Folded micro-threads: Role of viscosity and interfacial tension

The shape and evolution of periodically folded threads are experimentally examined in a microfluidic network. The fluidic system is designed for the production and lubricated transport of very uniform folds. To investigate the influence of viscosity and interfacial tension on buckling deformations, multiphase flows are scrutinized using both miscible and immiscible fluid pairs. The parameters used to analyze folding morphologies include thread diameter, arc-length, fold amplitude, and wavelength. When fluids are immiscible, the onset of viscous folding is characterized as a function of the capillary number and the phenomenon of “capillary unfolding” where a corrugated thread straightens along the flow direction is demonstrated. The spatial transition from folding to coiling-like flow behavior of high-viscosity capillary threads is also shown.