3D Microchannel Research Articles

Investigation of effective parameters on streaming-induced acoustophoretic particle manipulation in a microchannel via three-dimensional numerical simulation

Particle manipulation using ultrasonic standing waves has gained increased attention in recent years as it is efficient and noninvasive. In order to predict the effects of acoustic streaming on the concentration of particles in the actual microchannel geometry, this paper presents a 3D numerical study on the transient motion of microparticles suspended in a liquid-filled microchannel, considering the mixed standing and traveling waves. The motion was generated by the acoustic radiation force and acoustic streaming-induced drag force arising from an imposed bulk acoustic wave and the hydrodynamic drag. The acoustic streaming patterns in the 3D microchannel were investigated using the limiting velocity method. In addition, the effects of the 3D streaming pattern in an acoustofluidic device on the acoustophoretic motion of microparticles were evaluated. The concentration of polystyrene particles was simulated for many particles with diameters of 0.5, 2, and 5 μm released from random initial locations. The obtained results indicate a balance between the flow rate and the particle diameter to achieve the highest concentration percentage. Increasing the height increased the concentration of large 5-μm-diameter particles to more than 80%. By doubling the length of the piezoelectrically actuated region, the concentration of 2-μm particles improved by approximately 20%. Finally, increasing the viscosity of the fluid by using a 50% glycerol-in-water mixture resulted in a greater effect of acoustic streaming. This study can provide helpful guidance for optimizing the design of acoustofluidic devices to enhance experiments.

A microfluidic chip integrated with 3D sidewall electrodes and wavy microchannel for cell focusing and separation

Cell focusing and separation is a prerequisite for several biological applications. Among these technologies that can achieve the operation, dielectrophoresis (DEP) has been widely used due to its non-contact, label-free and easy-to-operate advantages. In this paper, we designed a microchip that integrates 3D electrodes and wavy microchannel for cell focusing and separation. The 3D electrodes act as not only the electrodes but also as the microchannel walls. The wavy microchannel enables 3D electrodes to generate electric field gradient required by DEP force in the entire microchannel. Cells can be focused and separated under the synergistic effect of DEP and fluidic forces. We have demonstrated the feasibility of the microchip through numerical simulations and experiments. And we validated our approach by demonstrating focusing and separation of A549 and HeLa cells. According to the electrical differences of cells, in the range of 61–99 kHz, the two types of cells can be focused into three streams under the action of positive and negative DEP force to achieve cell separation. With the increase of the voltage amplitude to 10 V, the width of the cell streams was focused to about 30 μm, which can improve the effect of cell separation, the separation efficiency of A549 and HeLa can reach 91.2% and 95.1%, respectively. The proposed microchip is expected to provide a new pathway for designing an effective cell focusing and separation platform.

Boundary Condition Effect on Two-Phase Fluid Flow ‎and Heat Transfer inside 3-D Microchannels

Two-phase Taylor flows play a vital role in dissipating heat effectively for the proper functioning of electronic systems. In the present study, the thermal performance of liquid-liquid Taylor flow was carried out in a 3D microchannel with uniform wall heat flux boundary for five different cases: uniform heat flux on the four walls, three walls, two opposite walls, single wall, and two adjacent walls, and the aspect ratio of microchannel was varied in the range of 0.2-5. The length of the microchannel was 4 mm, height and width were 0.1 mm each for a square microchannel. For varying aspect ratios of the microchannel, the height and width of the microchannel were taken in the range of 0.06-0.3 mm to keep the hydraulic diameter constant. Dodecane and water were the working fluids in the study and assumed to be Newtonian, incompressible, immiscible, and the properties of fluids were assumed to be independent of temperature. The pressure distribution in the microchannel was investigated under five thermal boundary cases and the aspect ratio effect on pressure drop was also discussed. Results showed Nusselt number of two-phase flow with four-wall heat flux increases up to 280% compared to liquid-only flow and it has been validated with standard heat transfer correlation available in the literature. A higher heat transfer rate (Nu=10.41) was recorded in the opposite walls boundary condition and the heat transfer rate (Nu=7.81) was minimum when the adjacent walls were subjected to uniform heat flux. The effect of microchannel aspect ratio on Taylor flow heat transfer under thermal boundary conditions was also analyzed‎.

Tunable 3D Hydrogel Microchannel Networks to Study Confined Mammalian Cell Migration.

Cells adapt and move due to chemical, physical, and mechanical cues from their microenvironment. It is therefore important to create materials that mimic human tissue physiology by surface chemistry, architecture, and dimensionality to control cells in biomedical settings. The impact of the environmental architecture is particularly relevant in the context of cancer cell metastasis, where cells migrate through small constrictions in their microenvironment to invade surrounding tissues. Here, a synthetic hydrogel scaffold with an interconnected, random, 3D microchannel network is presented that is functionalized with collagen to promote cell adhesion. It is shown that cancer cells can invade such scaffolds within days, and both the microarchitecture and stiffness of the hydrogel modulate cell invasion and nuclear dynamics of the cells. Specifically, it is found that cell migration through the microchannels is a function of hydrogel stiffness. In addition to this, it is shown that the hydrogel stiffness and confinement, influence the occurrence of nuclear envelope ruptures of cells. The tunable hydrogel microarchitecture and stiffness thus provide a novel tool to investigate cancer cell invasion as a function of the 3D microenvironment. Furthermore, the material provides a promising strategy to control cell positioning, migration, and cellular function in biological applications, such as tissue engineering.

Microfluidic Bioreactor Made of Cyclo-Olefin Polymer for Observing On-Chip Platelet Production.

We previously proposed a microfluidic bioreactor with glass–Si–glass layers to evaluate the effect of the fluid force on platelet (PLT) production and fabricated a three-dimensional (3D) microchannel by combining grayscale photolithography and deep reactive ion etching. However, a challenge remains in observing the detailed process of PLT production owing to the low visibility of the microfluidic bioreactor. In this paper, we present a transparent microfluidic bioreactor made of cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) with which to observe the process of platelet-like particle (PLP) production under a bright-field, which allows us to obtain image data at a high sampling rate. We succeeded in fabricating the COP microfluidic bioreactor with a 3D microchannel. We investigated the bonding strength of COP-COP layers and confirmed the effectiveness of the microfluidic bioreactor. Results of on-chip PLP production using immortalized megakaryocyte cell lines (imMKCLs) derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells show that the average total number of produced PLPs per imMKCL was 17.6 PLPs/imMKCL, which is comparable to that of our previous glass–Si–glass microfluidic bioreactor (17.4 PLPs/imMKCL). We succeeded in observing PLP production under a bright-field using the presented microfluidic bioreactor and confirmed that PLP fragmented in a narrow area of proplatelet-like protrusions.

Facile Fabrication of Hollow Hydrogel Microfiber via 3D Printing-Assisted Microfluidics and Its Application as a Biomimetic Blood Capillary

Simulating the structure and function of blood capillaries is very important for an in-depth insight into their role in the human body and treatment of capillary-related diseases. Due to the similar composition and structure, hollow hydrogel microfibers are well-recognized as potential biomimetic blood capillaries. In this paper, we report a novel, facile, and reproducible method to fabricate coaxial microfluidic chips via 3D printing-assisted soft lithography and then hollow hydrogel microfibers using the as-prepared coaxial microfluidic chips. Instead of traditional photoresist-based lithography, 3D printing of gelatin hydrogel under various extrusion pressures is used to construct sacrificial templates of coaxial microfluidic chips. Various solid and hollow hydrogel microfibers with complicated and hierarchical structures can be obtained via multitype coaxial microfluidic chips or a combination of coaxial microfluidic fabrication and post-treatment. The as-formed hollow hydrogel microfibers are evaluated in detail as biomimetic blood capillaries, including physicochemical and cytological properties. Our results prove that the hollow hydrogel microfibers exhibit excellent mass transport capacity, hemocompatibility, semipermeability, and mechanical strength, and their barrier function can be further enhanced in the presence of endothelial cells. Overall, our 3D printing-assisted fabrication strategy provides a new technique to construct microfluidic chips with complicated 3D microchannels, and the resulting hollow hydrogel microfibers are promising candidates for blood capillaries.

Thermal performance evaluation of a microchannel with different porous media insert configurations

PurposeThis paper aims to numerically investigate the thermal performance evaluation of a microchannel with different porous media insert configurations.Design/methodology/approachHeat transfer and pressure drop of fluid flow through a three-dimensional (3D) microchannel with different partially and filled porous media insert configurations are investigated numerically. The number of divisions and positions of porous material inside the microchannel for 12 different arrangements are considered. A control volume method is used for single-phase laminar flow with the Darcy–Forchheimer model used for the porous media. The geometry of the problem consists of a microchannel with a rectangular cross-section of 0.4 mm × 0.2 mm and length 20 mm, with a stainless steel porous material insert with a porosity coefficient of ε = 0.32 and a Darcy number of Da = 2.7 × 10−4.FindingsNumerical results show that when the transverse arrangement is used, as the number of partitions increases, the thermal performance is improved and the heat transfer increases up to 300% compared to that of the plain microchannel. Comparing the obtained results from the microchannels with transverse and longitudinal configurations, at low Reynolds numbers, the transverse arrangement of porous blocks and at high Reynold numbers, the longitudinal arrangement present the best thermal performance which is virtually four times higher compared to the obtained Nu numbers from the plain microchannel. The results show that as the volume of porous material is constant in the cases with various transverse porous blocks, the pressure drop is not changed in these cases. Also, the highest thermal performance ratio is when the porous material is placed along the walls in a longitudinal direction.Originality/valueTo the best knowledge of the authors, in the previous research, the effect of the arrangement and location of the porous medium in the transverse and longitudinal direction in the microchannel and their effect in different states on the behavior of flow and heat transfer has not been numerically investigated. In this study, the porous media configuration and its placement in a 3D microchannel were numerically studied. The effect of porous material layout and configurations in different longitudinal and transverse directions on the pressure drop, heat transfer and thermal performance in the 3D microchannel is investigated numerically.

Toward the heat convection enhancement of nanofluids flowing in a 3D microchannel affected by a nonuniform magnetic field

AbstractIn the present investigation, the behavior of laminar convective flow and heat transfer in a three‐dimensional horizontal square duct using different water‐based nanofluids (Fe3O4/water, and carbon nanotubes/water) is numerically investigated. The channel is subjected to a periodic partial or full magnetic field. The outer surface is subjected to a constant heat flux density. The problem is numerically solved via the finite volume method with a second‐order precision. The numerical simulations covered a range of the Reynolds number 50 ≤ Re ≤ 400, Hartmann number 0 ≤ Ha ≤ 50, and concentration of nanoparticles 0 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.02 for different modes of the magnetic field application and direction. Examination of the hydrodynamic and thermal behavior shows significant heat transfer performances obtained when applying transversal and partial periodic magnetic fields simultaneously. More precisely, it is found that the favorable protocol improved the heat transfer rate by 85% in the duct flowing by the Ferrofluid at Ha = 50. Furthermore, findings illustrate that the overall heat transfer rate presented in terms of the mean Nusselt number and the highest compromise (heat transfer augmentation‐pressure losses diminution) are obtained in the case of Fe3O4 nanoparticles for all taken values of Reynolds and Hartmann numbers, whatever the manner and direction of the applied magnetic field.

Ultrabroadband microwave absorber based on 3D water microchannels

In this paper, an ultrathin and ultrabroadband metamaterial absorber based on 3D water microchannels is proposed. The experimental results show an absorption rate over 90% and a relative bandwidth up to 165% in the frequency band between 9.6 and 98.9 GHz. This polarization-independent absorber can work at a wide angle of incidence and exhibits good thermal stability. Benefiting from ultrabroadband absorption, thin thickness, low cost, and environmentally friendly materials, the proposed metamaterial absorber can be used in the fields of electromagnetic wave stealth and electromagnetic radiation protection. Related device design and research methods can be extended to the applied research in the terahertz and optical bands.

Geometric Criteria for the Snap‐Off of a Non‐Wetting Droplet in Pore‐Throat Channels With Rectangular Cross‐Sections

AbstractSnap‐off is a phenomenon that occurs when a non‐wetting fluid is displaced by wetting fluid in pore‐throat channels, leading to the breakup of droplets at the throat. Snap‐off plays a key role in many industrial processes involving immiscible multiphase flows, such as aquifer remediation, carbon capture and geological storage, recovery of hydrocarbons. Here we derive geometric criteria for the capillary snap‐off at the pore‐throat junctions in 2D microchannels with rectangular cross‐sections. The criteria are theoretically presented in three categories according to the range of the throat depth, h. We find that if h is smaller than the throat width, snap‐off will be inhibited, if h is larger than the pore width, snap‐off may occur but it is independent of h, and if h is in between the throat width and the pore width, a critical depth exists for the occurrence of snap‐off. These criteria are verified using numerical CFD simulations and validated using microfluidic experiments. These results indicate the conditions for snap‐off in the pore‐throat channel with rectangular cross‐sections, which clarify previous debates in the literature. One application of this work is for micromodels, which are porous microfluidic chips used as tools to observe multiphase flow in porous media at the pore‐scale. Most micromodels are two‐dimensional (2D), which have rectangular cross‐sections with uniform depth. The geometric criteria derived here provide guidelines for the design of micromodels used in the study of multiphase flow processes in porous media.

Investigating the Microchannel Architectures Inside the Subchondral Bone in Relation to Estimated Hip Reaction Forces on the Human Femoral Head

The interplay between articular cartilage (AC) and subchondral bone (SB) plays a pivotal role in cartilage homeostasis and functionality. As direct connective pathways between the two are poorly understood, we examined the location-dependent characteristics of the 3D microchannel network within the SB that connects the basal cartilage layer to the bone marrow (i.e. cartilage-bone marrow microchannel connectors; CMMC). 43 measuring points were defined on five human cadaveric femoral heads with no signs of osteoarthritis (OA) (age ≤ 60), and cartilage-bone cylinders with diameters of 2.00 mm were extracted for high-resolution scanning (n = 215). The micro-CT data were categorized into three groups (load-bearing region: LBR, n = 60; non-load-bearing region: NLBR, n = 60; and the peripheral rim: PR, n = 95) based on a gait analysis estimation of the joint reaction force (young, healthy cohort with no signs of OA). At the AC-SB interface, the number of CMMC in the LBR was 1.8 times and 2.2 times higher compared to the NLBR, and the PR, respectively. On the other hand, the median Feret size of the CMMC were smallest in the LBR (55.2 µm) and increased in the NLBR (73.5 µm; p = 0.043) and the PR (89.1 µm; p = 0.043). AC thickness was positively associated with SB thickness (Pearson's r = 0.48; p < 1e-13), CMMC number. (r = 0.46; p < 1e-11), and circularity index (r = 0.61; p < 1e-38). In conclusion, our data suggest that regional differences in the microchannel architecture of SB might reflect regional differences in loading.

COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF GEOMETRIC EFFECTS OF BOTTOM WALL MICROGROOVES ON CELL DOCKING INSIDE MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES

Cells docking inside microfluidic devices is effective in studying cell biology, cell-based biosensing, as well as drug screening. Furthermore, single cell and regularly cells docking inside the microstructure of microfluidic systems are advantageous in different analyses of single cells exposed to equal drug concentration and mechanical stimulus. In this study, we investigated bottom wall microgrooves with semicircular and rectangular geometries with different sizes which are suitable for single cell docking along the length of the microgroove in [Formula: see text]-direction and numerous cells docking regularly in one line inside the microgroove in a 3D microchannel. We used computational fluid dynamics to analyze the fluid recirculation area inside different microgrooves. The height of recirculation area in the bottom of microgroove could affect the cell’s attachment, and also materials delivery to attached cells, so the height of recirculation area may have optimum value. In addition, we analyzed the fluid drag force on cell movement toward the microgroove. This parameter was proportional to the fluid velocities in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] directions in different microgrooves geometries. In different microgrooves’ geometries the fluid velocity in [Formula: see text]-direction did not change, but the fluid velocity in [Formula: see text]-direction decreased inside the microgroove. Therefore, the cell movement time inside the microgroove increased, and also the drag force in [Formula: see text]-direction could push the cells toward the bottom due to the lower drag force in [Formula: see text]-direction. The percentages of negative shear stress and average shear stress on the adhered cell surface were also calculated. The lower average shear stress, and negative shear stress around 50% on the cell surface were against cell detachment from the substrate. The results indicated that at the constant fluid inlet velocity and microchannel height, microgroove geometry and ratio of cell size to the microgroove size play pivotal roles in the cell initial adhesion to the substrate as well as the cell detachment.

Evaluation of 3D-printed molds for fabrication of non-planar microchannels.

Replica obtained from micromolds patterned by simple photolithography has features with uniform heights, and attainable microchannels are thus quasi-two-dimensional. Recent progress in three-dimensional (3D) printing has enabled facile desktop fabrication of molds to replicate microchannels with varying heights. We investigated the replica obtained from four common techniques of 3D printing-fused deposition modeling, selective laser sintering, photo-polymer inkjet printing (PJ), and stereolithography (SL)-for the suitability to form microchannels in terms of the surface roughness inherent to the mechanism of 3D printing. There have been limited quantitative studies that focused on the surface roughness of a 3D-printed mold with different methods of 3D printing. We discussed that the surface roughness of the molds affected (1) transparency of the replica and (2) delamination pressure of poly(dimethylsiloxane) replica bonded to flat glass substrates. Thereafter, we quantified the accuracy of replication from 3D-printed molds by comparing the dimensions of the replicated parts to the designed dimensions and tested the ability to fabricate closely spaced microchannels. This study suggested that molds printed by PJ and SL printers were suitable for replica molding to fabricate microchannels with varying heights. The insight from this study shall be useful to fabricate 3D microchannels with controlled 3D patterns of flows guided by the geometry of the microchannels.

Displacement Mechanisms of Residual Oil Film in 2D Microchannels.

This paper explores displacement mechanisms of the residual oil film in microchannels by analyzing the following items after wetting hysteresis occurs: resistance on the residual oil film by the rock wall, the interfacial tension between displacement fluid and residual oil film, and horizontal stress acting on residual oil film by displacement fluids. Based on the continuity equations, motion equations, and constitutive equations of viscoelastic fluid, the numerical simulation is used to calculate the distribution of horizontal stress acting on the residual oil film by displacement fluids with different rheological properties. The results of the study show that increasing the horizontal stress on the oil film fundamentally mobilized the oil film and made it movable. Under the condition that the flow rate of the displacement fluid was constant, the value and direction of the horizontal stress acting on the oil film by the viscoelastic fluid changed. The elasticity changed the law of stress on the residual oil film, which is more conducive to mobilizing the oil film.

Numerical Study of Multivortex Regulation in Curved Microchannels with Ultra-Low-Aspect-Ratio.

The field of inertial microfluidics has been significantly advanced in terms of application to fluid manipulation for biological analysis, materials synthesis, and chemical process control. Because of their superior benefits such as high-throughput, simplicity, and accurate manipulation, inertial microfluidics designs incorporating channel geometries generating Dean vortexes and helical vortexes have been studied extensively. However, existing technologies have not been studied by designing low-aspect-ratio microchannels to produce multi-vortexes. In this study, an inertial microfluidic device was developed, allowing the generation and regulation of the Dean vortex and helical vortex through the introduction of micro-obstacles in a semicircular microchannel with ultra-low aspect ratio. Multi-vortex formations in the vertical and horizontal planes of four dimension-confined curved channels were analyzed at different flow rates. Moreover, the regulation mechanisms of the multi-vortex were studied systematically by altering the micro-obstacle length and channel height. Through numerical simulation, the regulation of dimensional confinement in the microchannel is verified to induce the Dean vortex and helical vortex with different magnitudes and distributions. The results provide insights into the geometry-induced secondary flow mechanism, which can inspire simple and easily built planar 2D microchannel systems with low-aspect-ratio design with application in fluid manipulations for chemical engineering and bioengineering.

Microscopy-guided laser ablation for the creation of complex skin models with folliculoid appendages.

Engineering complex tissues requires the use of advanced biofabrication techniques that allow the replication of the tissue's 3D microenvironment, architecture and cellular interactions. In the case of skin, the most successful strategies to introduce the complexity of hair follicle (HF) appendages have highlighted the importance of facilitating direct interaction between dermal papilla (DP) cells and keratinocytes (KCs) in organotypic skin models. In this work, we took advantage of microscopy‐guided laser ablation (MGLA) to microfabricate a fibroblast‐populated collagen hydrogel and create a subcompartment that guides the migration of KCs and lead their interaction with DP cells to recreate follicular structures. Upon definition of the processing parameters (laser incidence area and power), MGLA was used to create 3D microchannels from the surface of a standard organotypic human skin model up to the aggregates containing DP cells and KCs, previously incorporated into the dermal‐like fibroblast‐collagen layer. Analysis of the constructs showed that the fabricated microfeatures successfully guided the fusion between epidermal and aggregates keratinocytes, which differentiated into follicular‐like structures within the organotypic human skin model, increasing its functionality. In summary, we demonstrate the fabrication of a highly structured 3D hydrogel‐based construct using MGLA to attain a complex skin model bearing folliculoid structures, highlighting its potential use as an in vitro platform to study the mechanisms controlling HF development or for the screening of bioactive substances.

Poiseuille number behavior in an adiabatically choked microchannel in the slip regime

The influence of subsonic adiabatic choking on frictional resistance inside three-dimensional (3D) microchannels has not been studied for rarefied gas flows. In the present work, the variation of the Poiseuille number with respect to the Mach number has been documented for a 3D microchannel of aspect ratio (width/height) 0.49. Measurements of mass flow rate, static pressure, and temperature have been conducted with nitrogen in highly compressible and slightly rarefied (slip flow) regime: outlet Mach number (0.43–0.99), outlet Knudsen number (4.04 × 10−3–7.04 × 10−3), and pressure ratio (8.17–8.72). The present 3D measurements are compared with available analytical solutions for isothermal and adiabatic flows. A maximum deviation of only 4.8% from the adiabatic slip flow solution points toward the adiabatic nature of the exit choked state, which is being experimentally demonstrated for the first time in the highly compressible slip flow regime. Furthermore, the influence of losses of microchannel end manifolds on the overall pressure drop is calculated to be negligible. We further propose the ranges of the area ratio, Reynolds number, and Knudsen number for which these losses continue to be unimportant for gaseous slip flow. This study gives insights into the influence of subsonic choking on the frictional resistance at various mass flow rates and is relevant for future space expeditions and in certain biological applications.

Electrochemical deposition of a radionuclide nickel-63 on betavoltaic cells for a nuclear battery based on silicon p-i-n junctions

This paper highlights the manufacturing process of two types of betavoltaic cells with a source coated with 63Ni: the flat one and one with a three-dimensional (3D) microchannel structure, obtained by anodizing silicon (Si). Thin-layer deposition of a nickel-63 radionuclide was carried out from the ammonium-citrate based electrolyte solution, designed for production until exhaustion.

Flow States and Transitions of an Active Nematic in a Three-Dimensional Channel.

We use active nematohydrodynamics to study the flow of an active fluid in a 3D microchannel, finding a transition between active turbulence and regimes where there is a net flow along the channel. We show that the net flow is only possible if the active nematic is flow aligning and that, in agreement with experiments, the appearance of the net flow depends on the aspect ratio of the channel cross section. We explain our results in terms of when the hydrodynamic screening due to the channel walls allows the emergence of vortex rolls across the channel.

Microchannels with Self-Pumping Walls.

When asymmetric Janus micromotors are immobilized on a surface, they act as chemically powered micropumps, turning chemical energy from the fluid into a bulk flow. However, such pumps have previously produced only localized recirculating flows, which cannot be used to pump fluid in one direction. Here, we demonstrate that an array of three-dimensional, photochemically active Au/TiO2 Janus pillars can pump water. Upon UV illumination, a water-splitting reaction rapidly creates a directional bulk flow above the active surface. By lining a 2D microchannel with such active surfaces, various flow profiles are created within the channels. Analytical and numerical models of a channel with active surfaces predict flow profiles that agree very well with the experimental results. The light-driven active surfaces provide a way to wirelessly pump fluids at small scales and could be used for real-time, localized flow control in complex microfluidic networks.