Metastable capillary filaments in rectangular cross-section open microchannels

Jean Berthier; Kenneth A. Brakke; David Gosselin; Maxime Huet; Erwin Berthier; Jean Berthier; Kenneth A. Brakke; David Gosselin; Maxime Huet; Erwin Berthier

doi:10.3934/biophy.2014.1.31

AIMS Biophysics

2014, Volume 1, Issue 1: 31-48. doi: 10.3934/biophy.2014.1.31

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Research article

Metastable capillary filaments in rectangular cross-section open microchannels

1.
Department of Biotechnology, CEA/Université Grenoble-Alpes, 17 avenue des Martyrs, 38054, Grenoble, France;
2.
Mathematics Department, Susquehanna University, 514 University Avenue, Selinsgrove, PA 17870, USA;
3.
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA

Received: 10 October 2014 Accepted: 01 December 2014 Published: 04 December 2014

Spontaneous capillary flow (SCF) in microchannels occurs for specific geometrical and wetting conditions. When the channel walls form corner angles with the channel bottom, liquid filaments may form in the corners. These capillary filaments are often called Concus-Finn (CF) filaments, and they can theoretically spread infinitely.In this work we consider rectangular open U-grooves of varying cross-section width, and we theoretically determine the flow conditions as a function of the aspect ratio of the channel and the liquid-solid contact angle. These flow conditions are numerically checked. Especially, we analyze the configurations where precursor capillary filaments form. We show that these filaments can be metastable, i.e. disappear into a bulk capillary flow if the proper conditions are met. A diagram of the flow regimes is deduced from theoretical developments and checked using numerical modeling.
- Spontaneous capillary flow (SCF),
- Concus-Finn filaments (CF),
- capillary filaments,
- partial wetting,
- open-surface microfluidics
Citation: Jean Berthier, Kenneth A. Brakke, David Gosselin, Maxime Huet, Erwin Berthier. Metastable capillary filaments in rectangular cross-section open microchannels[J]. AIMS Biophysics, 2014, 1(1): 31-48. doi: 10.3934/biophy.2014.1.31

Related Papers:

Abstract

Spontaneous capillary flow (SCF) in microchannels occurs for specific geometrical and wetting conditions. When the channel walls form corner angles with the channel bottom, liquid filaments may form in the corners. These capillary filaments are often called Concus-Finn (CF) filaments, and they can theoretically spread infinitely.In this work we consider rectangular open U-grooves of varying cross-section width, and we theoretically determine the flow conditions as a function of the aspect ratio of the channel and the liquid-solid contact angle. These flow conditions are numerically checked. Especially, we analyze the configurations where precursor capillary filaments form. We show that these filaments can be metastable, i.e. disappear into a bulk capillary flow if the proper conditions are met. A diagram of the flow regimes is deduced from theoretical developments and checked using numerical modeling.

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