Characterization of oscillation amplitude of contact angle during AC electrowetting of water droplets

Abstract

Most studies on electrowetting (EW) involve the use of AC electric fields, which cause droplets to oscillate in response to the sinusoidal waveform. Oscillation-driven mixing in droplets is the basis for multiple microfluidic applications. Presently, we study the voltage and AC frequency-dependent oscillations of electrowetted water droplets on a smooth, hydrophobic surface. We introduce a new approach towards analyzing droplet oscillations, which involves characterization of the oscillation amplitude of the contact angle (CA). An experimentally validated, fundamentals-based model to predict voltage and frequency-dependent CA oscillations is developed, which is analogous to the Lippmann’s equation for predicting voltage-dependent CAs. It is seen that this approach can help estimate the threshold voltage more accurately, than from experimental measurements of CA change. Additionally, we use a coplanar electrode configuration with high voltage and ground electrodes arranged on the substrate. This configuration eliminates measurement artefacts in the classical EW configuration associated with a wire electrode protruding into the droplet. An interesting consequence of this configuration is that the system capacitance is reduced substantially, compared to the classical configuration. The coplanar electrode configuration shows a reduced rate of CA change with voltage, thereby increasing the voltage range over which the CA can be modulated.