A numerical study on electrowetting-induced jumping and transport of droplet

The evolution dynamics of wettability-induced jumping droplet is studied numerically by means of a high-density ratio based lattice Boltzmann method. The three phase moving contact line is modelled by a geometry based wetting formulation. We analyse the influence of pulse characteristics with respect to its nature, pulse width and double pulse actuation on the jumping dynamics. It is shown that these factors strongly affect the droplet lift-off mechanism. The influence of surrounding gas density and viscosity on the droplet behaviour is investigated systematically. It is found that the role of the ambient fluid becomes prominent during the recoiling and the lift-off phase of the jumping droplet. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of wettability-induced droplet jumping in microfluidic devices where efficient transport of droplet is essential. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.