TY - JOUR
T1 - Trapping microfluidic drops in wells of surface energy
AU - Dangla, Rémi
AU - Lee, Sungyon
AU - Baroud, Charles N.
PY - 2011/9/15
Y1 - 2011/9/15
N2 - A small hole etched in the top of a wide microchannel creates a well of surface energy for a confined drop. This produces an attractive force F γ equal to the energy gradient, which is estimated from geometric arguments. We use the drag Fd from an outer flow to probe the trapping mechanism. When Fd<Fγ, the drop deforms but remains anchored to the hole. Its shape provides information about the pressure field. At higher flow velocities, the drop detaches, defining a critical capillary number for which Fd=Fγ. The measured anchoring force agrees with the geometric model.
AB - A small hole etched in the top of a wide microchannel creates a well of surface energy for a confined drop. This produces an attractive force F γ equal to the energy gradient, which is estimated from geometric arguments. We use the drag Fd from an outer flow to probe the trapping mechanism. When Fd<Fγ, the drop deforms but remains anchored to the hole. Its shape provides information about the pressure field. At higher flow velocities, the drop detaches, defining a critical capillary number for which Fd=Fγ. The measured anchoring force agrees with the geometric model.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80052717975&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=80052717975&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.124501
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.124501
M3 - Article
C2 - 22026771
AN - SCOPUS:80052717975
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 107
JO - Physical review letters
JF - Physical review letters
IS - 12
M1 - 124501
ER -