET force parameters.
- Identified a critical ACET force threshold that causes interface breakup into droplets.
Conclusions:
- ACET flow provides effective control over immiscible fluid interfaces in microchannels.
- The study offers insights into phenomena relevant to microfluidic devices, lab-on-a-chip systems, and biological fluid transport.
- Findings can guide the design and optimization of systems involving multiphase flow over patterned surfaces.
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