42 research outputs found
Liquid Transport Due to Light Scattering
Using experiments and theory, we show that light scattering by
inhomogeneities in the index of refraction of a fluid can drive a large-scale
flow. The experiment uses a near-critical, phase-separated liquid, which
experiences large fluctuations in its index of refraction. A laser beam
traversing the liquid produces a large-scale deformation of the interface and
can cause a liquid jet to form. We demonstrate that the deformation is produced
by a scattering-induced flow by obtaining good agreements between the measured
deformations and those calculated assuming this mechanism.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters v2: Edited
based on comments from referee
An optical fiber based interferometer to measure velocity profiles in sheared complex fluids
We describe an optical fiber based interferometer to measure velocity
profiles in sheared complex fluids using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). After
a review of the theoretical problem of DLS under shear, a detailed description
of the setup is given. We outline the various experimental difficulties induced
by refraction when using a Couette cell. We also show that homodyne DLS is not
well suited to measure quantitative velocity profiles in narrow-gap Couette
geometries. On the other hand, the heterodyne technique allows us to determine
the velocity field inside the gap of a Couette cell. All the technical features
of the setup, namely its spatial resolution (--m) and its
temporal resolution ( s per point, min per profile) are
discussed, as well as the calibration procedure with a Newtonian fluid. As
briefly shown on oil-in-water emulsions, such a setup permits one to record
both velocity profiles and rheological data simultaneouslyComment: 13 pages, 16 figures, Submitted to Eur. Phys. J. A
Stretching and squeezing of sessile dielectric drops by the optical radiation pressure
We study numerically the deformation of sessile dielectric drops immersed in
a second fluid when submitted to the optical radiation pressure of a continuous
Gaussian laser wave. Both drop stretching and drop squeezing are investigated
at steady state where capillary effects balance the optical radiation pressure.
A boundary integral method is implemented to solve the axisymmetric Stokes flow
in the two fluids. In the stretching case, we find that the drop shape goes
from prolate to near-conical for increasing optical radiation pressure whatever
the drop to beam radius ratio and the refractive index contrast between the two
fluids. The semi-angle of the cone at equilibrium decreases with the drop to
beam radius ratio and is weakly influenced by the index contrast. Above a
threshold value of the radiation pressure, these "optical cones" become
unstable and a disruption is observed. Conversely, when optically squeezed, the
drop shifts from an oblate to a concave shape leading to the formation of a
stable "optical torus". These findings extend the electrohydrodynamics approach
of drop deformation to the much less investigated "optical domain" and reveal
the openings offered by laser waves to actively manipulate droplets at the
micrometer scale
High-frequency ultrasonic speckle velocimetry in sheared complex fluids
High-frequency ultrasonic pulses at 36 MHz are used to measure velocity
profiles in a complex fluid sheared in the Couette geometry. Our technique is
based on time-domain cross-correlation of ultrasonic speckle signals
backscattered by the moving medium. Post-processing of acoustic data allows us
to record a velocity profile in 0.02--2 s with a spatial resolution of 40
m over 1 mm. After a careful calibration using a Newtonian suspension, the
technique is applied to a sheared lyotropic lamellar phase seeded with
polystyrene spheres of diameter 3--10 m. Time-averaged velocity profiles
reveal the existence of inhomogeneous flows, with both wall slip and shear
bands, in the vicinity of a shear-induced ``layering'' transition. Slow
transient regimes and/or temporal fluctuations can also be resolved and exhibit
complex spatio-temporal flow behaviors with sometimes more than two shear
bands.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J. A
Shear induced instabilities in layered liquids
Motivated by the experimentally observed shear-induced destabilization and
reorientation of smectic A like systems, we consider an extended formulation of
smectic A hydrodynamics. We include both, the smectic layering (via the layer
displacement u and the layer normal p) and the director n of the underlying
nematic order in our macroscopic hydrodynamic description and allow both
directions to differ in non equilibrium situations. In an homeotropically
aligned sample the nematic director does couple to an applied simple shear,
whereas the smectic layering stays unchanged. This difference leads to a finite
(but usually small) angle between n and p, which we find to be equivalent to an
effective dilatation of the layers. This effective dilatation leads, above a
certain threshold, to an undulation instability of the layers. We generalize
our earlier approach [Rheol. Acta, vol.39(3), 15] and include the cross
couplings with the velocity field and the order parameters for orientational
and positional order and show how the order parameters interact with the
undulation instability. We explore the influence of various material parameters
on the instability. Comparing our results to recent experiments and molecular
dynamic simulations, we find a good qualitative agreement.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in PR
Shear-banding in a lyotropic lamellar phase, Part 1: Time-averaged velocity profiles
Using velocity profile measurements based on dynamic light scattering and
coupled to structural and rheological measurements in a Couette cell, we
present evidences for a shear-banding scenario in the shear flow of the onion
texture of a lyotropic lamellar phase. Time-averaged measurements clearly show
the presence of structural shear-banding in the vicinity of a shear-induced
transition, associated to the nucleation and growth of a highly sheared band in
the flow. Our experiments also reveal the presence of slip at the walls of the
Couette cell. Using a simple mechanical approach, we demonstrate that our data
confirms the classical assumption of the shear-banding picture, in which the
interface between bands lies at a given stress . We also outline
the presence of large temporal fluctuations of the flow field, which are the
subject of the second part of this paper [Salmon {\it et al.}, submitted to
Phys. Rev. E]
Shear-banding in a lyotropic lamellar phase, Part 2: Temporal fluctuations
We analyze the temporal fluctuations of the flow field associated to a
shear-induced transition in a lyotropic lamellar phase: the layering transition
of the onion texture. In the first part of this work [Salmon et al., submitted
to Phys. Rev. E], we have evidenced banded flows at the onset of this
shear-induced transition which are well accounted for by the classical picture
of shear-banding. In the present paper, we focus on the temporal fluctuations
of the flow field recorded in the coexistence domain. These striking dynamics
are very slow (100--1000s) and cannot be due to external mechanical noise.
Using velocimetry coupled to structural measurements, we show that these
fluctuations are due to a motion of the interface separating the two
differently sheared bands. Such a motion seems to be governed by the
fluctuations of , the local stress at the interface between the
two bands. Our results thus provide more evidence for the relevance of the
classical mechanical approach of shear-banding even if the mechanism leading to
the fluctuations of remains unclear
Laser microfluidics: fluid actuation by light
The development of microfluidic devices is still hindered by the lack of
robust fundamental building blocks that constitute any fluidic system. An
attractive approach is optical actuation because light field interaction is
contactless and dynamically reconfigurable, and solutions have been anticipated
through the use of optical forces to manipulate microparticles in flows.
Following the concept of an 'optical chip' advanced from the optical actuation
of suspensions, we propose in this survey new routes to extend this concept to
microfluidic two-phase flows. First, we investigate the destabilization of
fluid interfaces by the optical radiation pressure and the formation of liquid
jets. We analyze the droplet shedding from the jet tip and the continuous
transport in laser-sustained liquid channels. In the second part, we
investigate a dissipative light-flow interaction mechanism consisting in
heating locally two immiscible fluids to produce thermocapillary stresses along
their interface. This opto-capillary coupling is implemented in adequate
microchannel geometries to manipulate two-phase flows and propose a contactless
optical toolbox including valves, droplet sorters and switches, droplet
dividers or droplet mergers. Finally, we discuss radiation pressure and
opto-capillary effects in the context of the 'optical chip' where flows,
channels and operating functions would all be performed optically on the same
device
Recent experimental probes of shear banding
Recent experimental techniques used to investigate shear banding are
reviewed. After recalling the rheological signature of shear-banded flows, we
summarize the various tools for measuring locally the microstructure and the
velocity field under shear. Local velocity measurements using dynamic light
scattering and ultrasound are emphasized. A few results are extracted from
current works to illustrate open questions and directions for future research.Comment: Review paper, 23 pages, 11 figures, 204 reference