Effects of Nanoparticle Wettability on the Meniscus Stability of Oil–Water Systems: A Coarse-Grained Modeling Approach

Abstract

A coarse-grained modeling approach is employed to probe the effect of nanoparticles and their wettability on the stability of the interface between two immiscible fluids. In this study, pure oil (dodecane) and water are placed side by side in a nanochannel, forming a meniscus. Homogeneous hydrophilic nanoparticles, Janus particles, and homogeneous hydrophobic nanoparticles are placed at the oil−water interface, and their dynamics are studied as they rearrange at the oil−water interface. The results show that when the water is set in motion, two instabilities occur: the formation of fingers and the detachment of water from the channel wall. It is observed that the formation of fingers is affected by the wettability of the nanoparticles. The second instability may lead to the formation of a drop that propagates through the channel. However, it is found that the wetting properties of the nanoparticles do not affect the critical flow rate for the detachment of the water from the wall. Therefore, detachment occurs at the same three-phase contact angle regardless of the nanoparticle wetting properties. These findings can be important for industrial applications such as enhanced oil recovery, separation technologies, and microfluidic and nanofluidic technologies.