Microchannel Depth Research Articles

Histological analysis of laser-enabled tissue coring with a novel 2910 nm erbium-doped fluoride glass fiber laser.

There remains an unmet need for a laser-enabled tissue coring device that can effectively improve face and neck skin laxity and rhytides. We investigate a novel 2910 nm erbium-doped fluoride glass fiber laser (2910 nm fiber laser) (UltraClear; Acclaro Medical) for laser-coring of submental tissue. Five subjects, Glogau scale III-IV, were treated with a single pulse of the laser-coring mode of the 2910 nm fiber laser in the submentum. A 4 mm punch biopsy was immediately performed. Biopsy specimens were sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and placed on glass slides. All sections were reviewed, and sections containing the center of the transected core were analyzed for depth and diameter of the ablative microchannel and width of the surrounding zone of coagulation. A total of 15 intact micro-cores were analyzed. Histological analysis revealed an average ± standard deviation microchannel diameter of 242.5 ± 65.2 µm, an average ablative depth of 980 ± 318.8 µm, and an average zone of coagulation of 104 ± 32 µm. Laser-enabled tissue coring with a novel 2910 nm fiber laser can safely achieve a wider microchannel diameter with ablative depth extending to the mid and deep dermis, which has the potential for collagen contraction and tissue tightening. Laser-coring to this ablation diameter and depth and with the surrounding zone of coagulation was found to be safe without adverse effects of post-inflammatory erythema or scarring in our study.

Differential Impact of Surface Conduction and Electroosmotic Flow on Ion Transport Enhancement by Microscale Auxiliary Structures.

Our research investigates the impact of auxiliary structures on ion transport in electrochemical systems such as batteries and microscale desalination units, whose importance for sustainable development has increased dramatically in recent decades. The electrochemical systems typically feature ion-selective surfaces, such as electrodes and ion exchange membranes, where ion depletion can cause performance issues including metal dendrite formation and flow instability. Recent research has shown that auxiliary structures in these electrochemical systems can enhance ion transfer near ion-selective surfaces, thereby resolving the instability problem and improving the energy conversion efficiency of the system. Our study leverages recent advancements in nanoscale electrokinetics to model these auxiliary structures as pillar arrays near an ion exchange membrane in a microchannel. We examine how these structures enhance ion transports relative to the characteristic length scale of microchannel depth and pillars' proximity to the ion-selective surface. Results show that the effect of the pillars varies significantly with their placement. Specifically, in deeper microchannels, where electrokinetic convection is stronger, the closer the auxiliary structure is to the ion-selective membrane, the better the ion transfer. However, in the thinner microchannel, the proximity of the auxiliary structure to the ion selective membrane has a less significant correlation with the ion transfer. Therefore, this finding highlights the importance of spatial arrangement of the auxiliary structures in improving the performance of electrochemical devices. Conclusively, this study can help to better understand energy conversion systems such as fuel cells, salinity gradient power generation systems, and electrochemical desalination systems, where auxiliary structures can be used in the vicinity of ion-selective surfaces. Especially, our fundamental electrokinetic study provides an effective means for designing the efficient electrochemical platforms utilizing micro/nanofluidics.

Numerical Investigation of the Impact of Subcooling Inlet on Water Flow Boiling Heat Transfer Through a Microchannel

The effect of subcooling inlet has a big effect of the flow patterns for the flow boiling through a microchannel. Higher subcooling lower mass flux will delay the nucleate boiling and vice versa. The water flow boiling inside a microchannel has been analyzed numerically. The microchannel depth was 0.24 mm while the length was 40 mm. The supplied heat fluxes were 500 kW·m-2, 1000 kW·m-2and 1500 kW·m-2 with mass velocities of 400 kg·m-2·s-1 and 800 kg·m-2·s-1. The degrees of subcoooling of inlet water were 5oC, 10oC, 15oC, 20oC, and 25oC. The results showed that the degree subcooling has a considerable impact on both the wall temperature and flow patterns. The rise in the degree of subcooling kept the nucleate flow boiling and retarded the development of convective boiling. In addition, there was a reflection point at which the impact of heat flux on the average of the convective coefficient of heat transfer was altered. The increase in the heat flux may lead to an increase or reduction in the average HTC with respect to the location of the reflection point. The reflection points were 7oC and 5oC for the mass velocities 400 kg·m-2·s-1 and 800 kg·m-2·s-1. Thus, both the degree of subcooling and the heat flux should be simultaneously considered when it comes to the enhancement of HTC during the flow boiling inside the microchannels.

Enhancing the borosilicate glass micromachining by using mixed alkaline electrolytes in the ECDM process

ABSTRACT This article investigates the effects of mixing different alkaline electrolytes on the geometrical features created by the ECDM. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) were mixed in varying volumetric proportions. Effect of critical process parameters on the depth and width of the microchannels and the associated tool wear was investigated. Pure NaOH electrolyte has resulted in the highest depth compared to the pure KOH electrolyte. Process mechanism behind the role of mixed electrolytes on the opening sizes and depths of microchannels is explained. Higher material removal by the NaOH electrolyte was due to the larger number of sodium (Na+) ions in the electrolyte, resulting in more aggressive electrochemical discharge; however, it also resulted in severe tool wear. Mixed electrolytes with a KOH yielded lower width and low tool wear. Increasing the volumetric proportion of KOH in the mixed electrolyte gradually decreased the machining depth, width, and tool wear.

Characterization and prediction of micro channel depth of ultra-thin bipolar plates for PEMFCs

In this study, a combination of experimental and statistical methods were employed to precisely determine the micro channel depth in ultra-thin metallic bipolar plates fabricated from 316 stainless steel with a thickness of 0.1 mm. The investigation centers on the rubber pad forming process and its role in the production of these critical components for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). To advance the understanding of this manufacturing process, experimental tests were designed using a Design of Experiment (DOE) technique and subsequently developed a predictive model using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The research reveals a direct, quantifiable relationship between the channel depth in metallic bipolar plates and the magnitude of the applied force. Also, the pivotal role of rubber thickness as a dominant factor influencing channel depth was explored. Furthermore, it is revealed that augmenting the channel depth in these plates is attainable through a reduction in rubber hardness and an increase in rubber thickness. However, the benefits diminish once the rubber layer thickness exceeds a specific threshold. Moreover, the results underscore that the primary influential factors in this process include force, hardness, thickness, as well as the interplay between force and rubber thickness. The proposed model's accuracy is reaffirmed through an average error rate of approximately 5.39%, signifying its reliability in predicting microchannel depth. This research contributes novel insights into the manufacturing of ultra-thin metallic bipolar plates for PEMFCs, shedding light on the critical parameters influencing channel depth and their interrelationships. The significance and engineering value of this work lies in its potential for enhancing the design and manufacturing of metallic bipolar plates for PEMFCs. Precise control of microchannel dimensions is crucial for enhancing PEMFC performance and efficiency. This research not only advances clean energy technology but also contributes to the broader goal of achieving sustainable energy solutions, making it a noteworthy and timely contribution to the field.

Optimizing laser-based micro-cutting for PMMA microfluidic device fabrication: thermal analysis and parameter optimization

Abstract Laser processes have gained popularity in microfluidic device fabrication. This study aims to determine the optimal parameters for laser-based micro-cutting to achieve the desired width, depth, profile, and material removal, considering the thermal properties of PMMA. A CNC CO2 laser was used, and 29 trials tested various speed and power combinations. Two theoretical models based on trial results focused on depth and width. COMSOL Multiphysics FEA software estimated surface temperature. Theoretical depth estimation matched experimental data more accurately when the P/S ratio was below 0.15 and the scanning speed was set at 500 mm/s or 750 mm/s. At 500 mm/s, width estimation was most accurate, up to 30 W. At 750 mm/s, experimental width exceeded predictions. Material removal increased proportionally with increasing P/S ratio, but beyond a threshold of 0.15, material removal remained nearly constant despite rising heat input. Laser-cut track shape varied, resembling a ‘U’ at lower and a ‘V’ at higher ratios. The groove shape transitioned from ‘U’ to ‘V’ when the temperature surpassed 1200 K. A V-shaped groove required a temperature exceeding 1500 K. Optimization confirmed a microchannel depth of 0.197 mm, width of 0.256 mm, and ‘U–V’ channel shape achievable at 30 W and 200 mm/s scanning speed, with a surface temperature of 1325 K.

Investigation on multi-pass rolling process of micro-feature with complex shape

The complex shape microchannels is useful for the functional surface with capillary performance. The investigation of multi-pass micro-rolling was carried out using FE simulation and experiments. The effects of parameters, such as reduction of thickness, clearance between two rollers and downward displace of upper-roller, were studied by measure thickness of sheet and the depth of microchannels. It was found that the depth of microchannels increased with decreasing of clearance between two rollers. And, the shape of microchannels was changed from rectangle to complex shape in the second pass “without mould”. After process optimization of process, the multi-pass rolling can be used to fabricate microfeature with complex shape of sharp corner from the viewpoint of capillary performance.

A comparative analysis of predictive models for estimating the formability of stamped titanium bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The microchannels on the bipolar plates (BPPs) of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) have various functions. Increasing the microchannel depth leads to an increase in the efficiency of the fuel cell. In this paper, metallic BPPs of the PEMFC made of commercial pure titanium (CP-Ti) with an initial thickness of 0.1 mm are manufactured using the stamping process. First, after performing the process using experimental tests and finite elements (FE) simulation, the accuracy of the numerical results is confirmed. In the following, using the FE model and considering process parameters including die clearance, forming speed, and sheet/die friction coefficient, a set of experiments is implemented using the response surface method (RSM). The results of the filling rate are obtained from the experiments and a regression model is established to predict the filling rate of the microchannel. Then, four meta-heuristics methods including artificial bee colony optimization (ABCO), genetic algorithm (GA), artificial neural network (ANN), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) are used to estimate the formability of the CP-Ti BPPs. According to the results, the ANFIS model with an error of 0.0062 × 10−3 % compared to experiments is more reliable to predict the filling rate in the stamping of the CP-Ti BPPs.

Pool Boiling of Ethanol on Copper Surfaces with Rectangular Microchannels

In this paper, pool boiling of ethanol at atmospheric pressure was analyzed. The enhanced surfaces were made of copper, on which grooves with a depth ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 mm were milled in parallel. The widths of the microchannels and the distances between them were 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm, respectively. The highest heat transfer coefficient, 90.3 kW/m2K, was obtained for the surface with a microchannel depth of 0.5 mm and a width of 0.2 mm. The maximum heat flux was 1035 kW/m2. For the analyzed surfaces, the maximum heat flux increase of two and a half times was obtained, while the heat transfer coefficient increased three-fold in relation to the smooth surface. In the given range of heat flux 21.2–1035 kW/m2, the impact of geometric parameters on the heat transfer process was presented. The diameters of the departing bubbles were determined experimentally with the use of a high-speed camera. A simplified model was proposed to determine the diameter of the departure bubble for the studied surfaces.

Experimental investigation of replication accuracy of polymer-based microfluidic chip fabricated through induction-assisted hot embossing and parametric optimization through nature-inspired algorithms

Hot embossing (HE) creates micron-scaled patterns on a polymer substrate. Conventional-HE faces a long cycle-time issue and reduces productivity. An induction-assisted HE (IHE) setup was developed in-house to solve this issue. A microfluidic chip was made using an in-house developed setup on polymethyl methacrylate. Micro-features on aluminum-6061 mold were made using fiber laser machining instead of photolithography, followed-by reactive ion etching or electroplating to save both costs and time. Accurate micropattern replication is vital for HE. Embossing factors affect replication accuracy. Less deviation in micro-channel depth improves replication accuracy. The experimental data was gathered via L27 orthogonal array. Linear regression was used to connect process parameters and response variables. The embossing temperature affects micro-channel depth by 79.78%. Particle swarm optimization, artificial bee colony (ABC), firefly algorithm (FA), and grey wolf optimization (GWO) optimized IHE process parameters. Firefly algorithm outperformed. The FA converged in four iterations, whereas particle swarm optimization took 12 and ABC 38. All methods (excluding GWO) reached 6.5809 μm, the global best. A confirmation test shows optimal operating conditions reduce embossed micro-channel depth variation from 126.758 μm to 7.0327 μm and improve replication accuracy from 19.94% to 95.50%. The predicted and experimental embossed micro-channel depth deviation percentile error is 6.86%. An IHE setup was used to bond the microfluidic chip. The microchannel in the microfluidic chip was treated with vaporized bonding before thermal bonding to prevent deformation/blocking. No blue ink leaked during the testing of the manufactured microfluidic chip, showing acceptable quality.

Thermal model for nanosecond laser ablation Al2O3 considering temperature dependence

This paper presented a thermal model based on heat-conduction and vaporization to predict the ablation profile by nanosecond pulsed laser in Al2O3. The temperature distribution is estimated by heat transfer in the laser irradiated zone, considering temperature dependence of material properties. The ablation profile was analyzed and predicted, which has considered the laser spatial and time-distribution and the effective number of laser pulses within the irradiated area. To validate the accuracy of thermal model proposed, micro-channel experiment has been performed. The morphology and profile of micro-channel was measured by Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an 3D microscope. The difference in microstructure of SEM can be attributed to the laser-material interaction associated with the temperature distribution. Good agreement between calculated depth and width of microchannel and that of experimentally measured and its dependence on incident laser parameters validated theoretical model. Whereas, the degree of error marginally increases at high laser power fluences due to the model proposed ignored the optical properties. The errors of side-wall of micro-channel can be attributed to the effect of multi-reflection and plasma on the channel side-wall.

Kinetic study on heterogeneous nucleation and incubation period during chemical vapor deposition.

The kinetics of heterogeneous nucleation during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is still unclear despite its importance. Nucleation delay is often observed in many CVD processes, which is known as the incubation period (τi). In this study, the effects of concentration (C) and sticking probability (η) of film-forming species on τi were formulated based on our kinetic model. To discuss the kinetics, τi -1 with the rate dimension was used and formulated using C and η. Because η onto heterogeneous surfaces (ηhetero) is difficult to evaluate, the study was initiated with η onto homogeneous surfaces (ηhomo), followed by a discussion on its reasonability. The formulation was validated using the experimental dataset for SiC-CVD from CH3SiCl3/H2 onto BN underlayers because CVD involves multiple film-forming species with different ηhomo ranging from 10-6 to 10-2 and thus is a suitable system for studying the effect of ηhomo. High-aspect-ratio (1000:1) parallel-plate microchannels consisting of τi-involving BN and a τi-free Si surface were utilized to separate these film-forming species along the microchannel depth. τi was exceptionally long, up to several hours, depending on the CVD conditions. τi -1 was found to be proportional to Cn, where n is the reaction order. n was quantified as ≈1.6, suggesting the initial nucleation was triggered by the impingement of two adspecies in the second order and lowered possibly by the discrepancy between C in the gas-phase and that actually producing adspecies on the surface. τi -1 was also found to be proportional to ηhomo. The exceptionally long τi was likely originated from the significantly lower ηhetero than ηhomo and the higher activation energy for ηhetero than that for ηhomo.

Scalable Production of Biomedical Microparticles via High-Throughput Microfluidic Step Emulsification.

Drug microcarriers are widely used in disease treatment, and microfluidics is well established in the preparation of microcarrier particles. A proper design of the microfluidic platform toward scalable production of drug microcarriers can extend its application values in wound healing, where large numbers of microcarriers are required. Here, a microfluidic step emulsification method for the preparation of monodisperse droplets is presented. The droplet size depends primarily on the microchannel depth rather than flow rate, making the system robust for high-throughput production of droplets and hydrogel microparticles. Based on this platform, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is uniformly encapsulated in the microparticles, and black phosphorus (BP) is incorporated for controllable release via near-infrared (NIR) stimulation. The microparticles serve as drug carriers to be applied to the wound site, inducing angiogenesis and collagen deposition, thereby accelerating wound repair. These results indicate that the step emulsification technique provides a promising solution to scalable production of drug microcarriers for wound healing as well as tissue regeneration.

Experimental investigations and modeling for multi-pass laser micro-milling by soft computing-physics informed machine learning on PMMA sheet using CO2 laser

Laser micro-machining has gained significant attraction from industries and researchers due to the wide range of processability and material flexibility with micro-scale accuracy. However, only a few process variables and soft computing approaches are taken into consideration in micro-scale sectors. This provides the opportunity to explore a new and relatively unexplored area of physics-informed advanced soft computing techniques for laser beam machining. This study aims to develop a framework to investigate the micro-milling capabilities of 10 mm thick poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) using various input parameters such as laser power (8–16 W), scanning speed (25–50 mm/s), number of passes (2–6), and incident energy (0.107–0.64 J/mm). A soft computing technique to build depth, width and surface roughness prediction models on a CO2 laser machine, is presented. Advanced soft computing approaches such as random forest, gradient boost, ridge regression, linear regression, support vector regression and gaussian process regression are evaluated to predict the microchannel's depth, surface roughness, and kerf width. The proposed work is validated experimentally and compared with the different prediction/regression models available in the literature. The values of hyper tuning parameters are optimized using by grid search method. Based on the 5-fold cross-validation analysis, the most accurate predictions of the depth, surface roughness and kerf width could be achieved through the gaussian process regression (GPR) model with highest accuracy of 98.34 %, 97.68 % and 96.38 % for depth, surface roughness and kerf width respectively.

YOLO Algorithm for Long-Term Tracking and Detection of Escherichia Coli at Different Depths of Microchannels Based on Microsphere Positioning Assistance.

The effect evaluation of the antibiotic susceptibility test based on bacterial solution is of great significance for clinical diagnosis and prevention of antibiotic abuse. Applying a microfluidic chip as the detection platform, the detection method of using microscopic images to observe bacteria under antibiotic can greatly speed up the detection time, which is more suitable for high-throughput detection. However, due to the influence of the depth of the microchannel, there are multiple layers of bacteria under the focal depth of the microscope, which greatly affects the counting and recognition accuracy and increases the difficulty of relocation of the target bacteria, as well as extracting the characteristics of bacterial liquid changes under the action of antibiotics. After the focal depth of the target bacteria is determined, although the z-axis can be controlled with the help of a three-dimensional micro-operator, the equipment is difficult to operate and the long-term changes of the target bacteria cannot be tracked quickly and accurately. In this paper, the YOLOv5 algorithm is adopted to accurately identify bacteria with different focusing states of multi-layer bacteria at the z-axis with any focal depth. In the meantime, a certain amount of microspheres were mixed into bacteria to assist in locating bacteria, which was convenient for tracking the growth state of bacteria over a long period, and the recognition rates of both bacteria and microspheres were high. The recognition accuracy and counting accuracy of bacteria are 0.734 and 0.714, and the two recognition rates of microspheres are 0.910 and 0.927, respectively, which are much higher than the counting accuracy of 0.142 for bacteria and 0.781 for microspheres with the method of enhanced depth of field (EDF method). Moreover, during long-term bacterial tracking and detection, target bacteria at multiple z-axis focal depth positions can be recorded by the aid of microspheres as a positioning aid for 3D reconstruction, and the focal depth positions can be repositioned within 3–10 h. The structural similarity (SSIM) of microscopic image structure differences at the same focal depth fluctuates between 0.960 and 0.975 at different times, and the root-mean-square error (RMSE) fluctuates between 8 and 12, which indicates that the method also has good relocation accuracy. Thus, this method provides the basis for rapid, high-throughput, and long-term analysis of microscopic changes (e.g., morphology, size) of bacteria detection under the addition of antibiotics with different concentrations based on microfluidic channels in the future.

Experimental investigations of channel profile and surface roughness on PMMA substrate for microfluidic devices with mathematical modelling

Poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) microchannel based devices are gaining popularity, particularly in medical applications. Experiments were carried out on a PMMA based microchannel profile of thickness 10 mm through a 100-Watt CO2 laser machine by varying laser power, scanning speed and number of passes of the laser machine. The full factorial design of the experiment was implemented to investigate the microchannel profile, depth and surface roughness of the microchannel. The analytical model was developed to predict the microchannel profile and depth for the prescribed number of laser passes. The developed analytical model has been compared with the experimental investigations and also with the previously developed models available in the literature. Results of the analytical model predicted the fabricated profile with appreciable accuracy. Moreover, the close agreement of the results with the available literature models validates the acceptability of the proposed analytical model. The surface roughness predictive modeling using linear regression, polynomial regression of order 2,3 and 4, exponential Box-Lucas method and sigmoid Boltzmann models have been compared. The statistical analysis of all the models was performed, with the analysis of variance, mean squared error, Root Mean Square Error, mean absolute percentage error and coefficient of determination. Based on the comparative assessment, the best fitted and accurate model obtained was polynomial regression of order 3. Thus, the improved surface roughness generated with the laser machining would be a time and cost technique for the fabrication of microfluidic devices.

Structural and Electrochemical Properties of Ultra-Deep Ni3Si Microchannels

As an crucial branch for the development of micro/nanoporous metals, its exploration in ultra-deep direction has been ignored. In this paper, the electrochemical characteristics of ultra-deep micro/nanoporous metals were revealed based on Ni3Si microchannels for the first time. Ultra-deep Ni3Si microchannels were fabricated using the composite technology of directional solidification and selective phase dissolution. The large-scale morphology of the ultra-deep Ni3Si microchannels was characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical characteristics of the ultra-deep Ni3Si microchannels were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. With the increase in microchannel depth, the specific capacitance of the Ni3Si microchannels increased, the charge storage capacity enhanced, and the charge transfer resistance considerably decreased from 38854 Ω·cm2 to 404.9 Ω·cm2. The results suggested that ultra-deep Ni3Si microchannels have excellent electrochemical properties and can be used as an inexpensive and large-scale self-supporting catalyst in electrochemistry.

Heat transfer characteristics of two-phase flow in a double-layer microchannel heat sink

Coolant two-phase flow in microchannel heat sinks can provide efficient and attractive solutions for disposing of high heat fluxes generated in electronic components and other similar engineering devices. Moreover, the coolant flow in double-layer microchannels has been proven as an also more effective way than a single layer. This paper introduces some useful results of an experimental study with coolant two-phase flow conditions in double-layer microchannels. The double layers microchannels were fabricated by end milling using a CNC machine. The effects of the applied heat flux up to 82 W/cm2, the mass flux in the range of 200 to 426 kg/m2.s, and the maximum microchannel depth of 550 μm, on the thermal behaviour and associated coolant pressure drop, were investigated. The study handles ‘in integrated approach’ the important topics of the boiling heat transfer characteristics and hydraulic performance. Among these topics, the flow boiling curve and average boiling heat transfer coefficients have received much attention in the present work. Numerical values of this coefficient were predicted using an accurate mathematical model combined with in-house solution code which was developed and reported in this paper. The coolant two-phase flow good square surface temperature uniformity for the double layer microchannels.

Investigation of fiber laser micro-channel depth on silicon wafer

Researchers are rigorously trying to plan, innovate and discover, how machining can be made more economical and efficient. This paper presents a detailed investigation of fabricating micro-channels in c-Si wafer using fiber laser of 1064 nm wavelength. Scan speed, power and pulse frequency were considered as input parameters for experimentation. Taguchi L9 orthogonal array is adopted for design of experiment of input variables to study the micro channel depth. The investigation suggests that laser power has the highest impact on depth of the fabricated micro-channels in Si-wafer followed by scan speed and pulse frequency. Sensitivity analysis was also performed to check dominance of input factors on channel depth. At optimum conditions (scan speed-500 mm/s, power-50 W and frequency-25 Hz) the micro-channel depth was improved by 2.11 µm, previously it was 140.43 µm on trial 3. Microscopic analysis was performed to verify channel width deviation at optimal condition.

Effects of vertical confinement on the flow of polymer solutions in planar constriction microchannels.

The flow of polymer solutions under extensional conditions is frequently encountered in numerous engineering fields. Planar contraction and/or expansion microchannels have been a subject of interest for many studies in that regard, which, however, have mostly focused on shallow channel structures. We investigate here the effect of changing the depth of contraction-expansion microchannels on the flow responses of three types of polymer solutions and water. The flow of viscoelastic polyethylene oxide (PEO) solution is found to become more stable with suppressed vortex formation and growth in the contraction part while being less stable in the expansion part with the increase of the channel depth. These opposing trends in the contraction and expansion flows are noted to have similarities with our recent findings of constriction length-dependent instabilities in the same PEO solution (M. K. Raihan, S. Wu, Y. Song and X. Xuan, Soft Matter, 2021, 17, 9198-9209), where the contraction flow gets stabilized while the expansion flow becomes destabilized with the increase of the constriction length. In contrast, the entire flow becomes less stable in deeper channels for the shear-thinning xanthan gum (XG) solution as well as the shear thinning and viscoelastic polyacrylamide (PAA) solution. This observation aligns with that of water flow, which is attributed to the reduced top/bottom wall stabilizing effects.