Mechanism Of Droplet Formation Research Articles

Preparation of μ-HMX/C-Based Composite Energy Composite Microspheres by Microdroplet Technology.

Taking μ-HMX particles as the main research subject, a set of microdroplet sphericalization coating technology platforms was designed and constructed to realize the preparation of composite microspheres by sphericalization coating of μ-HMX. The suspension stability of μ-HMX particles and the mechanism of droplet formation were investigated, and the application effect of nanocarbon materials was also analyzed. The results showed that the prepared sample microspheres all showed a better spherical morphology, as well as good dispersibility; the samples with micron-sized particles for spherical coating had a lower thermal decomposition temperature, a higher energy release efficiency, lower mechanical sensibility, and better combustion performance; the incorporation of CNFs changed the combustion mode of the system, which resulted in the microsphere system of μ-HMX having a good safety performance. The stability and feasibility of uniform spheronization when the dispersed phase is a low-concentration particle suspension system in the spheronization encapsulation process by microdroplet technology were verified.

A computational study on transition mechanism of dripping to jetting flow in a flow‐focusing geometry

Abstract2D simulations have been performed to investigate flow regimes in a flow‐focusing geometry by changing the dispersed phase and continuous phase velocities. The dispersed phase is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and the continuous phase is water. Simulations have been performed in a range of oil–water viscosity ratio from 3 to 50, and interfacial tension ranges from 0.0118 to 0.002 N/m. The walls of the microchannel are considered to be poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) surfaces. The contact angle (θ) of an oil droplet in the presence of water wetting the PMMA surface is 140°. Our study observed two types of flow regimes, namely dripping and jetting, by changing the dispersed phase and continuous phase velocities. The sequential time steps of void fraction contour have been presented to explore the droplet formation mechanism. The droplet pinch‐off time and jet growth time have been calculated for the dripping and jetting regime, respectively. The outcomes are summarized in the form of a flow pattern map at a viscosity ratio of 12 and interfacial tension of 0.0118 N/m, which shows the transition boundary between dripping and jetting phenomena. The simulated transition boundary agrees well with the analytical solution available in the literature. The effect of oil–water viscosity ratio and interfacial tension on droplet size is also investigated. These findings will help understand different flow regimes and their transition in a flow focusing geometry and will directly apply to microfluidic platform‐based devices.

Performance optimization of droplet formation and break up within a microfluidic device – Numerical and experimental evaluation

Droplet-based microfluidics, including the controlled manipulation of materials in the form of monodisperse droplets on the micrometer scale in microfluidic chips, has gained much attention due to their ability in biological assays. The capillary number of the continuous phase, as the ratio of viscous force and interfacial tension, is so important in the mechanism of droplet formation. This study aims to survey the type of continuous-phase fluid, the change in the parameters of the continuous phase, and the effect of the different flow rates ratios on the droplet formation dynamics, droplet size, distance between droplets and frequency of droplet formation. Three types of oil, including mineral, olive, and paraffin in a flow-focusing microfluidic device have been utilized numerically and experimentally. To characterize the parameters of the continuous phase affecting the droplet size, a microfluidic device has been designed to estimate of the droplet size for three different types of oil used in the assay. The results show that for a constant continuous phase velocity, the diameter of the droplets formed in olive oil has the lowest amount, followed by paraffin and mineral oil, respectively. Regarding the effects of oil type on the frequency of droplet formation and the distance between droplets, the rate of droplet formation in mineral oil, in the ratios of the variable flow rate and the constant continuous phase velocity, is the lowest and, the distance between the droplets has the highest level.

Effect of heating insufflation tube of AirSeal system on laparoscopic surgery

The AirSeal system (CONMED, NY, USA) can outstandingly keep pneumoperitoneum stable. However, water droplets form on the access port, impairing the performance of comfortable surgical procedures because of the resultant wet surgical field. This study was performed to clarify the mechanism of water droplet formation and to prevent it. Condensation was observed on the AirSeal system. A heater was wrapped around the tri-lumen tube, and the heating effect was assessed. The simulator experiments revealed that condensation formed in the tri-lumen tube and on the wall of the access port. The accumulated weight of the condensation on the wall of the access port was 41.6 g in the Heated group, 138.2 g in the Control group, and 479.4 g in the Cooled group. In the clinical assessment, the accumulated volume of the condensation attached to the inside wall was significantly smaller in the Heated group than in the Unheated group (111.7 g vs. 332.9 g, respectively). We clarified that the volume of condensation attached to the wall of the access port depended on the temperature of the tri-lumen tube. The clinical study revealed that the condensation on the access port was reduced by heating the tri-lumen tube. The development of a novel heating device for the insufflation tube would be effective and useful.

Future research perspective on the interfacial physics of non-invasive glaucoma testing in pathogen transmission from the eyes.

Non-contact tonometry (NCT) is a non-invasive ophthalmologic technique to measure intraocular pressure (IOP) using an air puff for routine glaucoma testing. Although IOP measurement using NCT has been perfected over many years, various phenomenological aspects of interfacial physics, fluid structure interaction, waves on corneal surface, and pathogen transmission routes to name a few are inherently unexplored. Research investigating the interdisciplinary physics of the ocular biointerface and of the NCT procedure is sparse and hence remains to be explored in sufficient depth. In this perspective piece, we introduce NCT and propose future research prospects that can be undertaken for a better understanding of the various hydrodynamic processes that occur during NCT from a pathogen transmission viewpoint. In particular, the research directions include the characterization and measurement of the incoming air puff, understanding the complex fluid-solid interactions occurring between the air puff and the human eye for measuring IOP, investigating the various waves that form and travel; tear film breakup and subsequent droplet formation mechanisms at various spatiotemporal length scales. Further, from an ocular disease transmission perspective, the disintegration of the tear film into droplets and aerosols poses a potential pathogen transmission route during NCT for pathogens residing in nasolacrimal and nasopharynx pathways. Adequate precautions by opthalmologist and medical practioners are therefore necessary to conduct the IOP measurements in a clinically safer way to prevent the risk associated with pathogen transmission from ocular diseases like conjunctivitis, keratitis, and COVID-19 during the NCT procedure.

Optimizing the Production of Hydrogel Microspheres Using Microfluidic Chips: The Influence of Surface Treatment on Droplet Formation Mechanism.

Microfluidic chips have been widely applied in biology and medical research for stably generating uniform droplets that can be solidified into hydrogel microspheres. However, issues such as low microsphere yield, lengthy experimental processes, and susceptibility to environmental interference need to be addressed. In this work, a simple and effective method was developed to modify microfluidic chips at room temperature to improve the production performance of hydrogel microspheres. Numerical simulation-assisted experiments were conducted to comprehensively understand the effect of solution viscosity, hydrophilicity, and flow rate ratio on droplet formation during microsphere production. Chitosan was selected as the main component and combined with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate to prepare photocurable hydrogel microspheres as a demonstration. As a result, grafting fluoro-silane (FOTS) increased the contact angle of the channel from 90 to approximately 110°, which led to a 12.2% increase in droplet yield. Additionally, FOTS-modification attenuated the impact of the flow rate ratio on droplet yield by 19.1%. Alternatively, depositing dopamine decreased the channel's contact angle from 90 to 60°, resulting in a 21.4% increase in particle size and enabling the chip to adjust droplet size over a wider range. Further study demonstrates that the obtained hydrogel microspheres can be modified with layers of aldehyde, which can potentially be used for controlled drug release. Overall, this study proposed a facile method for adjusting the yield and droplet size through surface treatment of microfluidic chips while also enhancing the understanding of the synergistic effects of multiple factors in microfluidics-based microsphere production.

Analysis of transient characteristics of droplets in the DFFB regime during single-rod channel reflood experiment

This study aims to explore the dynamic distribution and hydrodynamic characteristics of droplets during the highly transient process of reflood. However, the quasi-steady state analysis is generally adopted in existing studies reported in the literature, ignoring the dependence of droplet formation and breaking mechanism in the Dispersed flow film boiling (DFFB) mechanism on the time-related historical behaviors such as the propagation of the quench front. A series of reflood cooling visualization experiments of zirconium alloy high-temperature rod-shaped heating surface were carried out to achieve this research goal. The wall surface and fluid temperature history curves were recorded, and the parameters, such as the size and velocity of DFFB regime droplets, were quantitatively extracted by visual image processing technology. Based on the formation and breakup mechanism of droplets in the dispersed flow, the reasons for droplet size distribution and velocity change with input heat flux, initial wall temperature, inlet subcooling, and inlet flow rate are well analyzed and explained. At the same time, the experimental results also show a strong correlation between droplet behavior and the reflood process in time. This study can provide more detailed physical support for the subsequent development of droplet behavior models more suitable for the strong transient reflood process and the evaluation of existing models.

Simulation of Slag Droplet Entrainment by Volume of Fluid and Lagrangian Particle Tracking Coupled Modeling.

The slag droplet entrainment is a common phenomenon in steel refining processes, which may lead to inclusions and defects. In the multiphase flow system, the distinct interface and tiny blobs possess a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and make it hard to be simulated. In numerical methods, the volume of fluid (VOF) approach is appropriate for capturing the interface, but for the unresolvable tiny blobs, the Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) is preferable. This work newly implements a bidirectional VOF-LPT transformation algorithm for developing a multiscale solver in OpenFOAM to simulate the slag droplet entrainment. The interIsoFoam solver is selected as the main solver to resolve the interface, and the resolution is improved with using the geometric reconstruction and the adaptive mesh refinement (AMR). For capturing tiny droplets, a connected component labeling (CCL) method is adopted for detecting discrete droplets in the VOF field, and then the VOF-to-LPT transition takes place for saving computational costs. Conversely, the LPT-to-VOF transformation for droplets touching the interface is also incorporated to achieve the bidirectional transition. The solver is first validated by a simple case, indicating that the two-way transition algorithm and the Eulerian-Lagrangian momentum coupling are accurate. Then the solver is applied to simulate the slag layer behavior for revealing the mechanisms of slag droplet formation and entrainment. Two main mechanisms of slag droplet formation are identified, and it is found that fewer discrete droplets are generated when the surface tension increases.

Atomization mechanisms of a wall-impinging jet in a shallow pool

Atomization of a liquid jet in an immiscible liquid–liquid system is essential for maintaining safety in the nuclear industry. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a method to evaluate the behavior of molten fuel entering a shallow coolant pool using numerical and experimental simulations in an immiscible liquid–liquid system, focusing on hydrodynamic interaction between the fuel and pool. However, the atomization behavior associated with the spreading of the wall-impinging liquid jet immediately after entering a shallow pool in the system is quite different from jet-breakup regimes in a deep pool, and there are a few reports. Such atomization behavior can change subsequences in severe accidents in the nuclear industry, and the investigation of the atomization behavior of the wall-impinging liquid jet is significant. Herein, we investigate the atomization behavior of a wall-impinging liquid jet in terms of droplet formation and its flow field using numerical simulation and a dispersed-phase tracking method. The results show that the atomization behavior comprises droplet formation with three patterns. We obtain droplet properties immediately after droplet formation and develop theoretical boundaries enclosing two regions for droplet formation using dimensionless numbers. We characterize the patterns by comparing them with the theoretical regions and elucidate the droplet formation mechanisms of each source. Moreover, we establish the relationship between droplet formation as the local behavior and atomization as the whole behavior of the jet. Thus, this paper clarifies the atomization mechanisms in the liquid film flow of the wall-impinging liquid jet in a shallow pool.

Research on the printing mechanism of electrohydrodynamic satellite-free droplets in pulsed voltage

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drop-on-demand (DOD) printing in pulsed voltage is a very promising technology for additive manufacturing at the micro- and nanoscale. However, jet/meniscus retraction during DOD printing creates additional satellite droplets, which can lead to blurred print patterns and thus reduced print resolution. In this paper, the mechanism of satellite droplet formation in EHD DOD printing in pulsed voltage is investigated in detail for the first time. At first, the numerical model for EHD printing is established and the correctness and credibility of the numerical results are verified experimentally. After that, the three key operating parameters peak voltage, voltage duration, and bias voltage are analyzed in detail on the formation mechanism of satellite droplets. The operating phase diagram without satellite droplets is proposed. Finally, the electric Bond number BoE and Ohnesorge number Oh are proposed for the detailed analysis of the physical parameters of the liquid on the generation of satellite droplets, and the prediction model of satellite droplet size is presented. The mechanism of satellite droplet formation in EHD printing is revealed, which provides a theoretical basis for the stable printing of satellite-free droplets and advances its application in high-resolution additive manufacturing.

Mechanisms of Droplet Formation and Deposition in Drop-On-Demand Needle-Valve Inkjets for Precision 3D Microprinting

Mechanisms of Droplet Formation and Deposition in Drop-On-Demand Needle-Valve Inkjets for Precision 3D Microprinting

The Oligomerization Domains of the APC Protein Mediate Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation That Is Phosphorylation Controlled.

One of the most important properties of intrinsically disordered proteins is their ability to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation and form droplets. The Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) protein is an IDP that plays a key role in Wnt signaling and mutations in Apc initiate cancer. APC forms droplets via its 20R domains and self-association domain (ASAD) and in the context of Axin. However, the mechanism involved is unknown. Here, we used peptides to study the molecular mechanism and regulation of APC droplet formation. We found that a peptide derived from the ASAD of APC-formed droplets. Peptide array screening showed that the ASAD bound other APC peptides corresponding to the 20R3 and 20R5 domains. We discovered that the 20R3/5 peptides also formed droplets by themselves and mapped specific residues within 20R3/5 that are necessary for droplet formation. When incubated together, the ASAD and 20R3/5 did not form droplets. Thus, the interaction of the ASAD with 20R3 and 20R5 may regulate the droplet formation as a means of regulating different cellular functions. Phosphorylation of 20R3 or 20R5 at specific residues prevented droplet formation of 20R3/5. Our results reveal that phosphorylation and the ability to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation, which are both important properties of intrinsically disordered proteins, are related to each other in APC. Phosphorylation inhibited the liquid-liquid phase separation of APC, acting as an 'on-off' switch for droplet formation. Phosphorylation may thus be a common mechanism regulating LLPS in intrinsically disordered proteins.

Viscoelastic Particle Encapsulation Using a Hyaluronic Acid Solution in a T-Junction Microfluidic Device

The encapsulation of particles and cells in droplets is highly relevant in biomedical engineering as well as in material science. So far, however, the majority of the studies in this area have focused on the encapsulation of particles or cells suspended in Newtonian liquids. We here studied the particle encapsulation phenomenon in a T-junction microfluidic device, using a non-Newtonian viscoelastic hyaluronic acid solution in phosphate buffer saline as suspending liquid for the particles. We first studied the non-Newtonian droplet formation mechanism, finding that the data for the normalised droplet length scaled as the Newtonian ones. We then performed viscoelastic encapsulation experiments, where we exploited the fact that particles self-assembled in equally-spaced structures before approaching the encapsulation area, to then identify some experimental conditions for which the single encapsulation efficiency was larger than the stochastic limit predicted by the Poisson statistics.

Interfacial solute flux promotes emulsification at the water|oil interface

Emulsions are critical across a broad spectrum of industries. Unfortunately, emulsification requires a significant driving force for droplet dispersion. Here, we demonstrate a mechanism of spontaneous droplet formation (emulsification), where the interfacial solute flux promotes droplet formation at the liquid-liquid interface when a phase transfer agent is present. We have termed this phenomenon fluxification. For example, when HAuCl4 is dissolved in an aqueous phase and [NBu4][ClO4] is dissolved in an oil phase, emulsion droplets (both water-in-oil and oil-in-water) can be observed at the interface for various oil phases (1,2-dichloroethane, dichloromethane, chloroform, and nitrobenzene). Emulsification occurs when AuCl4– interacts with NBu4+, a well-known phase-transfer agent, and transfers into the oil phase while ClO4– transfers into the aqueous phase to maintain electroneutrality. The phase transfer of SCN– and Fe(CN)63– also produce droplets. We propose a microscopic mechanism of droplet formation and discuss design principles by tuning experimental parameters.

CFD Modeling and Cold Physical Model Simulation on Single Molten Slag Ligament Disintegration into Droplets

Aiming at the mode of liquid ligament disintegration into droplets in the process of the centrifugal granulation of molten blast furnace slag using a spinning cup, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the behavior and mechanism of droplet formation by liquid ligament disintegration and to obtain appropriate conditions to control the size of the produced slag granules, a three-dimensional CFD model describing water–air two-phase flow with a free surface was established in this work for simulating the process of a single water ligament breakup into droplets under the action of gravity, surface tension and inertial forces, so as to compare with the process of a molten slag ligament disintegration into droplets due to centrifugal force exerted by the spinning cup. By studying the disintegration behavior and mechanism of a single water ligament, the similar phenomenon of a molten slag ligament disintegration is examined. The numerical simulation results on the breakup of a single water ligament show that the length of the ligament before its disintegration and the diameter of the droplets formed both increase with the increase of the velocity of the ligament initially exiting a capillary nozzle. In addition, an experimental set-up was established in the laboratory to conduct cold physical model simulation experiments on single water or liquid paraffin ligament disintegration. The experimental results are compared with the numerical simulation results so that the reliability of the CFD model is verified. The results of the present study show that, in the centrifugal granulation process of blast furnace slag using a spinning cup operated in the ligament disintegration mode, the breakup of a single molten slag ligament is very similar to that of a single water or liquid paraffin ligament, and both approximately follow the Rayleigh Disintegration Mechanism, which provides a theoretical basis for analyzing the breakup process of the ligaments of different liquids as references for guiding the operation of centrifugal granulation of molten slag.

Experimental study on droplet behavior and mechanisms during reflooding in a Single-rod channel

• The complete vapor-liquid interface behavior during reflooding is observed. • Discovery and interpretation of the bimodal distribution of droplets. • The three main mechanisms of droplet formation and breakup are discussed. A high-temperature surface reflooding visualization experiment in a single-rod channel was conducted to investigate the transient droplet behavior, which is considered to be critical for heat transfer in Dispersed Flow Film Boiling (DFFB). After the zirconium alloy cladding was heated to the preset temperature, the specimen was subjected to a continuous flow of deionized water under varying input heat flux, coolant subcooling, and apparent reflooding velocity. The temperature history during reflooding was recorded, and the quench behavior was visualized using a high-speed camera. The experimental results show the typical transition mode of inverted annular flow-dispersive flow; at the same time, although the size distribution of droplets conforms to the form of log-normal distribution, the probability of large droplets will increase significantly at higher input heating power. Furthermore, to provide physical support for building droplet distribution models containing more physical mechanisms in the future, several droplet formations and breakup mechanisms, which include the Helmholtz instability, capillary breakage, and rewetting area sputter, have been discussed in this paper.

Regulation of droplet size and flow regime by geometrical confinement in a microfluidic flow-focusing device

We have developed a coupled level set and volume of fluid-based computational fluid dynamics model to analyze the droplet formation mechanism in a square flow-focusing microchannel. We demonstrate a flexible manipulation of droplet formation and flow regime based on the modified flow-focusing microchannel with a constricted orifice. Furthermore, we have systematically studied the influence of geometrical confinement, flow rate, and interfacial tension on the droplet formation regime, length, volume, velocity, and shape. Three different flow regimes, namely squeezing, dripping, and jetting, are observed, and the flow regime maps are formulated based on the Reynolds and capillary numbers. After an extensive numerical investigation, we described the boundaries between the different regimes. Droplet shape is also quantified based on the deformation index value. Plug-shaped droplets are observed in the squeezing regime, and near spherical droplets are found in the dripping and jetting regimes. Our study provides insights into the transition of a regime under various geometrical confinement and fluid properties. The results reveal that the modified flow-focusing microchannel can substantially enhance dripping while decreasing the squeezing regime, which is of paramount importance from the standpoint of producing high throughput stable and monodisperse microdroplets. Eventually, this work emphasizes the importance of geometrical confinement, fluid properties, and flow conditions on the droplet formation process in a flow-focusing microchannel that can effectively provide helpful guidelines on the design and operations of such droplet-based microfluidic systems.

Understanding the microfluidic generation of double emulsion droplets with alginate shell

The monodisperse double emulsions obtained by microfluidic method can serve as ideal templates for preparing core-shell alginate microcapsules, which have attracted much attention in biological applications, such as drug delivery systems and cell encapsulation, tissue engineering. However, the formation behavior and dynamic analysis of double emulsion with an alginate shell is still unclear due to the complex rheological behavior of alginate solutions. Herein, we employ a dual-coaxial microfluidic device to generate the high-quality double emulsion droplets with alginate shell, focusing on the effects of the fluid properties of alginate solution in the middle phase (viscosity, μm) and the fluid flow rate on the droplet formation mechanism. As the viscosity of the middle fluid (μm) increased, the size of compound droplets (D2) increased and the size of inner droplets (D1) decreased, and the break-up regimes occurred a dripping-to-jetting transition when μm = 160 mPa s. The number of encapsulated inner droplets can be predicted and precisely controlled by regulating the generation frequency of inner (f1) and outer droplets (f2). The breakup dynamics of the alginate thread are also analyzed by using the volume-of-fluid/continuum-surface-force (VOF/CSF) method. The results show that the pressure and velocity in the neck of pinch-off is lower in the jetting than that in the dripping regime. This study will provide useful guidance for the rational design and controllable preparation of core-shell alginate microcapsules.

Experimental validation of a coupling concept for drop formation and growth onto porous materials by high-resolution X-ray imaging technique

Droplets formed on the hydrophobic surface of a porous medium exposed to a cross-flowing gas stream have a strong influence on the mass, momentum, and energy exchange across the porous interface, being of importance in several physical systems and engineering applications, like fuel cells. However, the fluid displacement front is highly complex at the pore-scale, since it is characterized by the surface wettability and a contact angle variation along the triple line. Furthermore, the droplet formation is affected by the pore geometry and the surface wettability. These result in a challenging multi-phase scenario with controversial literature, and few studies consider the detailed mechanism of droplet formation on the surface of the porous medium. In this work, two multi-scale simulations for the emerging water droplet from a single hydrophobic capillary pore opening into the gas phase are validated by a benchmark experiment with the help of a high-resolution X-ray imaging technique to characterize the droplet growing. A three-domain approach (gaseous free flow, interface and porous medium, FIP) was compared with a two-domain approach (based on a free-flow and the porous medium, FP). Whereas the three-domain approach introduces two sets of coupling conditions, one for the free flow-interface and one for the interface-porous medium, the two-domain approach introduces only one set of coupling connections for describing the interaction between the domains. In both approaches, droplet formation and growth alter the coupling conditions between the domains. While the FIP approach treats the porous medium as a continuous matter, it is resolved discretely with the help of a pore network in the FP approach. Both approaches show good agreements with the experimental observations and high correspondences for the drop volume, radii and contact angle evolution. The proposed models provide a base for future developments and help to gain a better insight about the impact of the droplet formation on the interface in a coupled free flow-porous medium system.

Toward unraveling the mechanisms of aerosol generation during phonation

Aerosol droplets made from respiratory liquid are of fundamental importance for airborne transmission of several virus-based diseases, such as COVID-19. While the transmission route in the air has been intensively studied in the last two years, only few papers deal with the formation of these droplets. It seems to be accepted that such droplets are generated by upper airway activity such as talking, sneezing, or coughing. Especially talking is associated with disease transmission, although the droplet formation mechanisms have not been fully resolved yet. Thus, we focus on the investigation of the atomization process of respiratory liquid attached to the vocal folds. A new experimental setup has been installed that emulates the vocal folds and their oscillating movement in a simplified manner. A model liquid mimicking the respiratory mucus is dispersed at the vocal folds. The primary atomization of the model liquid into an air stream is observed qualitatively. This new insight shows that in contrast to the typical assumption that only liquid bridges form between the vocal folds and breakup into droplets, rather bubbles are generated, which can breakup into much smaller particles than filaments. Furthermore, droplet size distributions downstream of the vocal folds are evaluated. The influence of the oscillation frequency and amplitude as well as air flow rate on the droplet size distributions are analyzed. It is found that an increase in both frequency and amplitude leads to smaller particle sizes, while raising the air flow rate results in a higher proportion of larger particles.