Drop Behavior on Heterogeneous Ratchet-Structured Substrates Harmonically Vibrated in Lateral Direction

We analyze numerically a new ratchet system: a liquid drop is sitting on a heterogeneous ratchet-structured solid plate. The coated plate is subject to a lateral harmonic oscillation. The systematic investigation performed in the frame of a phase field model shows the possibility of realizing a long-distance net-driven motion for isolated domains of the forcing parameters. The studied problem might be of considerable interest for controlled motion in micro- and nanofluidics.