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Manipulation of Multiphase Fluid Using Photo-responsive Surfactants

ORAL

Abstract

Manipulating multiphase fluids is essential for applications such as thermal management in buildings and electronics, power generation, and desalination. Most previous works utilize passive fluid control through micro-/nanostructured surfaces, while active methods offer real-time tunability and multi-functionality, often relying on high voltage, strong magnetic fields, or high-temperature gradients.



Our work introduces dynamic control of droplets and bubbles in a multiphase fluid system using light-sensitive surfactants. These surfactants induce large interfacial tension changes, exerting a photo-Marangoni force on droplets/bubbles. By using light with lower intensity than in thermal-capillary actuation, we demonstrate fast, programmable droplet movement on liquid-infused surfaces, within microchannels, and on liquid substrates, and reveal results of bubble migration in gravity and microgravity conditions.



These results open exciting opportunities for the dynamic manipulation of multiphase fluid systems using photo-sensitive surfactants, benefiting areas including energy production, thermal management, and microfluidics.

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Publication: 1. Liang, Xichen, Vijay Kumar, Farzad Ahmadi, and Yangying Zhu. "Manipulation of droplets and bubbles for thermal applications." Droplet 1, no. 2 (2022): 80-91.<br>2. Zhao, Lei, Serena Seshadri, Xichen Liang, Sophia J. Bailey, Michael Haggmark, Michael Gordon, Matthew E. Helgeson, Javier Read de Alaniz, Paolo Luzzatto-Fegiz, and Yangying Zhu. "Depinning of Multiphase Fluid Using Light and Photo-Responsive Surfactants." ACS Central Science 8, no. 2 (2022): 235-245.<br>3. Liang, Xichen, Kseniia M. Karnaukh, Lei Zhao, Serena Seshadri, Austin J. DuBose, Sophia J. Bailey, Qixuan Cao et al. "Real-time Manipulation of Liquid Droplets using Photo-responsive Surfactant." arXiv preprint arXiv:2305.07002 (2023).

Presenters

  • Xichen Liang

    University of California, Santa Barbara

Authors

  • Xichen Liang

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Kseniia M Karnaukh

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Lei Zhao

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Serena Seshadri

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Sophia Bailey

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Michael Haggmark

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Matthew E Helgeson

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Michael Gordon

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Paolo Luzzatto-Fegiz

    University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UC Santa Barbara

  • Javier Read de Alaniz

    University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Yangying Zhu

    University of California, Santa Barbara