Motion of a droplet on a planar surface has applications in droplet-based lab on a chip technology. This paper reports the experimental results of the shape, contact angles, and motion of ferrofluid droplets driven by a permanent magnet on a planar homogeneous surface. The water-based ferrofluid in use is a colloidal suspension of single-domain magnetic nanoparticles. The effect of the magnetic field on the apparent contact angle of the ferrofluid droplet was first investigated. The results show that an increasing magnetic flux decreases the apparent contact angle of a sessile ferrofluid droplet. Next, the dynamic contact angle was investigated by observing the shape and the motion of a sessile ferrofluid droplet. The advancing and receding contact angles of the moving ferrofluid were measured at different moving speeds and magnetic field strengths. The measured contact angles were used to estimate the magnitude of the forces involved in the sliding motion. Scaling analysis was carried out to derive the critical velocity, beyond which the droplet is not able to catch up with the moving magnet.

This paper reports experimental and numerical results of the deformation of a ferrofluid droplet on a superhydrophobic surface under the effect of a uniform magnetic field. A water-based ferrofluid droplet surrounded by immiscible mineral oil was stretched by a magnetic field parallel to the substrate surface. The results show that an increasing flux density increases the droplet width and decreases the droplet height. A numerical model was established to study the equilibrium shape of the ferrofluid droplet. The governing equations for physical fields, including the magnetic field, are solved by the finite volume method. The interface between the two immiscible liquids was tracked by the level-set method. Nonlinear magnetization was implemented in the model. Comparison between experimental and numerical results shows that the numerical model can predict well the nonlinear deformation of a ferrofluid droplet in a uniform magnetic field.

This paper reports the investigation of mixing phenomena caused by the interaction between a uniform magnetic field and a magnetic fluid in a microfluidic chamber. The flow system consists of a water-based ferrofluid and a mixture of DI water and glycerol. Under a uniform magnetic field, the mismatch in magnetization of the fluids leads to instability at the interface and subsequent rapid mixing. The mismatch of magnetization is determined by concentration of magnetic nanoparticles. Full mixing at a relatively low magnetic flux density up to 10 mT can be achieved. The paper discusses the impact of key parameters such as magnetic flux density, flow rate ratio and viscosity ratio on the mixing efficiency. Two main mixing regimes are observed. In the improved diffusive mixing regime under low field strength, magnetic particles of the ferrofluid migrate into the diamagnetic fluid. In the bulk transport regime under high field strength, the fluid system is mixed rapidly by magnetically induced secondary flow in the chamber. The mixing concept potentially provides a wireless solution for a lab-on-a-chip system that is low-cost, robust, free of induced heat and independent of pH level or ion concentration.

Microfluidic device embedding electrodes realizes cell manipulation with the help of dielectrophoresis. Cell manipulation is an important technology for cell sorting and cell population purification. Till now, the theory of dielectrophoresis has been greatly developed. Microfluidic devices with various arrangements of electrodes have been reported from the beginning of the single non‐uniform electric field to the later multiple physical fields. This paper reviews the research status of microfluidic device embedding electrodes for cell manipulation based on dielectrophoresis. Firstly, the working principle of dielectrophoresis is explained. Next, cell manipulation approaches based on dielectrophoresis are introduced. Then, different types of electrode arrangements in the microfluidic device for cell manipulation are discussed, including planar, multilayered and microarray dot electrodes. Finally, the future development trend of the dielectrophoresis with the help of microfluidic devices is prospected. With the rapid development of microfluidic technology, in the near future, high precision, high throughput, high efficiency, multifunctional, portable, economical and practical microfluidic dielectrophoresis will be widely used in the fields of biology, medicine, agriculture and so on.

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Magnetic manipulation is a promising technique for lab-on-a-chip platforms. The magnetic approach can avoid problems associated with heat, surface charge, ionic concentration and pH level. The present paper investigates the migration of diamagnetic particles in a ferrofluid core stream that is sandwiched between two diamagnetic streams in a uniform magnetic field. The three-layer flow is expanded in a circular chamber for characterisation based on imaging of magnetic nanoparticles and fluorescent microparticles. A custom-made electromagnet generates a uniform magnetic field across the chamber. In a relatively weak uniform magnetic field, the diamagnetic particles in the ferrofluid move and spread across the chamber. Due to the magnetization gradient formed by the ferrofluid, diamagnetic particles undergo negative magnetophoresis and move towards the diamagnetic streams. The effects of magnetic field strength and the concentration of diamagnetic particles are studied in detail.

We investigate the spreading phenomena caused by the interaction between a uniform magnetic field and a magnetic fluid in microchannels. The flow system consists of two liquids: a ferrofluid and a mineral oil. The ferrofluid consists of super paramagnetic nanoparticles suspended in an oil-based carrier. Under a uniform magnetic field, the super paramagnetic particles are polarized and represent magnetic dipoles. The magnetization of the magnetic nanoparticles lead to a force resulting in the change of diffusion behavior inside the microchannel. Mixing due to secondary flow close to the interface also contributes to the spreading of the ferrofluid. The magnetic force acting on the liquid/liquid interface is caused by the mismatch of magnetization between the nanoparticles and surrounding liquid in a multiphase flow system. This paper examines the roles of magnetic force in the observed spreading phenomena. The effect of particles on the flow field is also considered. These phenomena would allow simple wireless control of a microfluidic system without changing the flow rates. These phenomena can potentially be used for focusing and sorting in cytometry.

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