Non-uniform Electric Field Research Articles

A closed-form expression of electric polarizability for elliptical apertures excited by nonuniform electric field

It is well known that electric field penetration through a small aperture in a perfectly conducting plane behaviors like an electric dipole. When excited by uniform electric field, the dipole moment has analytical solution for elliptical apertures and numerical/experimental values for other shapes. In this paper, for the case of nonuniform field excitation, based on the electrostatic reciprocity theorem, the closed-form expression of electric dipole moment is derived for elliptical apertures. This expression is in integral form, and its integrand is the product of the nonuniform electric field distribution and the potential distribution when excited by uniform field in the aperture plane. Taking a point charge located on the aperture plane as an example of nonuniform field excitation, the dipole moment is calculated using the proposed closed-form expression. The validation is verified by comparisons with exact integral solution for circular apertures and with finite element simulations for elliptical apertures.

Improve removal efficiency of PM 1 depending on collision enhancement and agglomeration effect

In this paper, aiming at PM 1, namely submicron particles which are the most difficult to remove in traditional purification technologies, it tries to improve their removal efficiency depending on collision enhancement and agglomeration effect. The effect of electric field and plate structure on collision enhancement is studied. Besides, a novel structure of corrugated plate is put forward and its removal performance is compared with parallel plate. Results show that it confirms the key function of the external electric field on the enhancement of particle collision through the trajectory visualization of particle streams with different polarity charging types. The intense turbulence quickens the particle collision and agglomeration in corrugated plate, and the enhancement of electric field around the bend can bring a quick capture firstly, and then the nonuniformity of electric field also leads to the positive effect of particle collision. Corrugated plate can achieve a 12% improvement of removal efficiency for PM 1 compared with traditional parallel plate, under consideration of collision enhancement brought by the airflow arrangement and agglomeration effect under Coulomb force between positive and negative particles.

A Novel Electrophoretic Technique to Improve Metasurface Sensing of Low Concentration Particles in Solution.

A novel electrophoretic technique to improve metasurface sensing capabilities of charged particles in solution is presented. The proposed technique may improve the ability of metasurfaces to sense charged particles in solution in a manner not possible using the current standard of particle deposition (which allows particles to sediment randomly on a metasurface under evaporation) by inducing an external, nonuniform electric field through the metasurface apertures. Such a technique may be useful in various sensing applications, such as in biological, polymer, or environmental sciences, where low concentration particles in solution are of interest. The electrophoretic technique was simulated and experimentally tested using latex nanoparticles in solution. The results suggest that, using this technique, one may theoretically increase the particle density within the metasurface regions of greatest sensitivity by nearly 1900% in comparison to random sedimentation due to evaporation. Such an increase in particle density within the regions of greatest sensitivity may facilitate more precise material property measurements and enhance identification and detection capabilities of metasurfaces to particles in solution which constitute only a few hundred parts per million by mass. It was experimentally determined that the electrophoretic technique enhanced metasurface sensing capabilities of 333 parts per million by mass latex nanoparticle solutions by nearly 1700%.

Using dielectrophoretic spectra to identify and separate viable yeast cells.

Immotile yeast cells were transiently moved in nonuniform sinusoidal electric fields using multiple pairs of micro-parallel cylindrical electrodes equipped with a sequential signal generator (SSG) to analyze cell viability at a clinical scale for the brewery/fermentation industry. Living yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the exponential-stationary phase, with a cell density of 1.15 × 105 cells mL-1 were suspended in sucrose medium. The conductivity (σs) was adjusted to 0.01 S m-1 with added KCl. Cells exposed in electric field strengths ranging from 32.89 to 40.98 kV m-1, exhibited positive dielectrophoresis (pDEP) with the lower critical frequencies (LCF) at 85.72 ± 3.59 kHz. The optimized value of LCF was shifted upwards to 780.00 ± 83.67 kHz when σswas increased to 0.10 S m-1. Dielectrophoretic and LCF spectra (translational speed of cells vs. electric field frequencies) of yeast suspensions during positive dielectrophoresis were analyzed in terms of the dielectric properties of the cell membrane and cytoplasm which reflect yeast cell viability and metabolic health status. The dielectrophoretic collection yield of cells using positive dielectrophoresis was reported on the monitor of sequential signal generator software to evaluate the number of living and dead cells through a real-time image processing analyzer. The spectra of both positive dielectrophoresis of the living and dead cells had distinguishable dielectric properties. The conductivity of the yeast cytoplasm (σc) of the dead cells was significantly less (≈ ≤ 0.05 S m-1) than that of the living yeast cells which typically had a cytoplasmic conductivity of ≈ 0.2 S m-1. This difference between viable and non-viable cells is sufficient for cell separation procedures. KEY POINTS: • Dielectrophoresis can be used to separate viable and non-viable yeast cells, • Cellular dielectric properties can be derived from the analysis of their dielectric spectra, • Cytoplasmic conductivity of viable cells is ≈ 0.2 S m-1 while that of non-viable cells ≈ ≤ 0.05 S m-1.

Versatile bubble maneuvering on photopyroelectric slippery surfaces

Contactless bubble manipulation with a high spatiotemporal resolution brings a qualitative leap forward in a variety of applications. Despite considerable advances, light-induced bubble maneuvering remains challenging in terms of robust transportation, splitting and detachment. Here, a photopyroelectric slippery surface (PESS) with a sandwich structure is constructed to achieve the versatile bubble manipulation. Due to the generated dielectric wetting and nonuniform electric field under the irradiation of near infrared (NIR) light, a bubble is subject to both the Laplace force and dielectrophoresis force, enabling a high-efficiency bubble steering. We demonstrate that the splitting, merging and detachment of underwater bubbles can be achieved with high flexibility and precision, high velocity and agile direction maneuverability. We further extend the capability of bubble control to microrobots for cargo transportation, micropart assembly and transmission of gear structures. We envision this robust bubble manipulation strategy on the PESS would provide a valuable platform for various bubble-involved processes, ranging from microfluidic devices to soft robotics.

Heat flux from the surface in the process of the rupture of a thin liquid film by an electric field

In this article, the cooling of a solid surface by an evaporating film of a dielectric liquid and the influence of an electric field on this process are studied. The mesoscopic lattice Boltzmann method is applied to simulate the fluid flow with phase transitions and the heat transfer. The cases without electric field, with initially uniform electric displacement field, and with non-uniform electric field are considered. A uniform field enhances the cooling slightly. Non-uniform field leads to the rupture of the film. In this case, the local heat flux in local regions increases significantly when the film becomes thin and effectively evaporates. After the rupture of the film, the heat flux from a dry spot decreases abruptly. The formation of a dry spot can be prevented by switching off the electric field before the film rupture. Thus, we demonstrate the possibility of enhanced cooling of local regions at a surface using pulses of non-uniform electric field acting on a thin film of dielectric liquid placed at the surface. If the inflow of liquid to the film could be provided, it is in principle possible to realize a periodic process of application of voltage pulses to electrodes and to enhance the cooling of surface by the evaporation of a film of dielectric liquid.

Simulation Study on the Motion Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Fiber Impurity Particles in Oil Flow in a Typical Distributed Electric Field

There have been many studies on the motion and aggregation characteristics of fiber impurities in insulation oil under static conditions. However, there are few studies on the motion characteristics of fiber impurities in insulation oil under flow conditions. In large power transformers, insulation oil is constantly in a state of flow. As a result, the motion characteristics of fiber impurities suspended in the insulation oil are even more complex due to the effects of oil flow. This study constructed a multi-physics field model for single-particle fibrous impurities in solid-liquid two-phase flow and systematically analyzed its motion characteristics. The study shows that the collision frequency between fiber impurity particles and electrodes with the same effective area is negatively correlated with the degree of electric field distortion. The maximum particle velocity and collision frequency of fibrous impurities in both uniform and slightly non-uniform electric fields show an almost linear relationship with the particle size radius. Additionally, the slope of the relationship decreases gradually with an increase in oil flow rate. With the increase of particle size, under the same flow velocity, an increase in the maximum velocity of the fibrous particles and the number of collisions with the electrodes. thereby increasing the probability of fibrous impurities transferring charge between the electrodes. Compared to the motion characteristics of fibrous impurity particles under static conditions, oil flow mainly affects the collision frequency between fibrous impurity particles and electrodes, reducing the probability of particle transfer.

Validation of the Townsend criterion for ignition of volume gas discharges

An eigenvalue problem governing ignition of volume discharges is formulated in the drift approximation with account of photoionization and the presence of multiple ion species with various reactions. The Townsend ignition (self-sustainment) criterion is deduced by partial integration of this eigenvalue problem neglecting the photoionization, and, in the case of electronegative gases, also the detachment. The Townsend criterion is applied to three examples of discharge ignition in high-pressure air, two of them referring to negative coronas in concentric-cylinder and point-to-plane configurations and one to a configuration with weakly nonuniform electric field. The comparison of the results obtained from different forms of the Townsend criterion with those given by the accurate numerical solution of the full eigenvalue problem shows that the neglect of the diffusion of the charged particles produces an error in the ignition voltage of the order of or less. The effect of photoionization for these configurations is also weak as expected. The lower and upper estimates of the effect of negative ions over the ignition voltage are obtained from different forms of the Townsend criterion. A form of the Townsend criterion, which employs an effective attachment coefficient in air and takes into account, in an approximate way, also the detachment, gives a virtually exact value of the inception voltage in all the cases considered. Practical recommendations are given on when one can use the Townsend self-sustainment criterion, and when one should resort to a numerical solution of the general eigenvalue problem governing discharge inception.

Estimation of the Influence of the Electric Field Nonuniformity on the Error of Reconstructed Coordinates of Events in the ReD TPC

Estimation of the Influence of the Electric Field Nonuniformity on the Error of Reconstructed Coordinates of Events in the ReD TPC

Numerical simulation of electric field distribution inside streamer zones of positive and negative lightning leaders

It is widely known that there is an asymmetry in development modes of positive and negative leaders. Negative leaders in air always propagate in a step-wise manner, while positive ones can grow either continuously (at least optically) or via steps (restrikes). The step-formation mechanism in negative and especially positive leaders is poorly understood. In particular, it is still unknown how space stems, precursors of space leaders, form inside and/or at the boundary of the streamer corona, where an expected electric field is sufficiently smaller than the dielectric strength of air. The study presents numerical simulation of electrostatic conditions inside streamer zones of positive and negative lightning leaders. It is shown that, regardless of polarity, streamer coronas are characterized by highly nonuniform electric field distribution. Moreover, it appears that they always contain the areas of locally increased electric fields sometimes exceeding the breakdown level that can be the potential places of space stems origin. Due to the well-known asymmetry between propagation threshold fields of positive and negative streamers, the number of such zones and the magnitudes of electric fields inside them are sufficiently bigger for negative leaders. A significant factor influencing the level of electric field amplification is found to be the share of streamer zone channels that deviate from an expected direction of growth. The role of the streamer corona fractal dimension and the leader channel sheath line charge density is also analyzed. The model predicts that the space stem formation conditions worsen with increasing altitude above the mean sea level and get better with rising humidity which is in line with observations. The study is helpful for further development of the theory of propagation mechanisms of positive and negative leaders.

Continuous motion of an electrically actuated water droplet over a PDMS-coated surface

Electrically actuated linear motion of a water droplet over PDMS-coated single active electrode is analyzed from detailed experiments and modeling. In an experiment, continuous motion of the droplet is achieved when it is located over an active electrode with a horizontal ground wire placed just above in an open-electrowetting-on-dielectric configuration. Using a CCD camera, the instantaneous centroid position of the droplet is determined and its velocity is inferred by numerical differentiation. The edge-detected image is also used to determine the advancing and receding contact angles of the moving drop relative to the substrate. Motion of 2, 6, and 10 µl water droplets for voltages in the range of 170–270 V DC is examined to investigate the effect of drop volume and voltage on drop deformation and velocity. The motion of the droplet is initiated by Young-Lippmann spreading at the three-phase contact line, followed by a nonuniform electric force field distributed between the active electrode and the ground wire localized at the droplet-air interface. Simulations carried out using COMSOL© Multiphysics with full coupling between the electric field and hydrodynamics are in conformity with experiments. A contact angle model with pinning and friction leads to close agreement between simulations and drop motion over a bare PDMS layer, particularly in terms of the relevant timescales. When contact line friction is neglected, the fully coupled numerical solution shows a good match with experimentally determined drop movement over a silicone oil-coated PDMS layer. Over both surfaces, continuous motion of the water droplet is seen to be achieved in three stages, namely, initial spreading, acceleration, and attainment of constant speed.

Improvement of the electrical treeing resistance of polymers through the self-arrangement effect of the voltage stabilizer caused by dielectrophoresis under non-uniform electric field

Improving the electrical treeing resistance of polymer is of great significance for insulation reliability. To achieve this, a solution-based method is employed to introduce a voltage stabilizer with high electron affinity into the silicone rubber (SiR). Experimental findings demonstrate the voltage stabilizer's ability to improve the tree initiation voltage and provide evidence of their migration within the SiR. Additionally, by combining a finite element method, it has been confirmed that voltage stabilizers can migrate through dielectrophoresis in non-uniform electric fields and adaptively reposition themselves in response to changes in electric field distribution during the growth of the electrical tree.

Flashing ratchet effect for driving carriers to accelerate directional migration in organic photovoltaic devices

The organic electron flashing ratchet experiment describes the phenomenon in which an electric current can be detected, even in the absence of a net potential bias. To understand the experimental mechanism at the quantum level, we utilize the quantum nonadiabatic method to simulate the electron dynamics in an organic polymer chain with the flashing ratchet potential. It is found that electrons exhibit directional migration with a velocity, which depends on both the asymmetry and the flashing frequency of the ratchet potential. In addition, the flashing ratchet, which describes the non-uniform and time-varying electric field, increases the velocity by 58.6% compared to the uniform electric field. The flashing ratchet effect exists intrinsically in actual organic photovoltaics (OPVs), due to the naturally uneven and time-varying inherent electric field caused by various inevitable factors in bulk heterojunctions (BHJ). Moreover, the ratchet potential can be artificially constructed by designing the morphology of the BHJ, which opens a promising avenue for driving electrons to accelerate directional migration, and improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency of OPVs.

Oil–water interface dynamics and electrical breakdown in pulsed electric field

The motion of immiscible liquids and electrical breakdown at the interface of two horizontal layers of conducting water and transformer oil are studied under vertically oriented nonuniform pulsed electric field. The interface profile is tracked during experiments and shows the appearance and growth of a water cone inside the oil. After the water cone reaches the high voltage electrode located in the oil, three scenarios are observed depending on water conductivity and pulsed voltage amplitude: electrical current flows over the water without plasma formation; plasma onset occurs due to thermal breakdown in the water at the moment the cone tip touches the sphere; plasma onset occurs due to breakdown through a swarm of small water drops atomized from the cone tip under the action of electrical forces. From experiments and numerical simulations, the breakdown time is determined depending on applied voltage amplitude; the oil–water interface behavior in the electric field is analysed; and the electrical force distribution is studied. The experiment and simulation results show good agreement.

Regulation of flux-closure domain structures via oxygen vacancies and charged scanning probe microscopy

Manipulation of topological structures has become one of the most interesting topics in ferroelectrics through multiple excitations due to their prospective applications in electro-mechanical-optic devices. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) has been developed as a powerful tool to manipulate the polar state in ferroic materials, in which the electric field induced by charged SPM enables dynamic coupling between the switching of the polar states and electromigration of oxygen vacancies, resulting in unknown influences of oxygen vacancy on the polar state in ferroelectric topological structures. Here, we regulate the polar state by considering oxygen vacancies and a non-uniform electric field under the charged SPM experiment for flux-closure domain structures in PbTiO3 thin films. The charged SPM probe can excite the growth of newly flux-closure domains to improve the density of topological states. In contrast, oxygen vacancies are found to suddenly prohibit the evolution of the flux-closure domain structure, when their concentration jumps to a threshold value. Our results might give guidelines to increase and stabilize the memory unit through co-modulating the electric field and ions injection in the information field.

Investigating electromagnetically induced transparency spectral lineshape distortion due to non-uniform fields in Rydberg-atom electrometry

We investigate the effects of spatially non-uniform radio-frequency electric (E) field amplitudes on the spectral line shapes of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) signals in Rydberg atomic systems used in electrometry (i.e., the metrology of E-field strengths). Spatially non-uniform fields distort the EIT spectra from that of an ideal case, and understanding this distortion is important in the development of Rydberg atom-based sensors, as these distortions can limit accuracy and sensitivity. To characterize this distortion, we present a model that approximates the atom vapor as multi-layered media and then uses Beer’s law to combine the absorption through its many discrete thin segments. We present a set of expected line distortions caused by various RF electric-field distributions found in practice. This provides an intuitive diagnostic tool for experiments. We compare this model to measured experimental atomic spectra in both two-photon and three-photon excitation schemes in the presence of non-uniform radio-frequency fields. We show that we can accurately model and reproduce the EIT lineshape distortion observed in these experimental data.

PH Gradients in Spatially Non-Uniform AC Electric Fields around the Charging Frequency; A Study of Two Different Geometries and Electrode Passivation.

Dielectrophoresis (DEP), a precision nonlinear electrokinetic tool utilized within microfluidic devices, can induce bioparticle polarization that manifests as motion in the electric field; this phenomenon has been leveraged for phenotypic cellular and biomolecular detection, making DEP invaluable for diagnostic applications. As device operation times lengthen, reproducibility and precision decrease, which has been postulated to be caused by ion gradients within the supporting electrolyte medium. This research focuses on characterizing pH gradients above, at, and below the electrode charging frequency (0.2-1.4 times charging frequency) in an aqueous electrolyte solution in order to extend the parameter space for which microdevice-imposed artifacts on cells in clinical diagnostic devices have been characterized. The nonlinear alternating current (AC) electric fields (0.07 Vpp/μm) required for DEP were generated via planar T-shaped and star-shaped microelectrodes overlaid by a 70 μm high microfluidic chamber. The experiments were designed to quantify pH changes temporally and spatially in the two microelectrode geometries. In parallel, a 50 nm hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin film on the microelectrodes was tested to provide insights into the role of Faradaic surface reactions on the pH. Electric field simulations were conducted to provide insights into the gradient shape within the microelectrode geometries. Frequency dependence was also examined to ascertain ion electromigration effects above, at, and below the electrode charging frequency. The results revealed Faradaic reactions above, at, and below the electrode charging frequency. Comparison experiments further demonstrated that pH changes caused by Faradaic reactions increased inversely with frequency and were more pronounced in the star-shaped geometry. Finally, HfO2 films demonstrated frequency-dependent properties, impeding Faradaic reactions.

Dimensional analysis on microscale gas breakdown with electric field nonuniformity and positive space charge effects

A dimensional method was employed to evaluate the microscale gas breakdown characteristics at atmospheric pressure, resulting in a universal breakdown curve applicable to different types of gases (e.g., Ar, Xe, Ne, and N2). As the gap distance decreases, the breakdown mode transitions from ion-induced secondary electron emission to the field emission regime. In the field emission regime, the positive space charge effect becomes more significant. We discovered that incorporating the positive space charge effect in the field emission regime can be achieved by modifying the local electric field enhancement factor β. Consequently, we propose an effective electric field enhancement factor, βeff, which scales linearly with β, to accurately reproduce the breakdown curve while considering the positive space charge effect. This proposed approach significantly simplifies the numerical model. Additionally, we examined the effects of gas pressure, gap distance, cathode properties (e.g., work function and secondary electron emission coefficient), and electric field nonuniformity.

A three-dimensional level set method for droplet sorting using a non-uniform electric field

In this research, we have developed a computational method for droplet sorting using a non-uniform electric field. The method is based on a three-dimensional level-set method and the leaky-dielectric electrohydrodynamics (EHD) model. Level-set method is used for modeling the interface of the two-phase flow system. The electrostatic phenomenon is dealt with the leaky dielectric-leaky dielectric fluid system. At first, we validated our developed model for a classical flow case: a droplet subjected to a uniform electric field. The results obtained from the present computational method show good agreement with the existing results from the literature. After validation, we implemented the developed code in a practical application of droplet sorting using a non-uniform electric field (known as dielectrophoresis) in a rectangular microchannel with an orthogonal side channel. We mainly focus on the sorting of the droplet without and with the electric field effect as a function of different parameters of the problem. Depending on the intensity of the physical parameters, the droplet can flow into either the downstream main channel or it can sort into the orthogonal side branch. The sorting of a droplet is characterized by the critical branch ratio, qc above which the droplet enters the side branch. The results and conclusions from the present thesis facilitate the understanding of the fundamental principles and mechanisms of electrohydrodynamics (EHD)-based droplet sorting using dielectrophoresis in microfluidic channels. Therefore, present results can have potential usefulness toward the design and development of droplet-based microfluidic devices.

Impact of Processing Parameters on Contactless Emulsification via Corona Discharge.

A contactless emulsification method is presented using corona discharge. The corona discharge forms using a pin-to-plate configuration, creating a non-uniform electric field. This results in a simultaneous electrohydrodynamic (EHD) pumping of silicone oil and an electroconvection of water droplets that accelerate and submerge inside the oil, leading to a continuous water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion formation process. The impact of the oil viscosity and corona generating AC and DC electric fields (i.e., voltage and frequency) on the characteristics of the emulsions is studied. The emulsification power consumption using the AC and DC electric fields is calculated and compared to traditional emulsion formation methods. While using the DC electric field results in the formation of uniform emulsions, the AC electric field is readily available and uses less power for the emulsification. This is facile, contactless, and energy-efficient for the continuous formation of W/O emulsions.