Upstream motion of oil droplets in co-axial Ouzo flow due to Marangoni forces

To explore the physicochemical hydrodynamics of phase-separating ternary liquids ("Ouzo-type"), a binary oil-ethanol mixture is introduced into a co-flowing stream of water. Oil droplets nucleate at the interface between the two liquids, leading to a larger oil droplet interacting with the ethanol-rich jet. Although buoyancy forces and hydrodynamic drag forces push the droplet in downstream direction, we observe an upstream motion. Using computational fluid dynamics simulations of a simplified model system, we identify the nucleation zone for oil droplets and uncover Marangoni forces to be responsible for the upstream motion of the droplet. A semi-analytical model allows us to identify the key parameters governing this effect. A general conclusion is that Marangoni stresses can reverse the motion of droplets through channels, where the surrounding liquid is a multi-component mixture. The insights from this work are not only relevant for channel flow, but more generally, for the physicochemical hydrodynamics of multiphase, multi-component systems.