Electrohydrodynamic migration of a surfactant-coated deformable drop in Poiseuielle flow

TL;DR

This paper investigates how surfactant coatings influence the electrohydrodynamic behavior and migration of deformable drops in Poiseuille flow, revealing complex coupled effects that enable advanced control in microfluidic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a three-dimensional coupled model considering surfactant effects, electric fields, and flow curvature, using a novel perturbation and solution technique beyond axisymmetric assumptions.

Findings

Surfactants significantly alter drop migration velocities.

Electric field direction and surfactant presence interact non-linearly.

The model provides insights for controlling droplet motion in microfluidics.

Abstract

In this study we attempt to explore the consequences of surfactant coating on the electrohydrodynamic manipulation of a drop motion in a plane Poiseuielle flow. In addition we consider bulk insoluble surfactants and a linear dependency of the surface tension on the surfactant concentration. Subsequently a double asymptotic perturbation method is used in terms of small electric Reynolds number and capillary number in the limit of a diffusion-dominated surfactant transport mechanism. Also going beyond the widely employed axisymmetric framework, the coupled system of governing differential equations in three dimensions are then solved by adopting the `generalized Lamb solution technique'. The expressions of key variables suggest that the flow curvature of the external flow, the electric field effects and the surfactant effects are coupled in a non-trivial manner, well beyond a linear superposition. A careful investigation shows that surfactant-induced Marangoni stresses interacts with the electrohydrodynamic stresses in a highly coupled fashion. Owing to this, under different combinations of electrical conductivity and permittivity ratios, the Mason number and the applied electric field direction, the surfactants affect differently on the longitudinal as well as cross-stream migration velocity of the drop. The present results may be of utmost importance in providing a deep insight to the underlying complex physical mechanisms. Most importantly the ability of surfactants in selectively controlling the drop motion in different directions, makes them suitable for achieving a new degree of freedom in the electrical actuation of droplets in the microfluidic devices.