Migration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross-section
Abstract We investigate the behavior of droplets flowing through flexible rectangular channels and uncover a fascinating phenomenon: pancake-shaped confined droplets migrate transversely toward the channel center. Our findings reveal that this migration is driven by a gradient in interfacial energy,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11648-w |
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| author | Alexandre Guelluy Nassib Abdallah Guenaelle Hauret Pascal Panizza Enric Santanach-Carreras |
| author_facet | Alexandre Guelluy Nassib Abdallah Guenaelle Hauret Pascal Panizza Enric Santanach-Carreras |
| author_sort | Alexandre Guelluy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We investigate the behavior of droplets flowing through flexible rectangular channels and uncover a fascinating phenomenon: pancake-shaped confined droplets migrate transversely toward the channel center. Our findings reveal that this migration is driven by a gradient in interfacial energy, created by the deformation of the channel under the flow of the carrier phase. To explain this behavior, we introduce a simple hydrodynamic model that accurately predicts the trajectories of individual droplets and their dependence on key experimental parameters, such as droplet volume and total flow rate. In concentrated emulsions, this effect results in a striking segregation phenomenon, where all droplets converge and concentrate in the central region of the channel. These insights pave the way for deeper understanding and control of droplet dynamics in confined environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c12d27291dae4750a6980e97dbc4073d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-c12d27291dae4750a6980e97dbc4073d2025-08-20T03:04:30ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-11648-wMigration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross-sectionAlexandre Guelluy0Nassib Abdallah1Guenaelle Hauret2Pascal Panizza3Enric Santanach-Carreras4Laboratoire Physico-Chimie des Interfaces Complexes, TotalEnergiesLaboratoire Physico-Chimie des Interfaces Complexes, TotalEnergiesLaboratoire Physico-Chimie des Interfaces Complexes, TotalEnergiesLaboratoire Science et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle (UMR CNRS 7615), ESPCI Paris, PSL Université, Sorbonne UniversitéLaboratoire Physico-Chimie des Interfaces Complexes, TotalEnergiesAbstract We investigate the behavior of droplets flowing through flexible rectangular channels and uncover a fascinating phenomenon: pancake-shaped confined droplets migrate transversely toward the channel center. Our findings reveal that this migration is driven by a gradient in interfacial energy, created by the deformation of the channel under the flow of the carrier phase. To explain this behavior, we introduce a simple hydrodynamic model that accurately predicts the trajectories of individual droplets and their dependence on key experimental parameters, such as droplet volume and total flow rate. In concentrated emulsions, this effect results in a striking segregation phenomenon, where all droplets converge and concentrate in the central region of the channel. These insights pave the way for deeper understanding and control of droplet dynamics in confined environments.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11648-wMicrofluidicsDropletMigration |
| spellingShingle | Alexandre Guelluy Nassib Abdallah Guenaelle Hauret Pascal Panizza Enric Santanach-Carreras Migration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross-section Scientific Reports Microfluidics Droplet Migration |
| title | Migration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross-section |
| title_full | Migration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross-section |
| title_fullStr | Migration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross-section |
| title_full_unstemmed | Migration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross-section |
| title_short | Migration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross-section |
| title_sort | migration and segregation of confined droplets flowing in flexible channels with a rectangular cross section |
| topic | Microfluidics Droplet Migration |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11648-w |
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