Liquid morphologies on structured surfaces: from microchannels to microchips
Liquid microchannels on structured surfaces are built up using a wettability pattern consisting of hydrophilic stripes on a hydrophobic substrate. These channels undergo a shape instability at a certain amount of adsorbed volume, from a homogeneous state with a spatially constant cross section to a state with a single bulge. This instability is quite different from the classical Rayleigh Plateau instability and represents a bifurcation between two different morphologies of constant mean curvature. The bulge state can be used to construct channel networks that could be used as fluid microchips or microreactors.
Gau
H
H. Gau and S. Herminghaus, Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) of Colloids and Interfaces, Rudower Chaussee 5, D-12489, Berlin-Adlershof, Germany. P. Lenz and R. Lipowsky, MPI of Colloids and Interfaces, Kantstrasse 55, D-14513 Teltow-Seehof, Germany.
Herminghaus
S
Lenz
P
Lipowsky
R