Microfiber generation on centrifugal microfluidic platforms using fluidic barriers

Abstract

Fluidic barriers within centrifugal microfluidic devices represent a novel concept for creating emulsions and microstructures by leveraging the density variations among different liquids. This study focuses on characterizing this approach for a specific application: the generation of microfibers, specifically calcium alginate microfibers (Ca-alginate). Our investigation incorporates both experimental and numerical simulation approaches. We examined how the microfiber diameter responds to variations in polymer concentration, rotation speed, and micronozzle size. Notably, we observed the transition of droplets into microfibers when the rotational speed ranged between 600 rpm and 1300 rpm. The findings indicate that reducing the concentration of the sodium-alginate solution from 3 % to 1 % and decreasing the micronozzle diameter from 0.3 mm to 0.15 mm led to a reduction in microfiber diameter by up to 18.4 % and 47.9 %, respectively. The generated grooved microfibers in this study can be used as scaffolds for tissue growth and regeneration in tissue engineering.