Enhancement of capillary-driven viscous fluids flow under electric field effect*

Transportation of fluids through capillaries by micropumps has been stimulated by considerable interest in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technologies, microfluidic devices, and biomedical engineering. Enhancing the sluggish underfill flow of high viscous fluids is crucial for device commercialization, therefore improving the slow speed of such viscous fluids is one of the primary concerns. Along with laboratory investigations, deeper elucidation of the viscous fluid dynamics between parallel plates involves the continuous requirement for more elegant numerical simulations and mathematical models. In this study, it was investigated how diverse viscous fluids flow between parallel plates, driven by the combined effects of capillary and electric potential can be used to achieve speedy filling. An electric potential actuation induced a 40% faster filling of viscous fluids between parallel plates when compared to a basic capillary flow. The theoretical model was also used to study the dynamics of viscous fluids flow and the results were found to be consistent with the experimental values. By applying an electric potential, the filling time was significantly shortened by 30% for 3% NaCl in glycerol. This study can be widely used to enhance the viscous fluids flow speed for underfill and MEMS applications.