Particulate suspension coating of capillary tubes

The displacement of a suspension of particles by an immiscible fluid in a capillary tube or in porous media is a canonical configuration that finds application in a large number of natural and industrial applications, including water purification, dispersion of colloids and microplastics, coating and functionalization of tubings. The influence of particles dispersed in the fluid on the interfacial dynamics and on the properties of the liquid film left behind remain poorly understood. Here, we study the deposition of a coating film on the walls of a capillary tube induced by the translation of a suspension plug pushed by air. We identify the different deposition regimes as a function of the translation speed of the plug, the particle size, and the volume fraction of the suspension. The thickness of the coating film is characterized, and we show that similarly to dip coating, three coating regimes are observed, liquid only, heterogeneous, and thick films. We also show that, at first order, the thickness of films thicker than the particle diameter can be predicted using the effective viscosity of the suspension. Nevertheless, we also report that for large particles and concentrated suspensions, a shear-induced migration mechanism leads to local variations in volume fraction and modifies the deposited film thickness and composition.

Automated summary

This study investigates the coating process of a suspension of particles on the walls of a capillary tube. The results show that the coating mechanism is influenced by the particle size, volume fraction of the suspension, and translation speed of the plug. Additionally, the study reveals that a shear-induced migration mechanism can modify the thickness and composition of the deposited film.