Effects of drop viscosity on oscillation dynamics induced by AC electrowetting

Abstract

The effects of drop viscosity on oscillation dynamics of a sessile drop, such as resonance frequency and oscillation amplitude, in response to different AC voltages (80 and 100 V-rms, corresponding to the electrowetting number eta of 0.25 and 0.39, respectively) and frequencies (frequency range of 20-110 Hz in which the first and second resonance frequencies exist) were investigated, based on both experiments and theoretical modeling. The results show that drop viscosity rarely affects resonance frequency, but strongly affects the oscillation amplitude and peak width of the resonance frequency. In addition, drop oscillation in the resonance mode is no longer observed, when the drop viscosity is over the critical value, which increases with applied AC voltage. A theoretical model predicts the oscillation dynamics of sessile drops within the error level of +/- 5%, except for the drop with high viscosity (60 mPa s). Moreover, the friction coefficient obtained by fitting the theoretical models is nearly proportional to the drop viscosity. Finally, an empirical relationship, in which the maximum amplitude is inversely proportional to the drop viscosity, is obtained. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.