Ain A. Sonin

Bio: Ain A. Sonin is an academic researcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Turbulence & Subcooling. The author has an hindex of 18, co-authored 41 publications receiving 1574 citations.

Molten droplet deposition and solidification at low Weber numbers

Abstract: Low Weber number deposition of small molten droplets on cold targets is of importance in certain dropwise buildup processes, but at this time, critical elements are absent from our theoretical understanding of the deposition process, and prediction from basic principles is not possible. This paper lays down a framework for understanding low Weber number deposition in terms of similarity laws and experimentation. Based on experiments from the highly viscous limit to the inertia-dominated limit, correlations are given for the spreading velocity, spreading time scales, post-spreading oscillation amplitudes, and oscillation damping time scales. Molten droplets are arrested, and their final solid shape determined, by contact line freezing. In homologous deposition, where the drop and the target are of the same material, the spreading factor is determined principally by the Stefan number, the dimensionless parameter which measures the temperature difference between the fusion point and the target temperature. Some concluding remarks are offered on what needs to be done to accurately compute such deposition processes.

Precise deposition of molten microdrops: the physics of digital microfabrication

Abstract: Objects, materials or components may be built up by precise deposition of molten microdrops under controlled thermal conditions. This provides a means of ‘digital microfabrication’, or fabrication of 3D objects microdrop by microdrop under complete computer control much in the same way as 2D hard copy is obtained by ink-jet printing. In this paper we present a study of some basic modes of precise deposition and solidification of molten microdrops. The conditions required for controlled deposition are discussed, and experimental results and theoretical analyses are given for various basic deposition modes. These include columnar (i. e. drop-on-drop) deposition at both low and high frequencies, sweep deposition of continuous beads on flat surfaces, and repeated sweep deposition for buildup of larger objects or materials. The theory provides a means for generalizing our particular experimental results, which were obtained with hard waxes, to other melts. An important parameter in the theory is the solidification angle, that is, the apparent contact angle of the solidified melt. Our study indicates that in microscale deposition this angle appears under some conditions to be a property of the melt material, the target material and the characteristic temperatures involved, independent of the spreading dynamics.

Formation and stability of liquid and molten beads on a solid surface

Abstract: We present an experimental study of the formation and stability of small-scale beads deposited onto a solid surface by sweeping a droplet stream over it. We are concerned particularly with beads formed from molten droplets deposited on a cold substrate, as in the work of Gao & Sonin (1994), but some results of isothermal deposition are also shown. We show that a molten bead forms with parallel contact lines which have been arrested by freezing while the bead itself is still largely in a liquid state, and that the still-molten material is stable when the contact angle is less than ½π and unstable when it exceeds ½π, consistent with Davis's (1980) theory. In addition, we present a relatively simple inviscid theory for small-scale (small Bond number) beads which allows us to compute the wavelength associated with the maximum growth rate of the instability, and show that it agrees with the dominant wavelength in the experiments.

A generalization of the Π-theorem and dimensional analysis

Abstract: This article introduces a generalization of dimensional analysis and its corollary, the Π-theorem, to the class of problems in which some of the quantities that define the problem have fixed values in all the cases that are of interest. The procedure can reduce the number of dimensionless similarity variables beyond the prediction of Buckingham's theorem. The generalized Π-theorem tells when and how large a reduction is attainable.

Drop Impact Dynamics: Splashing, Spreading, Receding, Bouncing ...

Abstract: The review deals with drop impacts on thin liquid layers and dry surfaces. The impacts resulting in crown formation are referred to as splashing. Crowns and their propagation are discussed in detail, as well as some additional kindred, albeit nonsplashing, phenomena like drop spreading and deposition, receding (recoil), jetting, fingering, and rebound. The review begins with an explanation of various practical motivations feeding the interest in the fascinating phenomena of drop impact, and the above-mentioned topics are then considered in their experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects.

Inkjet Printing of Functional and Structural Materials: Fluid Property Requirements, Feature Stability, and Resolution

Abstract: Inkjet printing is viewed as a versatile manufacturing tool for applications in materials fabrication in addition to its traditional role in graphics output and marking. The unifying feature in all these applications is the dispensing and precise positioning of very small volumes of fluid (1–100 picoliters) on a substrate before transformation to a solid. The application of inkjet printing to the fabrication of structures for structural or functional materials applications requires an understanding as to how the physical processes that operate during inkjet printing interact with the properties of the fluid precursors used. Here we review the current state of understanding of the mechanisms of drop formation and how this defines the fluid properties that are required for a given liquid to be printable. The interactions between individual drops and the substrate as well as between adjacent drops are important in defining the resolution and accuracy of printed objects. Pattern resolution is limited by the extent to which a liquid drop spreads on a substrate and how spreading changes with the overlap of adjacent drops to form continuous features. There are clearly defined upper and lower bounds to the width of a printed continuous line, which can be defined in terms of materials and process variables. Finer-resolution features can be achieved through appropriate patterning and structuring of the substrate prior to printing, which is essential if polymeric semiconducting devices are to be fabricated. Low advancing and receding contact angles promote printed line stability but are also more prone to solute segregation or “coffee staining” on drying.

Creating, transporting, cutting, and merging liquid droplets by electrowetting-based actuation for digital microfluidic circuits

Abstract: Reports the completion of four fundamental fluidic operations considered essential to build digital microfluidic circuits, which can be used for lab-on-a-chip or micro total analysis system (/spl mu/TAS): 1) creating, 2) transporting, 3) cutting, and 4) merging liquid droplets, all by electrowetting, i.e., controlling the wetting property of the surface through electric potential. The surface used in this report is, more specifically, an electrode covered with dielectrics, hence, called electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD). All the fluidic movement is confined between two plates, which we call parallel-plate channel, rather than through closed channels or on open surfaces. While transporting and merging droplets are easily verified, we discover that there exists a design criterion for a given set of materials beyond which the droplet simply cannot be cut by EWOD mechanism. The condition for successful cutting is theoretically analyzed by examining the channel gap, the droplet size and the degree of contact angle change by electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD). A series of experiments is run and verifies the criterion.

Time evolution of liquid drop impact onto solid, dry surfaces

Abstract: The normal impact of liquid drops onto solid, dry surfaces has been studied experimentally, using high-resolution digital photography. A large number of parameters were varied in a systematic manner. The focus of this paper is the quantitative determination of the influence of these parameters on the drop spreading upon impact and on the phenomenological description of the outcomes. Dimensional similarity of the spreading can only be achieved for the very early stage of the impact process. At later stages, the number of influencing factors increases, generally precluding any universal correlation. Particular emphasis is placed on the influence of the wettability and the surface roughness on spreading.