Stokes Flow in a Microchannel with Superhydrophobic Walls

Abstract

A slow viscous flow in a plane microchannel with both walls being textured superhydrophobic surfaces is modeled numerically. A striped texture of the superhydrophobic surfaces is formed by infinite rectangular microcavities partially or completely filled with a gas. The microcavities are located periodically and oriented perpendicularly to the flow direction. The cases of symmetric and asymmetric arrangement of the microcavities on the opposite walls are considered. For the solution of the Stokes equations in the domain corresponding to one flow period, the method of boundary integral equations is used. The flow patterns are constructed. A parametric numerical study of the effect of gas bubbles trapped by the superhydrophobic walls on the intensity of effective slip of the fluid and the drag (pressure difference) reduction in the microchannel is performed.