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 edge. The flow draws from the equator a thin sheet which destabilizes and sheds fluid cylinders. This streaming phenomenon provides a new route for generating monodisperse microemulsions.
- Received 16 January 2017
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.034501
© 2017 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Saturn-Shaped Drops
Published 20 July 2017
An electric field can pull apart a millimeter-sized oil drop, causing it to shed thin rings from its equator that then break up into tiny droplets.
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