Liquid Morphologies in Open Microfluidic Intersections

Liquid Morphologies in Open Microfluidic Intersections | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Liquid Morphologies in Open Microfluidic Intersections Tina Mitteramskogler, Sebastian Lang, Bernhard Jakoby This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344692/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract When a liquid fills an open capillary, the shape of the liquid “front” can be treated as quasi-steady, since its shape remains virtually unchanged when the liquid advances through the channel. Previous investigations have shown that the associated morphology for steady-state flow represents a shape that is bulged inwards at the liquid front (caused by the capillary pressure) and becomes flat when the flow has stopped for a system connected to an infinite reservoir. Even though complex liquid networks inherently require intersections, the morphologies or minimal energy shapes formed at intersections have not yet been investigated in detail. In this work, we are investigating liquid morphologies inside crossing V-shaped and Gaussian microchannels and derive guidelines on how to hinder dewetting when evaporation is present. To this end, we perform gradient descent simulations with the “Surface Evolver”. Similar to the case of single microchannels, we find that the minimal energy shapes of a system being connected to an infinite reservoir are represented by a flat liquid surface for a wetting liquid, and that no steady-state can be found for wetting liquids. Additionally, we find that the energy contribution stemming from the intersection is negatively proportional to the energy contribution scaling with the filling length of single microchannels. This allows us to predict whether dewetting will happen when evaporation is present and allows us to design liquid intersections, where dewetting will not happen. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8344692","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":587841444,"identity":"fe21aef6-a613-4b77-8661-74fad559e25e","order_by":0,"name":"Tina Mitteramskogler","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Johannes Kepler University Linz","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tina","middleName":"","lastName":"Mitteramskogler","suffix":""},{"id":587841445,"identity":"a9a77703-48fb-4963-aa6b-456a8e56e25f","order_by":1,"name":"Sebastian Lang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Johannes Kepler University Linz","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sebastian","middleName":"","lastName":"Lang","suffix":""},{"id":587841446,"identity":"4207e4c0-543a-4eed-b63f-0389d9b15d83","order_by":2,"name":"Bernhard Jakoby","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Johannes Kepler University Linz","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bernhard","middleName":"","lastName":"Jakoby","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-12 10:23:47","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344692/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344692/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102747212,"identity":"55765267-47be-4c44-83b1-8520d28c6a19","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-16 09:04:11","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1254458,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"CrossingPaperv8.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344692/v1_covered_dbce808c-42f4-4aba-a4a8-3d45d26e689d.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Liquid Morphologies in Open Microfluidic Intersections","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344692/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344692/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWhen a liquid fills an open capillary, the shape of the liquid \u0026ldquo;front\u0026rdquo; can be treated as quasi-steady, since its shape remains virtually unchanged when the liquid advances through the channel. Previous investigations have shown that the associated morphology for steady-state flow represents a shape that is bulged inwards at the liquid front (caused by the capillary pressure) and becomes flat when the flow has stopped for a system connected to an infinite reservoir.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven though complex liquid networks inherently require intersections, the morphologies or minimal energy shapes formed at intersections have not yet been investigated in detail. In this work, we are investigating liquid morphologies inside crossing V-shaped and Gaussian microchannels and derive guidelines on how to hinder dewetting when evaporation is present. To this end, we perform gradient descent simulations with the \u0026ldquo;Surface Evolver\u0026rdquo;. Similar to the case of single microchannels, we find that the minimal energy shapes of a system being connected to an infinite reservoir are represented by a flat liquid surface for a wetting liquid, and that no steady-state can be found for wetting liquids. Additionally, we find that the energy contribution stemming from the intersection is negatively proportional to the energy contribution scaling with the filling length of single microchannels. This allows us to predict whether dewetting will happen when evaporation is present and allows us to design liquid intersections, where dewetting will not happen.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Liquid Morphologies in Open Microfluidic Intersections","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-12 23:06:03","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344692/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f174474a-b417-4376-848e-c3feb9fb396f","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 12th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-10T10:08:10+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-12 23:06:03","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8344692","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8344692","identity":"rs-8344692","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}