Fluid Release Pressure For Micro-/Nanoscale Rectangular Channels

Experiments and numerical simulations are conducted to investigate fluid release from micro- to nanoscale rectangular channels. It is found that the release pressure can be flexibly adjusted by varying the channel size or the inclined angle. A critical inclined angle is found for wetting fluids, below which spontaneous release is achieved. A modified Young-Laplace equation for predicting the release pressure of rectangular channels is developed, which works well down to the nanoscale. The experimental results and theoretical predictions have also been verified by numerical simulations.