Design of Inkjet Printing Head, Based on Electrowetting Effect, for Printable Electronics Applications

Esinenco, D.; Codreanu, I.; Rebigan, R.

doi:10.1109/smicnd.2006.284041

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The term electrowetting, in its broadest sense, refers to techniques by which one can control the apparent wettability (characterized by the contact angle) of liquids, by applying an external electric potential. − While it has numerous applications, − electrowetting is known to be limited by the so-called contact angle saturation (CAS) ,,− as depicted in Figure . As the term indicates, an electric potential can incur a change in the contact angle, but only to a certain extent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Model of Electrowetting, Reversed Electrowetting, and Contact Angle Saturation

2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While electrowetting has many applications, it is limited at large voltages by contact angle saturation, a phenomenon that is still not well understood. We propose a generalized approach for electrowetting that, among other results, can shed new light on contact angle saturation. The model assumes the existence of a minimum (with respect to the contact angle) in the electric energy and accounts for a quadratic voltage dependence ∼U(2) in the low-voltage limit, compatible with the Young-Lippmann formula, and an ∼U(-2) saturation at the high-voltage limit. Another prediction is the surprising possibility of a reversed electrowetting regime, in which the contact angle increases with applied voltage. By explicitly taking into account the effect of the counter-electrode, our model is shown to be applicable to several AC and DC experimental electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) setups. Several features seen in experiments compare favorably with our results. Furthermore, the AC frequency dependence of EWOD agrees quantitatively with our predictions. Our numerical results are complemented with simple analytical expressions for the saturation angle in two practical limits.

show abstract