Droplet Scale Research Articles

Coupled thermal transport and mass diffusion during vapor absorption into hygroscopic liquid desiccant droplets

Phase change phenomena at a droplet scale have gained extensive attention in recent years due to the unique aspects that can be exploited in a wide range of domestic and industrial applications. Different from existing studies on droplet evaporation and/or dropwise condensation, this work focuses on the mechanisms of vapor absorption into hygroscopic liquid desiccant droplets, which are of interest to many dehumidification and absorption processes. In particular we investigate the coupled heat and mass transport during vapor absorption into single droplets using optical imaging and infrared thermography. Driven by the vapor pressure difference between the ambient and the droplet surface, desiccant droplets grow due to water uptake. The droplet growth rate and final expansion ratio depend on the ambient temperature and relative humidity. After liquid desiccant droplet deposition onto the substrate, and as a consequence of the initial fast vapor absorption, droplets experience an increase in temperature. They then gradually cool down as a result of heat dissipation into the substrate and into the ambient combined with the decrease in the vapor absorption rate, i.e., heat of absorption. The temperature rise measured by infrared thermography is confirmed by the calculation of the heat of absorption for six representative environmental conditions. Furthermore the vapor pressure at the droplet surface is estimated taking account of the changes of interfacial temperature and salt concentration within the droplet bulk. As water absorbs into the droplets, the salt concentration decreases and so does the driving force for vapor diffusion and hence the heat of absorption. As a contrast, experiments with evaporating water droplets show different evolution of droplet profile, different dynamics of the triple contact line, as well as the occurrence of evaporative cooling. We conclude on the importance of taking account of the coupling mechanisms of absorptive heating and volume growth during vapor absorption into liquid desiccant droplets. Findings presented here provide a valuable extension to existing literature of phase change at the droplet scale, and contribute to a more complete understanding of the behaviors of liquid desiccant droplets in dehumidification processes.

Toward the Formulation of Stable Micro and Nano Double Emulsions through a Silica Coating on Internal Water Droplets.

Delivery systems able to coencapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic species are of great interest in both fundamental research and industrial applications. Water-in-oil-in-water (w1/O/W2) emulsions are interesting systems for this purpose, but they suffer from limited stability. In this study, we propose an innovative approach to stabilize double emulsions by the synthesis of a silica membrane at the water/oil interface of the primary emulsion (i.e., inner w1/O emulsion). This approach allows the formulation of stable double emulsions through a two-step process, enabling high encapsulation efficiencies of model hydrophilic dyes encapsulated in the internal droplets. This approach also decreases the scale of the double droplets up to the nanoscale, which is not possible without silica stabilization. Different formulation and processing parameters were explored in order to optimize the methodology. Physicochemical characterization was performed by dynamic light scattering, encapsulation efficiency measurements, release profiles, and optical and transmission electron microscopies.

Interfacing Digital Microfluidics with Ambient Mass Spectrometry Using SU-8 as Dielectric Layer.

This work describes the interfacing of electrowetting-on-dielectric based digital microfluidic (DMF) sample preparation devices with ambient mass spectrometry (MS) via desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization (DAPPI). The DMF droplet manipulation technique was adopted to facilitate drug distribution and metabolism assays in droplet scale, while ambient mass spectrometry (MS) was exploited for the analysis of dried samples directly on the surface of the DMF device. Although ambient MS is well-established for bio- and forensic analyses directly on surfaces, its interfacing with DMF is scarce and requires careful optimization of the surface-sensitive processes, such as sample precipitation and the subsequent desorption/ionization. These technical challenges were addressed and resolved in this study by making use of the high mechanical, thermal, and chemical stability of SU-8. In our assay design, SU-8 served as the dielectric layer for DMF as well as the substrate material for DAPPI-MS. The feasibility of SU-8 based DMF devices for DAPPI-MS was demonstrated in the analysis of selected pharmaceuticals following on-chip liquid-liquid extraction or an enzymatic dealkylation reaction. The lower limits of detection were in the range of 1–10 pmol per droplet (0.25–1.0 µg/mL) for all pharmaceuticals tested.

Jump-to-contact instability: The nanoscale mechanism of droplet coalescence in air

We study experimentally by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) the jump-to-contact instability between two droplets in air, with radii ranging between 0.7 and 74 μm. This instability which occurs at the nanoscale is responsible for droplet coalescence. The AFM experiments were conducted in contact and frequency-modulation modes where the interaction force and the frequency shift are monitored while the two droplet interfaces approach each other. The critical distance d_min at which the jump to contact takes place is determined by fitting the experimental curves by the theoretical expressions for theforce and the frequency shift. The results point out the existence of two regimes. For submicrometer droplets, d_min scales as (HReq/γ)^1/3 where Req is the equivalent droplet radius,H the Hamaker constant, and γ the surface tension of the liquid. For larger droplets,d_min no longer depends on the droplet size and scales as (H/γ)^1/2. This second scaling is the one that controls droplet coalescence in most situations.

Digital microfluidic immobilized cytochrome P450 reactors with integrated inkjet-printed microheaters for droplet-based drug metabolism research

We report the development and characterization of digital microfluidic (DMF) immobilized enzyme reactors (IMERs) for studying cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated drug metabolism on droplet scale. The on-chip IMERs consist of porous polymer (thiol-ene) monolith plugs prepared in situ by photopolymerization and functionalized with recombinant CYP1A1 isoforms (an important detoxification route for many drugs and other xenobiotics). The DMF devices also incorporate inexpensive, inkjet-printed microheaters for on-demand regio-specific heating of the IMERs to physiological temperature, which is crucial for maintaining the activity of the temperature-sensitive CYP reaction. For on-chip monitoring of the CYP activity, the DMF devices were combined with a commercial well-plate reader, and a custom fluorescence quantification method was developed for detection of the chosen CYP1A1 model activity (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylation). The reproducibility of the developed assay was examined with the help of ten parallel CYP-IMERs. All CYP-IMERs provided statistically significant difference (in fluorescence response) compared to any of the negative controls (including room-temperature reactions). The average (n = 10) turnover rate was 20.3 ± 9.0 fmol resorufin per minute. Via parallelization, the concept of the droplet-based CYP-IMER developed in this study provides a viable approach to rapid and low-cost prediction of the metabolic clearance of new chemical entities in vitro.

Interactions between micro-scale oil droplets in aqueous surfactant solution determined using optical tweezers

HypothesisThe stability of the emulsions is crucial, which relies on a well-developed understanding of dynamic interaction forces between single dispersed droplets. In the previous studies, many interests focus on the oil droplets of size range of 20–200 µm. However, emulsion droplets with diameter below 10 µm are rarely mentioned, which is the size scale of real emulsion droplets in various applications, such as toners, spacers for liquid crystal displays, and materials in biomedical and biochemical analysis. The micro-scale droplets have many differences on the deformation, internal pressure and hydrodynamic effects. It is necessary to understand the interaction mechanisms between two real size scales of oil droplets for guiding practical production and application. ExperimentsIn this work, tetradecane was chosen as the model oil phase in all experiments. The interaction forces of two tetradecane droplets with the diameter of 5.0 µm in water in the presence of surfactant and salt solution were directly measured using optical tweezers. The force-distance curves were established, and the zeta potential of tetradecane droplets was studied using Zetasizer Nano ZSP. FindingsThe absolute value of zeta potential of tetradecane droplets was found to decrease with the increase of salt concentration and increase with the increase of surfactant concentration. The repulsive force between two tetradecane droplets was found to decrease with the increase of salt concentration because the electrostatic double-layer force was suppressed gradually with the increase of salt concentration. The “hydrodynamic suction” effect during the process of retraction becomes more pronounced due to the corresponding increase in the hydrodynamic force with the increase of the approaching velocity between the tetradecane droplets. Furthermore, we found the existing model for the measurement of large droplets by atomic force microscope (AFM) is invalid for the measurement of micro-scale droplets by optical tweezers. The deformation of colliding micro-scale droplets can be safely ignored, which is quite different from the large droplets. Our results provide a useful method to study the interaction forces between micro-scale emulsion droplets with pN force resolution, and gives a deep insight of the stabilization mechanism of real size scale of O/W emulsions. These findings have significant implications on the stability of emulsions in many food, cosmetics, medicine, and advanced materials.

Microstructural Development of an AlNiBi Alloy and Influence of the Transient Horizontal Solidification Parameters on Microhardness

The combination of the structural and tribological properties presented by AlNiBi alloys has motivated us to establish, as the main objective of this study, the investigation of the microstructural evolution and its influence on the microhardness (HV) of Al-3wt pct Ni-1wt pct Bi alloy horizontally solidified via a water-cooled directional solidification device. Temperature mapping by thermocouples inserted in the metal has been performed for experimental determination of the solidification thermal parameters, such as the growth rate and cooling rate (VL and TR, respectively). The microstructure has been characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy and by microanalysis of the composition via dispersive energy spectroscopy (EDS composition). The macrostructure of the as-solidified ingot is characterized by columnar grains, and the final microstructure consists of an Al-rich primary phase (α-Al) and a eutectic mixture composed of two phases: α-Al + Al3Ni intermetallic (β) with Bi particles anchored on the β phase. The Bi droplet scale is affected by the thermal parameters. The primary phase (α-Al) is characterized by a reverse cellular-to-dendritic microstructural transition. Cellular and dendritic microstructures have been quantified by the cell, primary dendrite arm, secondary dendrite arm, and tertiary dendrite arm spacings (λC, λ1, λ2, and λ3, respectively). The relationships of λC, λ1, λ2, and λ3 with VL and TR have been established via power-type mathematical expressions. The HV dependence on λC, λ1, λ2, and λ3 has been analyzed in both cellular and dendritic microstructural zones. It has been observed that the HV values do not vary in the dendritic zone; however, Hall–Petch’s mathematical equations characterize the HV variation with these thermal and microstructural parameters in the cellular zone.

Interfacial Targeting of Sessile Droplets Using Electrospray.

We report on the use of electrospray atomization to deliver nanoparticles and surfactant directly to the surface of sessile droplets. The particles delivered to the target droplet remained adsorbed at its interface since they arrived solvent-free. Upon complete evaporation, the interface of the target drop was mapped to the underlying substrate, forming a nanoparticle deposit. The use of electrospray permitted the exploration of the interfacial particle transport and the role of surfactants in governing particle motion and deposit structure. When no surfactant was present in the sprayed solution, there was no observable convection of the interfacial particles. When Tween 80, a high-molecular-weight surfactant, was added to the sprayed solution, the surface flow was similarly suppressed. Only when small surfactants (e.g., sodium dodecyl sulfate) were present in the sprayed solution was Marangoni flow, directed toward the droplet apex, induced at the interface. This flow drove the interfacial particles to the apex of the target droplet, creating a particle-dense region at the center of the final deposit. We found that small surfactants were capable of desorbing from the interface at a sufficiently high rate relative to the evaporation time scale of the target droplet. Once inside the drop, the desorbed surfactant was convected to the contact line where it accumulated, inducing a surface tension gradient and a solutal Marangoni flow. Numerical modeling using the lattice Boltzmann-Brownian dynamics method confirmed this mechanism of particle transport and its relationship to deposit structure. The use of sacrificial targets combined with electrospray may provide a unique capability for building colloidal monolayers with organized structure in a scalable way.

Engineering Interfacial Processes at Mini-Micro-Nano Scales Using Sessile Droplet Architecture.

Evaporating sessile functional droplets act as the fundamental building block that controls the cumulative outcome of many industrial and biological applications such as surface patterning, 3D printing, photonic crystals, and DNA sequencing, to name a few. Additionally, a drying single sessile droplet forms a high-throughput processing technique using low material volume which is especially suitable for medical diagnosis. A sessile droplet also provides an elementary platform to study and analyze fundamental interfacial processes at various length scales ranging from macroscopically observable wetting and evaporation to microfluidic transport to interparticle forces operating at a nanometric length scale. As an example, to ascertain the quality of 3D printing we must understand the fundamental interfacial processes at the droplet scale. In this article, we review the coupled physics of evaporation flow-contact-line-driven particle transport in sessile colloidal droplets and provide methodologies to control the same. Through natural alterations in droplet vaporization, one can change the evaporative pattern and contact line dynamics leading to internal flow which will modulate the final particle assembly in a nontrivial fashion. We further show that control over particle transport can also be exerted by external stimuli which can be thermal, mechanical oscillations, vapor confinement (walled or a fellow droplet), or chemical (surfactant-induced) in nature. For example, significant augmentation of an otherwise evaporation-driven particle transport in sessile droplets can be brought about simply through controlled interfacial oscillations. The ability to control the final morphologies by manipulating the governing interfacial mechanisms in the precursor stages of droplet drying makes it perfectly suitable for fabrication-, mixing-, and diagnostic-based applications.

Simulating liquid droplets: A quantitative assessment of lattice Boltzmann and Volume of Fluid methods

While various multiphase flow simulation techniques have found acceptance as predictive tools for processes involving immiscible fluids, none of them can be considered universally applicable. Focusing on accurate simulation of liquid-liquid emulsions at the scale of droplets, we present a comparative assessment of the single-component multiphase pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann method (PP-LB, classical and modified) and the Volume of Fluid method (VOF, classical and modified), highlighting particular strengths and weaknesses of these techniques. We show that a modified LB model produces spurious velocities 1–3 orders of magnitude lower than all VOF models tested, and find that LB is roughly 10 times faster in computation time, while VOF is more versatile. Simulating falling liquid droplets, a realistic problem, we find that despite identical setups, results can vary with the technique in certain flow regimes. At lower Reynolds numbers, all methods agree reasonably well with experimental values. At higher Reynolds numbers, all methods underpredict the droplet Reynolds number, while being in good agreement with each other. Particular issues regarding LB simulations at low density ratio are emphasized. Finally, we conclude with the applicability of VOF vis-à-vis PP-LB for a general range of multiphase flow problems relevant to myriad applications.

Temporally and spatially resolved ion dynamics of droplet-based laser-produced tin plasmas in lateral expansion direction

The temporal and spatial plasma ion dynamics in the lateral direction generated by a Nd:YAG laser irradiated droplet target were studied with a hemispherical electrostatic probe array. The ion dynamics produced from 1.6 × 10+11 W/cm2 irradiation with a pulse duration of 23.9 ns FWHM were measured simultaneously from 50° to 130° from the laser axis with radial probe distances d from 1.5 to 7 cm to the plasma ignition point at an ambient argon gas pressure of 2 × 10−2 mbar. The collected ion charge and expansion velocities were derived from the ion profiles. It was found that the collected ion charge Q around the droplet scales with Q ∼ d−2 indicating that the main driving mechanism relates to the three-dimensional plasma expansion and not recombination processes. An anisotropic ion bulk expansion in the laser forward and backward propagation direction was deduced ranging from 2.9 cm/μs to 2.1 cm/μs, respectively. The gradients of the ion bulk expansion velocities along d were found to be constant within the error margin across the measurement range. The leading edge of the ion profiles showed an anisotropic behavior around the droplet, suggesting recombination effects scale differently in the laser forward and backward propagation direction which was linked to the higher expansion velocities in the laser forward direction. The broadening of the ion current waveform with increasing radial distance was studied and it was observed that the ion profile shape did not change for d > 5 cm, suggesting negligible recombination.

Integrated, Continuous Emulsion Creamer.

Automated and reproducible sample handling is a key requirement for high-throughput compound screening and currently demands heavy reliance on expensive robotics in screening centers. Integrated droplet microfluidic screening processors are poised to replace robotic automation by miniaturizing biochemical reactions to the droplet scale. These processors must generate, incubate, and sort droplets for continuous droplet screening, passively handling millions of droplets with complete uniformity, especially during the key step of sample incubation. Here, we disclose an integrated microfluidic emulsion creamer that packs ("creams") assay droplets by draining away excess oil through microfabricated drain channels. The drained oil coflows with creamed emulsion and then reintroduces the oil to disperse the droplets at the circuit terminus for analysis. Creamed emulsion assay incubation time dispersion was 1.7%, 3-fold less than other reported incubators. The integrated, continuous emulsion creamer (ICEcreamer) was used to miniaturize and optimize measurements of various enzymatic activities (phosphodiesterase, kinase, bacterial translation) under multiple- and single-turnover conditions. Combining the ICEcreamer with current integrated microfluidic DNA-encoded library bead processors eliminates potentially cumbersome instrumentation engineering challenges and is compatible with assays of diverse target class activities commonly investigated in drug discovery.

Scale Effect on the Interface Reaction between PDMS-E Emulsion Droplets and Gelatin.

In this study, the scale effect on the interface reaction between PDMS-E emulsion droplets and gelatin was studied systematically. The monodisperse α-[3-(2,3-epoxy-propoxy)propyl]-ω-butyl-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-E) emulsion droplets on different scales were prepared using a Shirasu porous glass (SPG) membrane with a 0.5 μm pore size. The zeta potential results showed that the surface charge density of PDMS-E droplets decreased with the droplet scale, and the variation went through three stages, which corresponded to the diameter ranges of 100-450, 450-680, and 670-800 nm, respectively. The results of Raman spectra indicated that the distribution concentration of head groups in surfactants decreased but the polar epoxy groups tend to be exposed on the interface with the increase in the droplet scale. This was conducive to the nucleophilic attack of amino groups in gelatin on the epoxy group. Thus, the conversion of amino groups was related to the scale of the PDMS-E droplet. This study might provide a proper way to control the rate of interfacial reaction between immiscible macromolecule monomers.

Difference in growth and coalescing patterns of droplets on bi-philic surfaces with varying spatial distribution

This paper reports the condensation and subsequent motion of water droplets on bi-philic surfaces, surfaces that are patterned with regions of different wettability. Bi-philic surfaces can enhance the water collection efficiency: droplets condensing on hydrophobic regions wick into hydrophilic drain channels when droplets grow to a certain size, renewing the condensation on the dry hydrophobic region. The onset of drain phenomenon can be triggered by multiple events with distinct nature ranging from gravity, direct contact between a droplet and a drain channel, to a mutual coalescence between droplets. This paper focuses on the effect of the length scale of hydrophobic regions on the dynamics of mutual coalescence between droplets and subsequent drainage. The main hypothesis was that, when the drop size is sufficient, the kinetic energy associated with a coalescence of droplets may cause dynamic advancing of a newly formed drop, leading to further coalescence with nearby droplets and ultimately to a chain reaction. We fabricate bi-philic surfaces with hydrophilic and hydrophobic stripes, and the result confirms that coalescing droplets, when the length scale of droplets increases beyond 0.2mm, indeed display dynamic expansion and chain reaction. Multiple droplets can thus migrate to hydrophilic drain simultaneously even when the initial motion of the droplets was not triggered by the direct contact between the droplet and the hydrophilic drain. Efficiency of drain due to mutual coalescence of droplets varies depending on the length scale of bi-philic patterns, and the drain phenomenon reaches its peak when the width of hydrophobic stripes is between 800μm and 1mm. The Ohnesorge number of droplets draining on noted surfaces is between 0.0042 and 0.0037 respectively. The observed length scale of bi-philic patterns matches that on the Stenocara beetle’s fog harvesting back surface. This match between length scales suggests that the surface of the insect is optimized for the drain of harvested water.

Investigating CloudSat Retrievals Sensitivity to Forward Iterative Algorithm Parameters in the Mixed Cloud Layers

When millimeter-wave cloud radar data are used for the forward iterative retrieval of the liquid water content (LWC) and effective radius of cloud droplets (Re) in a cloud layer, the prior values and tolerance ranges of the cloud droplet number density (Nt), scale parameter (Rg) and spectral width parameter (Wg) in the iterative algorithm are the main factors that affect the retrieval accuracy. In this study, we used data from stratus and convective clouds that were simultaneously observed by CloudSat and aircraft to conduct a sensitivity analysis of Nt, Rg, and Wg for the retrieval accuracies of LWC and Re in both stratus and convective clouds. Nt is the least sensitive parameter for accurately retrieving stratus LWC and Re in both stratus and convective clouds, except for retrieving the convective cloud LWC. Opposite to Nt, Rg is the most sensitive parameter for both LWC and Re retrievals. As to the effects of parameter tolerance ranges on the retrievals of LWC and Re, the least important parameter is the Nt tolerance range; the most important one is the Wg tolerance range for retrieving convective cloud LWC and Re, the Rg is the important parameter for retrieving stratus LWC and Re. To obtain accurate retrieved values for clouds in a specific region, it is important to use typical values of the sensitive parameters, which could be calculated from in situ observations of cloud droplet size distributions. In addition, the sensitivities of the LWC and Re to the three parameters are stronger in convective clouds than in stratus clouds. This may be related to the melting and merging of solid cloud droplets during the convective mixing process in the convective clouds.

How Natural Evaporation Temporally Self-Tunes an Oscillating Sessile Droplet To Resonate at Different Modes.

We report the dynamics and underlying physics of evaporation driven transitions and autotuning of oscillation modes in sessile droplets subject to substrate perturbations. We have shown that evaporation controls temporal transition of the oscillation mode with a spatially downward shift of nodes (surface locations with zero displacement) toward the three-phase contact line. We have explained the physical mechanism using two parameters: the first quantifies evaporation driven tuning for resonance detection, and the second parameter characterizes mode lifetime which is found to be governed by evaporation dynamics. It is desirable to achieve autotuning of the oscillation modes in sessile droplets that essentially self-evolves in a spatiotemporal manner with continued evaporation. The insights suggest control of mode resonances is possible, which in turn will allow precision manipulations at droplet scale crucial for many applications such as surface patterning and others.

The dynamics of irreversible evaporation of a water–protein droplet and the problem of structural and dynamic experiments with single molecules

We discuss the effect of isothermal and adiabatic evaporation of water on the state of a water-protein droplet. The discussed problem is of current importance due to development of techniques to perform single molecule experiments using free electron lasers. In such structure-dynamic experiments the delivery of a sample into the X-ray beam is performed using the microdroplet injector. The time between the injection and delivery is in the order of microseconds. In this paper we developed a specialized variant of all-atom molecular dynamics simulations for the study of irreversible isothermal evaporation of the droplet. Using in silico experiments we determined the parameters of isothermal evaporation of the water-protein droplet with the sodium and chloride ions in the concentration range of 0.3 M at different temperatures. The energy of irreversible evaporation determined from in silico experiments at the initial stages of evaporation virtually coincides with the specific heat of evaporation for water. For the kinetics of irreversible adiabatic evaporation an exact analytical solution was obtained in the limit of high thermal conductivity of the droplet (or up to the droplet size of -100 Å). This analytical solution incorporates parameters that are determined using in silico. experiments on isothermal droplet evaporation. We show that the kinetics of adiabatic evaporation and cooling of the droplet scales with the droplet size. Our estimates of the water-protemi droplet. freezing rate in the adiabatic regime in a vacuum chamber show that additional techniques for stabilizing the temperature inside the droplet should be used in order to study the conformational transitions of the protein in single molecules. Isothermal and quasi-isothermal conditions are most suitable for studying the conformational transitions upon object functioning. However, in this case it is necessary to take into account the effects of dehydration and rapid increase of ionic strength in an aqueous microenvironment surrounding the protein.

Dropwise gelation-dehydration kinetics during drop-on-demand printing of hydrogel-based materials

The present study aims to characterize and understand the dropwise gelation-dehydration phenomena during drop-on-demand (DOD) printing of hydrogel-based soft materials. Functional soft materials have broader impacts on many medical and engineering applications, but constructing soft materials into three-dimensional (3D) configuration with spatially varying properties is still extremely challenging. In order to establish a mechanistic understanding, a hypothesis was postulated that the porosity of hydrogel printed is determined by dropwise gelation and dehydration phenomena during the printing process. The underlying rationale is that many functional properties of the printed hydrogels are closely associated with the structural characteristics at the sub-droplet and droplet scales, specifically porosity. The porosity of a hydrogel droplet is thought to be determined by intra-droplet fluid–structure interactions during gelation and dehydration. In this study, thus, we characterized the gelation-dehydration and consequent microstructure of thermally responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamind-co-acrylamide) (PNIPAM) copolymer droplets as a model hydrogel material. The gelation kinetics was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Both macroscopic and microscopic structures of DOD printed hydrogels were characterized by a 3D profiler and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, a theoretical model to explain this complex transport processes was also developed. The results showed that the gelation is a rapid process and its impact is mainly observed at the deposition of droplets. Significant structural shrinkage of the printed hydrogel droplets was induced by dehydration. This shrinkage resulted in spatially varying intra-droplet porosity. A computational model of intra-droplet fluid–structure interactions was developed to explain this spatial variation of intra-droplet porosity. In addition, a new dimensionless parameter is proposed to gauge the significance of evaporation and interstitial water transport in the fluid–structure interactions. Significance of gelation kinetics, dehydration and complex fluid–structure interaction within the droplets was discussed to design a DOD printing process for 3D additive manufacturing of hydrogel-based soft materials.

Semiempirical Approach for Predicting the Mean Size of Solid-Stabilized Emulsions

The final mean droplet size of concentrated solid-stabilized emulsions was predicted using a semiempirical approach. The first step was to estimate the coverage and interface generation potentials. The coverage potential was predicted from the properties of the particles while the interface generation potential was predicted from the correlation developed by Calabrese et al. (1986), which was modified to include the effect of coalescence since the effects of high oil and particle concentrations on the breakage and coalescence processes are not accounted for in this correlation. The second step was to compare the coverage and interface generation potentials and to deduce the theoretical stabilized interface by assuming that it is governed by the lowest potential. The last step was to determine the effectively covered interface from the theoretical stabilized interface by considering stabilization efficiencies. The stabilization efficiency was defined by analyzing the stabilization process at the droplet and the individual particle scales. At the droplet scale, assuming that emulsions are stabilized by covering the droplets with a network of particles, coverage efficiency was defined by comparing the coverage rate to the coalescence rate. At the particle scale, assuming that the droplet coverage results from the attachment of individual particles, three other efficiencies were defined from the particle attachment steps: The particle and the droplet first enter into contact during the collision step; the three-phase contact line is then formed and evolves until reaching the equilibrium position at which the attachment force should be strong enough to avoid detachment. This multistep approach generated size predictions that were in good agreement with the experimental measurements for a broad range of viscosities, at different impeller speeds, and particle concentrations. This led to highlight the impact of operating conditions on the emulsification process. We show that it is possible to link emulsification systems to different geometries by taking the mechanisms driving the emulsification process into consideration suggesting new avenues for scaling up emulsification processes.

Simulating the Freezing of Supercooled Water Droplets Impacting a Cooled Substrate

To study ice adhesion at the droplet scale, a strategy is presented to simulate the impact and solidification of a supercooled water droplet on a cooled substrate. Upon impact, nucleation is assumed to occur instantaneously, and properties of the droplet are chosen to account for the nucleation process. Simulations are performed in ANSYS Fluent using a coupled volume-of-fluid and level-set method to capture the air–water interface, and an enthalpy-porosity method is used to capture the liquid–solid interface. Calibration of a simulation parameter is performed in order to match experimental data for different ideal surface types and surface temperatures. The simulation strategy successfully predicts the overall droplet response for several droplet impact conditions.