2024/11/26 by David Van Assche, Van Assche, David, Thomas Beneyton +5
Chemistry · Engineering · #Electrochemical Analysis and Applications #Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Microfluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis Applications #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2411.17478
openalex publication_date 2024/11/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The mechanism of coalescence of aqueous droplet pairs under an electric field is quantitatively studied using microfluidics in quiescent conditions. We experimentally trap droplet pairs and apply electric fields with varying frequencies and formulation compositions. We find that the electrical resistance of the oil used as continuous phase controls the onset of electrocoalescence in quiescent conditions. We observe that the local field enhancement between droplets strongly depends on formulations but also on the number of droplets across the electrodes. These findings provide a better understanding of the onset of electrocoalescence and pave a route towards the rationalization of droplet-based microfluidics operations.