Modeling pattern formation in soft flowing crystals

TL;DR

This paper introduces a mesoscale model for droplet interactions in microfluidic devices, enabling large-scale simulations of soft flowing crystal formation and advancing the design of droplet-based porous materials.

Contribution

A novel mesoscale modeling approach that captures near-contact droplet interactions, scalable to full microfluidic device dimensions.

Findings

Successfully modeled droplet collisions and crystal formation.

Potential for multiscale simulation of microfluidic device processes.

Facilitates design of new droplet-based porous materials.

Abstract

We present a mesoscale representation of near-contact interactions between colliding droplets which permits to reach up to the scale of full microfluidic devices, where such droplets are produced. The method is demonstrated for the case of colliding droplets and the formation of soft flowing crystals in flow-focussing microfluidic devices. This model may open up the possibility of multiscale simulation of microfluidic devices for the production of new droplet/bubble-based mesoscale porous materials.