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Superconfinement tailors fluid flow at microscales

Author

Listed:
  • Siti Aminah Setu

    (Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford
    Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)

  • Roel P.A. Dullens

    (Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford)

  • Aurora Hernández-Machado

    (Departament d’Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria, Universitat de Barcelona)

  • Ignacio Pagonabarraga

    (Departament de Física Fonamental, Universitat de Barcelona)

  • Dirk G.A.L. Aarts

    (Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford)

  • Rodrigo Ledesma-Aguilar

    (The Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford
    Oxford Centre for Collaborative Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
    Northumbria University, Ellison Place)

Abstract

Understanding fluid dynamics under extreme confinement, where device and intrinsic fluid length scales become comparable, is essential to successfully develop the coming generations of fluidic devices. Here we report measurements of advancing fluid fronts in such a regime, which we dub superconfinement. We find that the strong coupling between contact-line friction and geometric confinement gives rise to a new stability regime where the maximum speed for a stable moving front exhibits a distinctive response to changes in the bounding geometry. Unstable fronts develop into drop-emitting jets controlled by thermal fluctuations. Numerical simulations reveal that the dynamics in superconfined systems is dominated by interfacial forces. Henceforth, we present a theory that quantifies our experiments in terms of the relevant interfacial length scale, which in our system is the intrinsic contact-line slip length. Our findings show that length-scale overlap can be used as a new fluid-control mechanism in strongly confined systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Siti Aminah Setu & Roel P.A. Dullens & Aurora Hernández-Machado & Ignacio Pagonabarraga & Dirk G.A.L. Aarts & Rodrigo Ledesma-Aguilar, 2015. "Superconfinement tailors fluid flow at microscales," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-8, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms8297
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8297
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