Pressure-driven Microchannel Flow Research Articles

Intrinsic Viscosity of Polymers and Biopolymers Measured by Microchip

Intrinsic viscosity provides insight to molecular structure and interactions in solution. A new microchip method is described for fast and accurate measurements of viscosity and intrinsic viscosity of polymer and biopolymer solutions. Polymer samples are diluted with solvent in the microfluidic chip by imposing pressure gradients across the channel network. The concentration and flow dilutions of the polymer sample are calculated from the fluorescent signals recorded over a range of dilutions. The viscosities at various polymer dilutions are evaluated using mass and momentum balances in the pressure-driven microchannel flow. The technique is particularly important to many chemical, biological, and medical applications where sample is available in very small quantities. The intrinsic viscosity experiments were performed for three classes of polymer solutions: (a) poly(ethylene glycol), polymers with linear hydrocarbon chains; (b) bovine serum albumin, biopolymer chains with hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids, and (c) DNA fragments, biological macromolecules with double-stranded polymeric chains. The measured values of intrinsic viscosity agree remarkably well with the available data obtained using different methods. The data exhibit power law behavior for molecular weight as described by the Mark-Houwink-Sakurada equation. Experiments were performed to understand the effect of solvent quality and salt concentration on molecular conformations and the intrinsic viscosity of the polymers. This method offers a new way to study the conformational changes in proteins and DNA solutions in various buffer conditions such as pH, ionic strength, and surfactants. The effects of shear rate in the microchannel and mixing time on the accuracy and limitation of the measurement method are discussed.

Modeling of coupled momentum, heat and solute transport during DNA hybridization in a microchannel in the presence of electro-osmotic effects and axial pressure gradients

An integrated thermofluidic analysis of DNA hybridization, in the presence of combined electrokinetically and/or pressure-driven microchannel flows, is presented in this work. A comprehensive model is developed that combines bulk and surface transport of momentum, heat and solute with the pertinent hybridization kinetics, in a detailed manner. Results confirm that electrokinetic accumulation of DNA occurs within a few seconds or minutes, as compared to passive hybridization that could sometimes take several hours. Further, it is observed that by increasing the accumulation time, significantly higher concentration of DNA can be achieved at the capture probes. However, this eventually tends to attain a saturation state, due to a lesser probability of successful hybridization on account of a prior accumulation of target DNA molecules on the capture probe strands. While favorable pressure gradients augment DNA hybridization rates that are otherwise established by the electro-osmotic transport, adverse pressure gradients of comparable magnitude may turn out to be much less consequential in retarding the same. Such effects can be of potential significance in the designing of a microfluidic arrangement to achieve the fastest rate of DNA hybridization.

Depthwise averaging approach to cross-stream mixing in a pressure-driven microchannel flow

Microfluidic devices have many potential applications, such as BioMEMs (microelectromechanical systems for biomedical applications), miniature fuel cells, and microchannel cooling of electronic circuitry. One of the important considerations of microfluidic devices for analytical and bioanalytical chemistry is the dispersion of solutes. In this study, the dispersion of passive analyte between two miscible fluids of similar properties in a side-by-side pressure-driven creeping flow is examined. This study represents a first effort in applying the lubrication approximation together with the depthwise averaging method to analyze mass transport of passive analyte in a two-stream rectangular microchannel with consideration of the Taylor-Aris dispersion effect.

Continuous Fabrication of Biocatalyst Immobilized Microparticles Using Photopolymerization and Immiscible Liquids in Microfluidic Systems

We report a novel technique for manufacturing polymeric microparticles containing biocatalysts by the behavior of immiscible liquids in microfluidic systems and in situ photopolymerization. The approach utilizes a UV-polymerizable hydrogel/enzyme solution and an immiscible oil solution. The oil and hydrogel solutions form emulsions in pressure-driven flow in microchannels at high values of the dimensionless capillary number (Ca). The resultant hydrogel droplets are then polymerized in situ via exposure to 365 nm UV light. This technique allows for the generation of monodisperse particles whose size can be controlled by the regulation of flow rates. In addition, both manufacturing microparticles and immobilizing biocatalysts can be performed simultaneously and continuously.

High shear microfluidics and its application in rheological measurement

High shear rheology was explored experimentally in microchannels (150×150 μm). Two aqueous polymer solutions, polyethylene oxide (viscoelastic fluid) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (viscous fluid) were tested. Bagley correction was applied to remove the end effect. Wall slip was investigated with Mooney’s analysis. Shear rates as high as 106 s−1 were obtained in the pressure-driven microchannel flow, allowing a smooth extension of the low shear rheological data obtained from the conventional rheometers. At high shear rates, polymer degradation was observed for PEO solutions at a critical microchannel wall shear stress of 4.1×103 Pa. Stresses at the ends of the microchannel also contributed to PEO degradation significantly.

Gravity-induced reorientation of the interface between two liquids of different densities flowing laminarly through a microchannel

This paper experimentally quantifies the reorientation of the liquid-liquid interface between fluids of different densities flowing side-by-side in pressure-driven laminar flow in microchannels. A gravity-induced pressure mismatch at the interface will gradually drive the denser fluid to occupy the lower portion of the microchannel. The rate of this process is expected to depend on the interplay of viscous forces--which tend to dominate at the microscale-and inertial and gravitational forces. A correlation that relates the position of such a liquid-liquid interface to physical variables and channel dimensions was derived. The extent of reorientation of the streams was then related to two dimensionless numbers: Fr, the square root of the ratio of inertial to gravitational forces; and Re/Fr2, the ratio of gravitational to viscous forces. Further analysis showed that the reorientation of the streams depends only on the gravitational and viscous forces, but not inertia. The quantitative description of the position of the interface between liquids of different densities described in this paper aids in the rational design of the rapidly growing number of microchemical systems that utilize multistream laminar flow for performing spatially resolved chemistry and biology inside microfluidic channels.

Gas kinetic algorithm for flows in Poiseuille-like microchannels using Boltzmann model equation

The gas-kinetic unified algorithm using Boltzmann model equation have been extended and developed to solve the micro-scale gas flows in Poiseuille-like micro-channels from Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). The numerical modeling of the gas kinetic boundary conditions suitable for micro-scale gas flows is presented. To test the present method, the classical Couette flows with various Knudsen numbers, the gas flows from short microchannels like plane Poiseuille and the pressure-driven gas flows in two-dimensional short microchannels have been simulated and compared with the approximate solutions of the Boltzmann equation, the related DSMC results, the modified N-S solutions with slip-flow boundary theory, the gas-kinetic BGK-Burnett solutions and the experimental data. The comparisons show that the present gas-kinetic numerical algorithm using the mesoscopic Boltzmann simplified velocity distribution function equation can effectively simulate and reveal the gas flows in microchannels. The numerical experience indicates that this method may be a powerful tool in the numerical simulation of micro-scale gas flows from MEMS.

Improved understanding of the effect of electrical double layer on pressure-driven flow in microchannels

Traditionally, the effects of electrical double layer on pressure-driven flow in microchannels were modeled by using the Poisson–Boltzmann equation and the fluid momentum equation with a flow-induced body force term. Such a model, however, usually underestimate the electrical double layer effects on the flow. In this study, a theoretical model of the electrical double layer field is developed to provide a better understanding of the electrical double layer effects. The electrical potential and ionic concentration distribution in dilute solutions in small microchannels are investigated by numerically solving this new model. This newly developed model predicted the deficit of counter-ions in the bulk liquid region due to the accumulation of counter-ions in the EDL region, and the surplus of co-ions in the bulk liquid region due to rejection of the co-ions in the EDL region. The presence of the net charges in the bulk liquid region is responsible for the strong electroviscous effects in dilute solutions in small microchannels.

Mixing in the shear superposition micromixer: three-dimensional analysis.

In this paper, we analyse mixing in an active chaotic advection micromixer. The micromixer consists of a main rectangular channel and three cross-stream secondary channels that provide ability for time-dependent actuation of the flow stream in the direction orthogonal to the main stream. Three-dimensional motion in the mixer is studied. Numerical simulations and modelling of the flow are pursued in order to understand the experiments. It is shown that for some values of parameters a simple model can be derived that clearly represents the flow nature. Particle image velocimetry measurements of the flow are compared with numerical simulations and the analytical model. A measure for mixing, the mixing variance coefficient (MVC), is analysed. It is shown that mixing is substantially improved with multiple side channels with oscillatory flows, whose frequencies are increasing downstream. The optimization of MVC results for single side-channel mixing is presented. It is shown that dependence of MVC on frequency is not monotone, and a local minimum is found. Residence time distributions derived from the analytical model are analysed. It is shown that, while the average Lagrangian velocity profile is flattened over the steady flow, Taylor-dispersion effects are still present for the current micromixer configuration.

Electrokinetic microfluidic phenomena by a lattice Boltzmann model using a modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation with an excluded volume effect.

A lattice Boltzmann model (LBM) for electrokinetic microfluidics recently proposed by us [J. Colloid Interface Sci. 263, 144 (2003); Langmuir 19, 3041 (2003)] is employed by consideration of a modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation including an excluded volume effect. In our study, pressure is considered as the only external force for liquid flow. As commonly used, the Poisson-Boltzmann equation assumes only point charge, the predicted microfluidic phenomena of KCl and LiCl electrolyte solutions are theoretically the same; these phenomena, however, have been found to be experimentally different. Our LBM in conjunction with the modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation are capable of explaining this discrepancy and the results are in good agreement with recent experimental data for KCl and LiCl electrolyte solutions in pressure-driven microchannel flow, suggesting that our proposed LBM can be employed to predict the more complex microfluidic systems that might be problematic using conventional methods and electrokinetic models.

Developing pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels under the electrokinetic effect

A mathematical model is developed to study the electrokinetic effect on liquid developing flow in a parallel slit including the general Nernst–Planck equation describing anion and cation distributions, the Poisson equation determining the electrical potential profile, and the modified Navier–Stokes equation governing the velocity flow field. Since these three equations are coupled, a numerical scheme based on the finite volume method is utilized to iteratively solve the proposed model. A new expression for the streaming potential in the case of the developing flow status is derived. The characteristics of the pressure-driven flow in the presence of the electrokinetic effect are examined.

Influence of Three-Dimensional Roughness on Pressure-Driven Flow Through Microchannels

Surface roughness is present in most of the microfluidic devices due to the microfabrication techniques or particle adhesion. It is highly desirable to understand the roughness effect on microscale flow. In this study, we developed a three-dimensional finite-volume-based numerical model to simulate pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels with rectangular prism rough elements on the surfaces. Both symmetrical and asymmetric roughness element arrangements were considered, and the influence of the roughness on pressure drop was examined. The three-dimensional numerical solution shows significant effects of surface roughness in terms of the rough elements’ height, size, spacing, and the channel height on both the velocity distribution and the pressure drop. The compression-expansion flow around the three-dimensional roughness elements and the flow blockage caused by the roughness in the microchannel were discussed. An expression of the relative channel height reduction due to roughness effect was presented.

Flow regulation in microchannels via electrical alteration of surface properties

The development of microfluidic (lab-on-a-chip) technology requires local control of fluid flow in the microchannels. Conventional microvalve approaches involve moving parts and/or complicated fabrication techniques, which makes them unreliable and prevents inexpensive integration in microanalytical systems. We have developed a simple low cost method for regulating fluid flow in microchannels that is compatible with existing microfabrication techniques and eliminates the need for moving parts. We use an electrical signal to stimulate silver deposition on a thin solid electrolyte layer in a small region of a microchannel. Since fluid flow is dominated by the nature of the channel surface, the electrodeposited silver changes the fluid–surface interaction and the effect can be used to control the movement of the fluid. Increases in the contact angles of both water and methanol, by 20 ∘ and 27 ∘ respectively, have been demonstrated. Such changes in hydrophobicity are sufficient to retard or stop capillary or external pressure-driven fluid flow in typical microchannels.

Effective slip in pressure-driven Stokes flow

Nano-bubbles have recently been observed experimentally on smooth hydrophobic surfaces; cracks on a surface can likewise be the site of bubbles when partially wetting fluids are used. Because these bubbles may provide a zero shear stress boundary condition and modify considerably the friction generated by the solid boundary, it is of interest to quantify their influence on pressure-driven flow, with particular attention given to small geometries. We investigate two simple configurations of steady pressure-driven Stokes flow in a circular pipe whose surface contains periodically distributed regions of zero surface shear stress. In the spirit of experimental studies probing slip at solid surfaces, the effective slip length of the resulting flow is evaluated as a function of the degrees of freedom describing the surface heterogeneities, namely the relative width of the no-slip and no-shear stress regions and their distribution along the pipe. Comparison of the model with experimental studies of pressure-driven flow in capillaries and microchannels reporting slip is made and a possible interpretation of the experimental results is offered which is consistent with a large number of distributed slip domains such as nano-size and micron-size nearly flat bubbles coating the solid surface. Further, the possibility is suggested of a shear-dependent effective slip length, and an explanation is proposed for the seemingly paradoxical behaviour of the measured slip length increasing with system size, which is consistent with experimental results to date.

A Lattice Boltzmann model with high Reynolds number in the presence of external forces to describe microfluidics

We present here a lattice Boltzmann model with high Reynolds number in the presence of external force fields to describe electrokinetic phenomena in microfluidics, by considering pressure as the only external force for liquid flow. Our results from a 9-bit square lattice Boltzmann model are in excellent agreement with experimental data in pressure-driven microchannel flow that could not be fully described by electrokinetic theory. The difference between the predicted and experimental Reynolds numbers from pressure gradients are well within 5%. Our results suggest that the lattice Boltzmann model described here is an effective computational tool to predict the more complex microfluidic systems that might be problematic using conventional methods.

A lattice Boltzmann model for electrokinetic microchannel flow of electrolyte solution in the presence of external forces with the Poisson–Boltzmann equation

Microchannel flow with electrolyte solution is often influenced by the presence of a double layer of electrical charges at the interface between the liquid and the wall of a substrate. These surface interactions affect strongly the physical and chemical properties of fluid and substantially influence the heat, mass and momentum transport in microfluidic systems. Traditional computational fluid dynamics methods using the modified Navier–Stokes equation for electrokinetics in solving macroscopic hydrodynamic equations have many difficulties in this area. We present here a lattice Boltzmann model in the presence of external force fields to describe electrokinetic microfluidic phenomena using a Poisson–Boltzmann equation. Pressure is considered as the only external force to drive liquid flow in microchannels. Our results from a 9-bit square lattice Boltzmann model are in excellent agreement with recent experimental data in pressure-driven microchannel flow that could not be fully described by electrokinetic theory. The differences between the predicted and experimental Reynolds numbers from pressure gradients are well within 5%. Our results suggest that the lattice Boltzmann model described here is an effective computational tool to predict the more complex microfluidic systems that might be problematic using conventional methods.

Protein labeling reactions in electrochemical microchannel flow: Numerical simulation and uncertainty propagation

This paper presents a model for two-dimensional electrochemical microchannel flow including the propagation of uncertainty from model parameters to the simulation results. For a detailed representation of electroosmotic and pressure-driven microchannel flow, the model considers the coupled momentum, species transport, and electrostatic field equations, including variable zeta potential. The chemistry model accounts for pH-dependent protein labeling reactions as well as detailed buffer electrochemistry in a mixed finite-rate/equilibrium formulation. Uncertainty from the model parameters and boundary conditions is propagated to the model predictions using a pseudo-spectral stochastic formulation with polynomial chaos (PC) representations for parameters and field quantities. Using a Galerkin approach, the governing equations are reformulated into equations for the coefficients in the PC expansion. The implementation of the physical model with the stochastic uncertainty propagation is applied to protein-labeling in a homogeneous buffer, as well as in two-dimensional electrochemical microchannel flow. The results for the two-dimensional channel show strong distortion of sample profiles due to ion movement and consequent buffer disturbances. The uncertainty in these results is dominated by the uncertainty in the applied voltage across the channel.

Lattice Boltzmann model of microfluidics in the presence of external forces

We present here a lattice Boltzmann model in the presence of external force fields to describe electrokinetic microfluidic phenomena and consider pressure as the only external force to drive liquid flow. Our results from a 9-bit square lattice Boltzmann model are in good agreement with recent experimental data in a pressure-driven microchannel flow that could not be fully described by electrokinetic theory. The differences between the predicted and the experimental Reynolds numbers from pressure gradients are well within 5%. Results suggest that the lattice Boltzmann model described here is an effective computational tool for predicting the more complex microfluidic systems that might be problematic using conventional methods.

Lattice Boltzmann Model of Microfluidics with High Reynolds Numbers in the Presence of External Forces

We present here a lattice Boltzmann model with high Reynolds numbers in the presence of external force fields to describe electrokinetic phenomena in microfluidics, by considering pressure as the only external force for liquid flow. Our results from a 9-bit-square-lattice Boltzmann model are in excellent agreement with recent experimental data in pressure-driven microchannel flow that could not be fully described by electrokinetic theory. The difference between the predicted and experimental Reynolds numbers from pressure gradients are well within 5%. Our results suggest that the lattice Boltzmann model described here is an effective computational tool to predict the more complex microfluidic systems that might be problematic using conventional methods.

Modeling of Electric Double Layer Effects through Pressure-driven Microchannel Flows

Modeling of Electric Double Layer Effects through Pressure-driven Microchannel Flows