Fluid rings and droplet arrays via rim streaming

Abstract

Tip-streaming generates micron- and submicron- sized droplets when a thin thread pulled from the pointy end of a drop disintegrates. Here, we report streaming from the equator of a drop placed in a uniform electric field. The instability generates concentric fluid rings encircling the drop, which break up to form an array of microdroplets in the equatorial plane. We show that the streaming results from an interfacial instability at the stagnation line of the electrohydrodynamic flow, which creates a sharp rim. The flow draws from the rim a thin sheet which destabilizes and sheds fluid cylinders. This streaming phenomenon provides a new route for generating monodisperse microemulsions.

Cited by in corpus (4)

• From Electrodiffusion Theory to the Electrohydrodynamics of Leaky Dielectrics through the Weak Electrolyte Limit
• Structural diversity in electrohydrodynamically driven active and organized liquid states
• A spectral boundary integral method for simulating electrohydrodynamic flows in viscous drops
• Electrohydrodynamic flows inside a neutrally buoyant leaky dielectric drop