The flow behavior of droplet adsorption on a liquid–liquid interface accompanied by cross-linking reaction and phase separation in a microchannel

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2023.10.010

摘要/Abstract

摘要： The adsorption process of droplets on the liquid-liquid interface and phase separation process can regulate the spatial distribution of the fluid system, which are crucial for chemical engineering. However, the cross-linking reaction, which is widely used in the field of polymers, can change the physical properties of the fluids and affect the flow behavior accordingly. A configuration of microchannels is designed to conveniently generate uniform droplets in one phase of the parallel flow. The flow behavior of the adsorption process of sodium alginate droplets on the liquid–liquid interface is investigated, and the subsequent process of phase separation is studied. In the process of droplet adsorption, the cross-linking reaction occurs synchronously, which makes the droplet viscosity and the elasticity modules of the droplet surface increase, thus affecting the dynamics of the adsorption process and the equilibrium shape of the droplet. The variation of the adsorption length with time is divided into three stages, which all conform to power law relationship. The exponents of the second and third stages deviate from the results of the Tanner's law. The flow pattern maps of droplet adsorption and phase separation are drawn, and the operating ranges of complete adsorption and complete separation are provided. This study provides a theoretical basis for further studying the flow behavior of droplets with cross-linking reaction in a microchannel.

关键词: Microfluidics, Droplet, Dynamics, Crosslink, Adsorption, Separation

Abstract: The adsorption process of droplets on the liquid-liquid interface and phase separation process can regulate the spatial distribution of the fluid system, which are crucial for chemical engineering. However, the cross-linking reaction, which is widely used in the field of polymers, can change the physical properties of the fluids and affect the flow behavior accordingly. A configuration of microchannels is designed to conveniently generate uniform droplets in one phase of the parallel flow. The flow behavior of the adsorption process of sodium alginate droplets on the liquid–liquid interface is investigated, and the subsequent process of phase separation is studied. In the process of droplet adsorption, the cross-linking reaction occurs synchronously, which makes the droplet viscosity and the elasticity modules of the droplet surface increase, thus affecting the dynamics of the adsorption process and the equilibrium shape of the droplet. The variation of the adsorption length with time is divided into three stages, which all conform to power law relationship. The exponents of the second and third stages deviate from the results of the Tanner's law. The flow pattern maps of droplet adsorption and phase separation are drawn, and the operating ranges of complete adsorption and complete separation are provided. This study provides a theoretical basis for further studying the flow behavior of droplets with cross-linking reaction in a microchannel.

Key words: Microfluidics, Droplet, Dynamics, Crosslink, Adsorption, Separation

Haozhe Yi, Taotao Fu, Chunying Zhu, Youguang Ma. The flow behavior of droplet adsorption on a liquid–liquid interface accompanied by cross-linking reaction and phase separation in a microchannel[J]. 中国化学工程学报, 2024, 66(2): 60-70.

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