Issue 12, 2022

Unidirectional self-actuation transport of a liquid metal nanodroplet in a two-plate confinement microchannel

Abstract

Controllable directional transport of a liquid metal nanodroplet in a microchannel has been a challenge in the field of nanosensors, nanofluidics, and nanofabrication. In this paper, we report a novel design that the self-actuation of a gallium nanodroplet in a two-plate confinement microchannel could be achieved via a continuous wetting gradient. More importantly, suitable channel parameters could be used to manipulate the dynamic behavior of the gallium nanodroplet. The self-actuation transport in the two-plate confinement microchannel is the result of the competition between the driving force from the difference of the Laplace pressure and energy dissipation from the viscous resistance. Furthermore, we have identified the conditions to assess whether the droplet will pass through the contractive cross-section or not. This work can provide guidance for manipulating liquid metal nanodroplets in microchannels.

Graphical abstract: Unidirectional self-actuation transport of a liquid metal nanodroplet in a two-plate confinement microchannel

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Nov 2021
Accepted
13 Apr 2022
First published
13 Apr 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale Adv., 2022,4, 2752-2761

Unidirectional self-actuation transport of a liquid metal nanodroplet in a two-plate confinement microchannel

E. Ni, L. Song, Z. Li, G. Lu, Y. Jiang and H. Li, Nanoscale Adv., 2022, 4, 2752 DOI: 10.1039/D1NA00832C

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