Evolution of transient meniscus in a wettable microchannel for Newtonian fluid

Abstract

A simple numerical approach based on the volume of fluid (VOF) method reveals that a 'W'-shaped, transient meniscus is ubiquitous during the formation of a uniformly curved meniscus within a microchannel, which has been believed to be dominant for the transients. The time that is needed to maintain the transient meniscus is correlated with viscosity, surface tension and geometry of the cavity. A generalized correlation is presented to predict the persistent time of the transient meniscus in a wettable microchannel (contact angle, theta < 90 degrees) for Newtonian fluid.