Dynamics and stability of a concentric compound particle - a theoretical study

Area of Science:

• Soft Matter Physics
• Fluid Dynamics
• Biophysics

Background:

• Compound particles, which are particles confined within droplets, are prevalent in biological and soft matter systems.
• Hydrodynamics significantly influences the stability and configuration of these multiphase structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dynamics and stability of a concentric compound particle under external forces and flows.
• To provide guidelines for the preparation and transportation of stable compound particles.

Main Methods:

• Analytical solutions to governing equations in the inertia-less limit.
• Superposition of vector harmonics technique.
• Analysis of steady-state flow fields, viscous drag, and drop shape evolution.

Main Results:

• The concentric configuration of a rotating compound particle is a stable steady-state solution.
• Calculated the additional force needed to stabilize a translating compound particle.
• Provided a comparison of drop deformations in various linear flows.

Conclusions:

• Pulsatile flow is proposed as a method for transporting compound particles without drop breakup.
• Findings offer practical guidelines for handling compound particles in applications like cell encapsulation and microcapsule formation.