https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2016-60090-2
Regular Article
Electro-hydrodynamic propulsion of counter-rotating Pickering drops*
Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
a e-mail: paul.dommersnes@ntnu.no
Received: 21 March 2016
Revised: 25 May 2016
Published online: 15 July 2016
Insulating particles or drops suspended in carrier liquids may start to rotate with a constant frequency when subjected to a uniform DC electric field. This is known as the Quincke rotation electro-hydrodynamic instability. A single isolated rotating particle exhibit no translational motion at low Reynolds number, however interacting rotating particles may move relative to one another. Here we present a simple system consisting of two interacting and deformable Quincke rotating particle covered drops, i.e. deformable Pickering drops. The drops attract one another and spontaneously form a counter-rotating pair that exhibits electro-hydrodynamic driven propulsion at low Reynolds number flow.
Supplementary material in the form of three movies files available from the journal web page at http://dx.doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2016-60090-2
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2016