| dc.description.abstract | In this thesis, wetting properties of liquid droplets on micro and nano filaments were
explored. First, droplet-on-filament systems were considered, made of liquid droplets and
wetting between parallel filaments of identical geometries and surface wetting properties.
Criteria for morphology transition between barrel-shaped droplet and droplet-bridge
morphology was determined in terms of critical droplet volume at varying filament
spacing, droplet volume, and contact angle. A family of wetting characteristic curves was
obtained as a universal law of morphology transition in such systems. Additionally, wetting
lengths of the above droplet-on-filament systems were demonstrated at varying geometries
and surface properties. Secondly, a surface finite element method was employed to
simulate the capillary torque generated in a droplet bridge formed between two misaligned
filaments at varying filament spacing, contact angle, droplet volume, and filament
orientation angle. Consequently, a novel, hydroelastic model was developed to examine the
capillary effect in the mechanical response of ultrathin, soft filaments wetted with droplets
and subjected to axial stretching. The filament was modeled as a hyperelastic, MooneyRivlin
solid, and an explicit stress-stretch relationship was determined. The results obtained
in this research broaden the theoretical understanding of droplet wetting and spreading on
filaments and are applicable for design and analysis of filament-based microfluidic devices,
biological cell manipulators, drug delivers, fiber wetting property differentiators, etc. | en_US |
