Physics of Fluids - Publications

Propelling microdroplets generated and sustained by liquid–liquid phase separation in confined spaces

Open Access
Soft Matter 17, 5362–5374 (2021)

Authors

	Xuehua Zhang
	Jae Bem You
	Gilmar F. Arends
	Jiasheng Qian
	Yibo Chen
	Detlef Lohse
	J.M. Shaw

BibTeΧ

@Article{D1SM00231G,
author ="Zhang, Xuehua and You, Jae Bem and Arends, Gilmar F. and Qian, Jiasheng and Chen, Yibo and Lohse, Detlef and Shaw, John M.",
title  ="Propelling microdroplets generated and sustained by liquid‚Äìliquid phase separation in confined spaces",
journal  ="Soft Matter",
year  ="2021",
volume  ="17",
issue  ="21",
pages  ="5362-5374",
publisher  ="The Royal Society of Chemistry",
doi  ="10.1039/D1SM00231G",
url  ="http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D1SM00231G",
abstract  ="Flow transport in confined spaces is ubiquitous in technological processes{,} ranging from separation and purification of pharmaceutical ingredients by microporous membranes and drug delivery in biomedical treatment to chemical and biomass conversion in catalyst-packed reactors and carbon dioxide sequestration. In this work{,} we suggest a distinct pathway for enhanced liquid transport in a confined space via propelling microdroplets. These microdroplets can form spontaneously from localized liquid‚Äìliquid phase separation as a ternary mixture is diluted by a diffusing poor solvent. High speed images reveal how the microdroplets grow{,} break up and propel rapidly along the solid surface{,} with a maximal velocity up to ‚àº160 Œºm s‚àí1{,} in response to a sharp concentration gradient resulting from phase separation. The microdroplet propulsion induces a replenishing flow between the walls of the confined space towards the location of phase separation{,} which in turn drives the mixture out of equilibrium and leads to a repeating cascade of events. Our findings on the complex and rich phenomena of propelling droplets suggest an effective approach to enhanced flow motion of multicomponent liquid mixtures within confined spaces for time effective separation and smart transport processes."}