Thermodynamics of imbibition in capillaries of double conical structures—hourglass, diamond, and sawtooth shaped capillaries

Abstract

Thermodynamics of imbibition (intrusion and extrusion) in capillaries of double conical structures is theoretically studied using the classical capillary model. By extending the knowledge of the thermodynamics of a single conical capillary, not only the nature of spontaneous imbibition but that of forced imbibition under applied external pressure are clarified. Spontaneous imbibition in capillaries of double conical structure can be predicted from the Laplace pressure in a single conical capillary. To understand the forced imbibition process, the free energy landscape along the imbibition pathway is calculated. This landscape shows either a maximum or a minimum. The former acts as the energy barrier, and the latter acts as the trap for the liquid–vapor meniscus so that the imbibition process can be either abrupt with a pressure hysteresis or gradual and continuous. The landscape also predicts a completely filled, a half-filled, and a completely empty state as the thermodynamically stable state. Furthermore, it also predicts a completely filled and a half-filled state of metastable liquid, which can be prepared by the combination of the intrusion and the extrusion process. Our study could be useful for understanding various natural fluidic systems and for designing functional fluidic devices such as a diode and a switch.