Surfactant-induced migration of a spherical drop in Stokes flow

Abstract

In Stokes flows, symmetry considerations dictate that a neutrally buoyant spherical particle will not migrate laterally with respect to the local flow direction. We show that a loss of symmetry due to flow-induced surfactant redistribution leads to cross-stream drift of a spherical drop in Poiseuille flow. We derive analytical expressions for the migration velocity in the limit of small nonuniformities in the surfactant distribution, corresponding to weak-flow conditions or a high-viscosity drop. The analysis predicts migration toward the flow centerline.