Evidence of slippage breakdown for a superhydrophobic microchannel

© 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.A full characterization of the water flow past a silicon superhydrophobic surface with longitudinal micro-grooves enclosed in a microfluidic device is presented. Fluorescence microscopy images of the flow seeded with fluorescent passive tracers were digitally processed to measure both the velocity field and the position and shape of the liquid-air interfaces at the superhydrophobic surface. The simultaneous access to the meniscus and velocity profiles allows us to put under a strict test the no-shear boundary condition at the liquid-air interface. Surprisingly, our measurements show that air pockets in the surface cavities can sustain non-zero interfacial shear stresses, thereby hampering the friction reduction capabilities of the surface. The effects of the meniscus position and shape as well as of the liquid-air interfacial friction on the surface performances are separately assessed and quantified

Solute-driven colloidal particle manipulation in continuous flows past grooved microchannels [abstract]

Solute-driven colloidal particle manipulation in continuous flows past grooved microchannels [abstract

Nanoscale Dynamics versus Surface Interactions: What Dictates Osmotic Transport?

The classical paradigm for osmotic transport has long related the induced-flow direction to the solute membrane interactions, with the low-to-high concentration flow a direct consequence of the solute rejection from the semipermeable membrane. In principle, the same was thought to occur for the newly demonstrated membrane-free osmotic transport named diffusio-osmosis. Using a recently proposed nanofluidic setup, we revisit this cornerstone of osmotic transport by studying the diffusio-osmotic flows generated at silica surfaces by either poly­(ethylene)­glycol polymers or ethanol molecules in aqueous solutions. Strikingly, both neutral solutes yield osmotic flows in the usual low to high concentration direction, in contradiction with their propensity to adsorb on silica. Considering theoretically and numerically the intricate nature of the osmotic response that combines molecular-scale surface interaction and near-wall dynamics, these findings are rationalized within a generalized framework. These elements constitute a step forward toward a finer understanding of osmotically driven flows, at the core of rapidly growing fields ranging from energy harvesting to active matter