Phoretic flow induced by asymmetric confinement


Type
Article
Change log
Authors
Michelin, S 
Abstract

Internal phoretic flows due to the interactions of solid boundaries with local chemical gradients may be created using chemical patterning. Alternatively, we demonstrate here that internal flows might also be induced by geometric asymmetries of chemically homogeneous surfaces. We characterise the circulatory flow created in a cavity enclosed between two eccentric cylindrical walls of uniform chemical activity. Local gradients of the diffusing solute induce a slip flow along the surface of the cylinders, leading to a circulatory bulk flow pattern which can be solved analytically in the diffusive limit. The flow strength can be controlled by adjusting the relative positions of the cylinders, and an optimal configuration is identified. These results provide a model system for tunable phoretic pumps.

Description
Keywords
biological fluid dynamics, low-Reynolds-number flows, micro-/nano-fluid dynamics
Journal Title
Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0022-1120
1469-7645
Volume Title
799
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Sponsorship
This work was funded in part by a David Crighton Fellowship at the University of Cambridge (ML), a Mobility Plus Fellowship from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (ML), the EU through a Marie-Curie CIG grant (EL) and the French Ministry of Defense DGA (SM).