AC-electric-field-controlled multi-component droplet coalescence at microscale

Fang, Weidong; Tao, Zhi; Li, Haiwang; Yin, Shi; Xu, Tao; Huang, Yi; Wong, Teck Neng

doi:10.1039/d3lc00086a

Lab Chip

2023

DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00086a

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AC-electric-field-controlled multi-component droplet coalescence at microscale

Weidong Fang

Zhi Tao

Haiwang Li

et al.

Abstract: Droplet coalescence with fast response, highly controllability and monodispersity have been widely investigated in industrial production and bioengineering. Especially for droplets with multi-components, programmable manipulation of such droplets is crucial...

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Cited by 7 publications

References 46 publications

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Electro‐coalescence of heterogeneous paired‐droplets under AC electric field

Tao,

Fang,

et al. 2024

Droplet

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Controllable droplet coalescence exhibits unique advantages and intriguing prospect in chemical synthesis and biological engineering. Current researches focusing on the droplets of the same physics are, however, limited in terms of the interaction between different reactants. In this work, the electro‐coalescence of heterogeneous paired‐droplets is investigated in a microfluidic chip controlled by an AC electric field. The characteristics of merging dynamics are analyzed under different electric conditions and fluid properties, and an on‐chip cross‐linking reaction is conducted to enable the instantaneous production of hydrogel microspheres. We find that the coalescence of heterogeneous paired‐droplets expands the range of start positions and prolongs the merging time compared to homogeneous paired‐droplets. The evolution process of interfaces is accelerated with the increasing voltage, which contributes to the mixing of diverse components. Different electrical conductivities lead to distinct internal mechanisms within droplets. The voltage across the droplet is reduced with the increasing conductivity, while the enhanced attraction between free charges plays a complimentary role in interface instability. Lowering the surface tension reduced the required electric conditions for coalescence. Endowed with the non‐Newtonian property, the droplet presents a non‐linear relationship in the coalescence region, triggering coalescence with filaments at low voltages and showcasing superior performance at high frequencies. Based on above findings, we successfully produce alginate hydrogel microspheres with a wide range of concentrations in high monodispersity, achieving a clean fabrication of pure hydrogel without any additives and no need for subsequent cleaning. These results reveal the electro‐hydrodynamics of heterogeneous paired‐droplets, promoting the development of droplet coalescence in chemical and material science.

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Electro‐coalescence of heterogeneous paired‐droplets under AC electric field

Tao,

Fang,

et al. 2024

Droplet

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Numerical investigation on flow regime transition mechanism and length prediction method of droplet in T-junction by electric field

Zhu,

Lu,

et al. 2024

Chemical Engineering Journal

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A two-dimensional numerical characterization on the droplet dynamics in the electric field by VOSET method

Wang,

Zhou,

et al. 2025

European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids

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AC-electric-field-controlled multi-component droplet coalescence at microscale

Abstract: Droplet coalescence with fast response, highly controllability and monodispersity have been widely investigated in industrial production and bioengineering. Especially for droplets with multi-components, programmable manipulation of such droplets is crucial...

Cited by 7 publications

References 46 publications

Electro‐coalescence of heterogeneous paired‐droplets under AC electric field

Electro‐coalescence of heterogeneous paired‐droplets under AC electric field

Numerical investigation on flow regime transition mechanism and length prediction method of droplet in T-junction by electric field

A two-dimensional numerical characterization on the droplet dynamics in the electric field by VOSET method

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