Applications of Marangoni Forces in Actuating Solid Phase Objects

Erwin Hendarto

About the Event

The Marangoni effect develops due to surface tension variations at the liquid/gas interface caused by temperature gradient in the liquid. Spatially localized temperature rise reduces the localized surface tension, resulting in surface flows away from the heat source and subsurface flows in opposite direction. This phenomenon shows potential in droplet/particle manipulation for microfluidic applications. In this work, a series of experiments is performed to address several important questions to further evaluate the utility of this effect. The experiments demonstrate the utility of micro-scale Marangoni flows in controlled manipulation and positioning of particles and millimeter-sized structures without the need for embedded actuating elements.

Additional Information

Sponsor: Yogesh B. Gianchandani

Open to: Limited