Controllable droplet velocity: Exploration of droplet transport based on discharge plasma

Abstract

Droplet transport assumes a crucial role in domains such as atmospheric governance, water resource development, drug delivery, medical analysis and detection, as well as the development of biosensors. Currently, droplet transport is accomplished through established chemical environments and structural gradients, yet it fails to precisely control the motion state of droplets. This paper presents an innovative approach for transporting droplets by means of discharge plasma, which governs the start, stop, and velocity of the droplets by modulating the discharge power. We employ discharge plasma to charge and polarize droplets and form gradient electric fields and gradient charges in space for driving droplets. Eventually, we achieved directional transport of diverse droplets via this method, which holds significant potential application value for controlling droplet motion.