In the delivery of DNA molecules by microfluidic devices, the channel width is very often in the same order as the size of the DNA molecules and the applicability of continuum mechanics at this level may be questioned. In this paper we use finitely extendable nonlinear elastic (FENE) chains to model the DNA molecules and employ the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method to simulate their behavior in the flow. Simple DPD fluids are found to behave just like a Newtonian fluid in Poiseuille flow. However, the velocity profiles of FENE chain suspensions can be fitted with power-law curves, especially for dilute suspensions. Some results on the conformation and migration of FENE chains are also reported.

We report some molecular dynamics simulation results for a complex nano channel flow. In certain flow geometry, some of the flow features cannot be predicted by the Navier–Stokes equations with no-slip boundary conditions. The results show a loss of dynamic similarity for flows with similar geometry and global dimensionless flow parameters. Nano-sized vortex flow can be developed at low Reynolds numbers due to near-wall molecules having large enough momenta, resulting in qualitatively different flow field from that predicted by the Navier–Stokes equations.

In this paper, we report on first stage results on our work on the design and prototyping of a simple polycarbonate micro-mixer. CFD simulations indicate that the elliptical shape of the mixer appears to eliminate dead volumes and to result in more uniform flow and hence more uniform mixing. The mixer has also been characterised spectrophotometrically in a simple way. A simple design may be advantageous in that it may be more reliable in the micro-scale. It is certainly easier to manufacture.

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