Controlled liquid entrapment over patterned sidewalls in confined geometries

• Main Authors: Gupta, Ankur (Contributor), Lee, Hyundo (Contributor), Doyle, Patrick S (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Physical Society, 2018-02-20T14:59:11Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

Liquid entrapment over patterned surfaces has applications in diagnostics, oil recovery, and printing processes. Here we study the process of oil displacement upon sequential injection of water over a photopatterned structure in a confined geometry. By varying the amplitude and frequency of triangular and sinusoidal patterns, we are able to completely remove oil or trap oil in varying amounts. We present a theoretical model based on geometrical arguments that successfully predicts the criterion for liquid entrapment and provides insights into the parameters that govern the physical process.