Cavitating Electrohydrodynamic Flow in the Vicinity of a Bio-Inspired Electrode Surface.

Electrostrictive cavitation is a mechanism of the electrical breakdown of dielectric liquids under nanosecond pulsed high voltages and a promising way of controlled nanoscale cavity generation. To better understand electrostrictive cavitation in water, this work develops a cavitating electrohydrodynamic model to simulate the distribution of tensile stress. Compared with the continuum electrohydrodynamic model, the tensile stress from the new model is reduced wherever cavitation has initiated. Further, an innovative electrode design concept inspired by the cell membrane is proposed, in which the electrode is hollow with a permeable enclosure, allowing liquid flow in response to a pressure difference between the interior and the outside. The simulations based on the cavitating electrohydrodynamic model suggest that this electrode design results in even lower tensile stress near the high-voltage electrode surface and holds potential to suppress cavitation and subsequent electrical breakdown.