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Dynamics and clogging of colloidal monolayers magnetically driven through a heterogeneous landscape
Sergi Granados Leyva1, Ralph Lukas Stoop, Pietro Tierno
1Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028, Barcelona, Spain. ptierno@ub.edu.
Soft Matter
|July 17, 2020
Summary
Clogging in colloidal particle systems emerges at high driving frequencies when particles desynchronize from the landscape. This study uses experiments and simulations to explore clogging in driven paramagnetic colloidal particles.
Area of Science:
- Soft matter physics
- Microfluidics
- Colloidal science
Background:
- Clogging is a common phenomenon in microfluidic devices and granular flows.
- Understanding clogging mechanisms is crucial for designing reliable microscale systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emergence and mechanisms of clogging in driven paramagnetic colloidal particles.
- To explore the influence of driving frequency, obstacle flexibility, and hydrodynamic interactions on clogging.
Main Methods:
- Combined experimental and numerical simulation approaches.
- Utilized a rotating magnetic field to drive paramagnetic colloidal particles against a disordered landscape of larger obstacles.
- Employed tunable frequency to control particle speed and investigate dynamics.
Main Results:
- Observed intermittent particle dynamics with power-law distributions at high driving frequencies.
- Reproducibly demonstrated clogging at high frequencies due to particle-landscape desynchronization.
- Identified key parameters influencing clogging, including obstacle flexibility and hydrodynamic interactions.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a soft matter test-bed for investigating clogging in driven microscale matter.
- Desynchronization between driven particles and the landscape is a primary cause of clogging.
- The findings offer insights into controlling and preventing clogging in microfluidic applications.
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