Electrostatically induced mixing in confined stratified multi-fluid systems

摘要: Abstract Electrostatic control mechanisms underpin a wide range of modern industrial processes, from lab-on-a-chip devices to microfluidic sensors for security applications. During the last decades, striking impact fluid interface manipulation in contexts such as polymer self-assembly, micromanufacturing and mixing viscous media has established field electrically driven interfacial flows invaluable. This work investigates electrostatically induced instabilities subsequent generation nonlinear coherent structures immiscible, viscous, dielectric multi-layer stratified confined channels with plane walls. The present study demonstrates theoretically that can be utilized achieve efficient different immiscible regions. is accomplished by driving stable far their equilibrium states attain time-oscillatory highly producing mixing. electrohydrodynamic play role imposed background velocity fields or moving device parts more traditional protocols. Initially, simple yet on–off voltage protocols are investigated subsequently symmetry-breaking distributions considered shown considerably enhance achieved level Both two- three-dimensional flows, containing realistic configurations (water oils), computed using direct numerical simulations based on Navier–Stokes equations. Such investigations facilitate quantitative flow into fully regime constitute basis optimization methods context applications geometries.