2013/12/17 by Nikita Tretyakov, Tretyakov, Nikita, Marcus Müller +1 · 1 citation
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer #Fluid Dynamics and Thin Films #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity #cond-mat.soft
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1312.4905
24 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables
arxiv created 2013/12/17 · openalex publication_date 2013/12/17 · arxiv updated 2013/12/18 · openalex created_date 2022/10/03 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Using Molecular Dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained polymer liquid we investigate the transport of droplets on asymmetrically structured (saw-tooth shaped), vibrating substrates. Due to a continuous supply of power by substrate vibrations and the asymmetry of its topography, the droplets are driven in a preferred direction. We study this directed motion as a function of the size of the droplets, the linear dimensions of the substrate corrugation, and the period of vibrations. Two mechanisms of driven transport are identified: (i) one that relies on the droplet's contact lines and (ii), in a range of vibration periods, the entire contact area contributes to the driving. In this latter regime, the set-up may be used in experiments for sorting droplets according to their size. Additionally, we show that the linear dimension of the substrate corrugation affects the flux inside the droplet. While on a substrate with a fine corrugation droplets mostly slide, on a more coarsely corrugated substrate the flux may exhibit an additional rotation pattern.