Rupture process of liquid bridges: The effects of thermal fluctuations

Abstract

Rupture of a liquid bridge is a complex dynamic process, which has attracted much attention over several decades. We numerically investigated the effects of the thermal fluctuations on the rupture process of liquid bridges by using a particle-based method know as many-body dissipative particle dynamics. After providing a comparison of growth rate with the classical linear stability theory, the complete process of thinning liquid bridges is captured. The transitions among the inertial regime (I), the viscous regime (V), and the viscous-inertial regime (VI) with different liquid properties are found in agreement with previous work. A detailed description of the thermal fluctuation regime (TF) and another regime, named the breakup regime, are proposed in the present study. The full trajectories of thinning liquid bridges are summarized as I → V → VI → TF → breakup for low-Oh liquids and V → I → Intermediate → V → VI → TF → breakup for high-Oh liquids, respectively. Moreover, the effects of the thermal fluctuations on the formation of satellite drops are also investigated. The distance between the peaks of axial velocity is believed to play an important role in forming satellite drops. The strong thermal fluctuations smooth the distribution of axial velocity and change the liquid bridge shape into a double cone without generating satellite drops for low-Oh liquids, while for high-Oh liquids, this distance is extended and a large satellite drop is formed after the breakup of the liquid filament occurs on both ends, which might be due to strong thermal fluctuations. This work can provide insights on the rupture mechanism of liquid bridges and be helpful for designing superfine nanoprinting.