Interface instability induced by an electric field in fluids

Akira Onuki

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 1995, vol. 217, issue 1, 38-52

Abstract: An interface between two immiscible, nonionic fluids becomes unstable if an electric field is applied and if the angle between the field and the interface normal is smaller than a critical angle. We do not assume the presence of ions on the interface in contrast to previous work. The characteristic wave number k∗ of the undulations is proportional to the square of the field and inversely proportional to the surface tension. We also show that a thin layer on a capacitor plate loses its stability more easily than an interface far from the plates. New effects can be expected in near-critical fluids, in which the surface tension is small and k∗ can be much larger than the inverse of the capillary length. Moreover, k∗ ultimately exceeds the inverse of the correlation length very close to the critical point, where the critical behavior and the domain structure are drastically altered by electric field.

Date: 1995
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:217:y:1995:i:1:p:38-52

DOI: 10.1016/0378-4371(94)00024-N

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