Universal transient dynamics of electrowetting droplets

Abstract

Droplet spreading on substrates by electrowetting exhibits either of the two transient behaviours: one characterised by contact line oscillation, and the other one by slow spreading dynamics. The transition between these behaviours remains elusive due to the current limited understanding of the spreading dynamics on the hydrodynamical and electrical properties of electrowetting systems. To understand this transition we propose a model capturing the transition’s occurrence based on both the hydrodynamical and electrical parameters. We derive the critical viscosity at which the transition occurs and reveal its subtle and often hidden dependence on the electrowetting dynamics. We find and experimentally verify that the condition for minimization of droplets’ actuation time is only achieved at the transition. Particularly, the transition time as a function of damping ratio exhibits the general feature of Kramers’ reaction-rate theory.