Flow pumping by external periodic shear applied to a soft interface

Abstract

Abstract Flow pumping in viscous fluids is of prime importance in micro-fluidic applications. Here we show that a single colloidal particle in front of a soft wall, manipulated by external means like an optical tweezer, can pump the ambient viscous fluid. The particle, moving back and forth parallel to the soft wall, can produce an averaged net flow in a direction perpendicular to the wall. Using a perturbative scheme, we present the results. Analysis show that this flow in terms of capillary number, scales as $${\text {Ca}}^2$$ Ca 2 .