Electrowetting of a leaky dielectric droplet under a time-periodic electric field
Dipin S. Pillai, Kirti Chandra Sahu, R. Narayanan
Abstract
We develop a simplified nonlinear model for the dynamics of a highly wetting sessile droplet under an alternating (AC) electrostatic field. The model is suitable for weakly conducting fluids with charges confined on the interface, and reproduces the perfect conductor and dielectric droplet limits. The effect of Maxwell stress on droplet shape deformation (DSD) and contact line motion (CLM) are of particular interest. We show the emergence of a favorable forcing frequency which leads to maximum amplitude in DSD and CLM, a consequence of competition between forcing and wetting timescales. Further, the effect of different fluid electromechanical properties on DSD and CLM are investigated.
Topics & Concepts
ElectrowettingDielectricWettingElectric fieldNonlinear systemForcing (mathematics)MechanicsConductorAmplitudeField (mathematics)Stress (linguistics)PhysicsLiquid dielectricMaterials scienceClassical mechanicsCondensed matter physicsOpticsOptoelectronicsThermodynamicsComposite materialPure mathematicsAtmospheric sciencesMathematicsQuantum mechanicsPhilosophyLinguisticsElectrowetting and Microfluidic TechnologiesElectrohydrodynamics and Fluid DynamicsMicrofluidic and Bio-sensing Technologies