A coupled electro-hydrodynamic numerical modeling of droplet actuation by electrowetting

A numerical study is performed to investigate droplet actuation under electrowetting forces. A volume of fluid, VOF, technique is applied to track the 3D interface. The Laplace equation with proper boundary conditions is solved to predict the time- and space-dependent electric field in the domain. The droplet actuation with respect to the powered electrode, the contact angle distribution at the three-phase line, and the droplet morphology are studied. Additionally, other issues such as droplet velocity, contact angle hysteresis, and droplet location with respect to the powered electrode (switching frequency) are investigated to characterize the droplet behavior between two parallel substrates. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.