Abstract
Microfluidic devices have become important part of technology nowadays in numerous fields of application, such as chemical reactions, biosensors, synthesis of nanomaterials, diagnostic device for detection of biological samples, etc.In this work, as a new fabrication approach, poly(dimethyl-siloxane) (PDMS) microstructures were integrated into PDMS microdevices by combining proton beam lithography and conventional UV lithography fabrication techniques. This way, the microstructures and the microdevices can be made from the same material, which is not only useful, but in case of certain applications, it is essential. This work deals with the design of various microfluidic devices with and without integrated microstructures, for passive mixing purposes. The investigation involves the computer simulation and optimization, and then the fabrication of the chips with the above mentioned methods. Finally, the analysis of the mixing efficiency of the micromixer devices was realized with UV/vis spectroscopy at different fluid flow rates. Compared to the small size of the whole mixing chip, high mixing efficiency could be achieved.
Highlights
Microfluidic technology, which has been progressing steadily since 1979 when the first micro gas chromatograph was created [1], allows to perform many functions in one small chip, including mixing, reaction, separation, and analysis
Important features of microfluidic devices are that they require small amount of reagent, increase reaction rates, and minimize sample handling
Microfluidic devices are used in drug synthesis, gene analysis, and cell separation and sorting [2,3,4], among others
Summary
Microfluidic technology, which has been progressing steadily since 1979 when the first micro gas chromatograph was created [1], allows to perform many functions in one small chip, including mixing, reaction, separation, and analysis. Thanks to their small dimensions, their surface to volume ratio is extremely high. The flow in the micromixer is laminar, thanks to the micrometer-size channels, so the mixing occurs by molecular diffusion only. This process is generally slow, especially for macromolecules. The mixing efficiency of the fabricated micromixers were calculated from the concentrations of methylene blue test solutions measured using UV/vis spectrophotometry, at a range of flow rates
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