Fluid-Structure Interaction and Scaling Laws for Deterministic Encapsulation of Hyperelastic Cells in Microfluidic Droplets
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866917350123503616 |
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| author | Liu, Andi Hu, Guohui |
| author_facet | Liu, Andi Hu, Guohui |
| contents | The precise encapsulation of deformable particles in multiphase flows involves complex transient Fluid-Structure Interactions (FSI) and topological interfacial changes. In the context of single-cell analysis, a numerical framework that couples the Cahn-Hilliard phase-field model with the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method is employed to investigate the dynamics of deformable cell encapsulation in flow-focusing microchannels. By resolving the coupling between the hyperelastic cell, carrier fluid, and evolving interface, we propose a unified dimensionless scaling law to predict the operational spatial window for the deterministic encapsulation quantitatively. Furthermore, the physical presence of cells modulates the droplet generation flow regime via a "geometric blockage effect", shifting the transition boundary from the squeezing to the dripping regime toward lower flow-rate ratios. The droplet generation period demonstrates a non-monotonic dependence on the cell blockage ratio $Γ$, which induces a competitive mechanism between shear enhancement and hydraulic resistance penalty, and consequently leads to an optimal hydrodynamic balance at $Γ\approx 0.32$. Finally, we find that while droplet periodicity is robust to variations in cell stiffness, the transient stress field within the cell is highly sensitive, particularly during the capillary pinch-off singularity. This work clarifies the fundamental interaction between hyperelastic cells and multiphase flows, and provides a quantitative framework for optimizing damage-free cell encapsulation systems. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_16604 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Fluid-Structure Interaction and Scaling Laws for Deterministic Encapsulation of Hyperelastic Cells in Microfluidic Droplets Liu, Andi Hu, Guohui Fluid Dynamics The precise encapsulation of deformable particles in multiphase flows involves complex transient Fluid-Structure Interactions (FSI) and topological interfacial changes. In the context of single-cell analysis, a numerical framework that couples the Cahn-Hilliard phase-field model with the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method is employed to investigate the dynamics of deformable cell encapsulation in flow-focusing microchannels. By resolving the coupling between the hyperelastic cell, carrier fluid, and evolving interface, we propose a unified dimensionless scaling law to predict the operational spatial window for the deterministic encapsulation quantitatively. Furthermore, the physical presence of cells modulates the droplet generation flow regime via a "geometric blockage effect", shifting the transition boundary from the squeezing to the dripping regime toward lower flow-rate ratios. The droplet generation period demonstrates a non-monotonic dependence on the cell blockage ratio $Γ$, which induces a competitive mechanism between shear enhancement and hydraulic resistance penalty, and consequently leads to an optimal hydrodynamic balance at $Γ\approx 0.32$. Finally, we find that while droplet periodicity is robust to variations in cell stiffness, the transient stress field within the cell is highly sensitive, particularly during the capillary pinch-off singularity. This work clarifies the fundamental interaction between hyperelastic cells and multiphase flows, and provides a quantitative framework for optimizing damage-free cell encapsulation systems. |
| title | Fluid-Structure Interaction and Scaling Laws for Deterministic Encapsulation of Hyperelastic Cells in Microfluidic Droplets |
| topic | Fluid Dynamics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.16604 |