Stackable micromixer with modular design for efficient mixing over wide Reynold numbers

Zhu, Shu; Fang, Yaohui; Chen, Yao; Yu, Peiwen; Han, Yu; Xiang, Nan; Zhang, Ni

doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2021.122129

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The fluid flowing along the curved channel is readily affected by centrifugal forces, which produce Dean flow, and the resultant secondary flow induces morphological changes to the medium mass transfer interface. , The position and direction of the vortex can be changed by altering the positive or negative curvature of the microchannel, leading to a more conducive mixing state. Furthermore, adding obstacles or baffles to induce disordered flow, applying a periodic structure for altering the flow distribution, and exploring the splitting and reorganization strategy have been shown to effectively improve fluid mixing efficiency in curved channels. , Although the above channel structure design can enhance fluid mixing, it can also increase the complexity of microchannel fabrication and thereby limit the large-scale production of disposable micromixers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidirectional Vortex Micromixer Utilizing a Curved Channel with Variable Cross-Sectional Circular Arc Mixing Chambers

Xue,

Jin

2024

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.

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A planar passive multidirectional vortex micromixer with a simple geometry and easy fabrication has been proposed and developed. The design of the microchannel structure integrates the flow impact, Dean flow, and vortex mixing effect by periodically arranging jet channels and variable cross-sectional circular arc mixing chambers. The complex vortex flow facilitates the breaking of the original laminar barrier of the fluid, which leads to efficient mixing by increasing the contact area of fluid mediums and reducing the diffusion distance of fluid molecules. The micromixer has been fabricated using precision micromilling technology, and the fluid mixing process was observed using a microscope imaging system. The fluid mixing process was simulated using commercial software, and the obtained numerical simulation results are consistent with the experimental results. At a flow Reynolds number of 70, the mixing index of the micromixer with a radius ratio of 2.66 is about 72% at the end of the first mixing module, and after completion of the flow of three mixing modules, the mixing index of its outlet channel cross section can reach more than 95%. This micromixer's simple and reliable performance makes it ideal for flexible applications in micro total analysis systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidirectional Vortex Micromixer Utilizing a Curved Channel with Variable Cross-Sectional Circular Arc Mixing Chambers

Xue,

Jin

2024

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.

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“…Flow cytometry enables the improved understanding of cell functions, the measurement of biophysical information on individual cells, and the characterization of cell heterogeneity in a large population, − which provides important tools for fundamental biological research and clinical diagnosis . As a novel method for precise cell manipulation and detection, microfluidics provides new insights for realizing the high-throughput cell focusing, counting, and identification functions of conventional flow cytometers due to the offered advantages of low device cost, simple operation, low sample consumption, and parallel processing capacity. , In a microfluidic flow cytometer, the fluorescent signals, optical images, , and impedance changes , of cells could be measured in a high-throughput and continuous-flow manner when the cells flow through the detection region. The key prerequisite for enabling the accurate cytometry detection is the three-dimensional (3D) focusing of cells, which makes the cells pass through the detection region one by one at fixed cross-sectional positions and avoids the detection errors caused by the position variation and the simultaneous existence of multiplex cells in the detection region …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controllable Size-Independent Three-Dimensional Inertial Focusing in High-Aspect-Ratio Asymmetric Serpentine Microchannels

Zhou

Zhu

et al. 2022

Anal. Chem.

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High-throughput three-dimensional (3D) focusing of cells is the key prerequisite for enabling accurate microfluidic cell detection and analysis. In this work, we develop a high-aspectratio asymmetric serpentine (HARAS) microchannel for single-line inertial focusing of particles and cells at the 3D center of the channel. The mechanism of 3D focusing is explored by numerical simulation, and the focusing performances of differently sized particles are characterized experimentally at different flow rates. The results demonstrate the outstanding 3D single-line focusing capability of our HARAS microchannel. In addition, the phenomena of size-independent and position-controllable focusing over wide flow rates are observed. Finally, the applicability of our HARAS microchannel for processing real biological cells is validated by the 3D single-line focusing of A549 cells and MCF-7 cells. Our work overcomes the issue of off-centered focusing of most previous works and provides new insights into the 3D focusing in inertial microfluidics. The proposed HARAS microchannel is extremely easy for mass production and may provide a stable, high-throughput, and position-controllable scheme for subsequent single-cell detection and analysis.

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“…Above all, many passive micromixers improve the mixing effect through unique lateral structures such as barriers and grooves 40,41 . Staggered baffles 42 However, sufficient mixing by lateral structures inherently requires an extremely large number of periodic mixing units 43,44 , which is not feasible in microfluidic applications. Also, disturbing the laminar flow using more baffles would increase the pressure drop and fabrication difficulty 45 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical investigation of multiscale lateral microstructures enhancing passive micromixing efficiency via secondary vortex flow

et al. 2022

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Passive micromixing can efficiently mix laminar flows through molecular and convective diffusion. Microstructures are expected to be efficient, easily integrated into micromixers, and suitable for micromixers over a wide range of Re. This paper presents the enhancement effects of the multiscale lateral microstructures on the flow field characteristics and mixing efficiency through numerical simulations at Re = 0.01–50. Inspired by the regulation of lateral microstructures on the local flow field, cross-scale staggered baffles (CSBs) were established and applied in typical passive micromixers. For low- Re conditions, the paired trapezoidal microstructures (PTMs) of the CSBs improved the mixing effect by increasing the local streamline tortuosity. For high- Re conditions, the PTMs of CSBs increased the number of expanding vortices in the microchannel, which could increase the size of the fluid interfaces, and an optimal mixing index with relatively little pressure drop was achieved. Moreover, the CSBs were applied to the serpentine curved channel, which caused large expanding vortices on the inner side of the curved channel, and then the state of the Dean vortices on the cross section of the curved channel changed. Therefore, compared with the conventional micromixer channel structure, lateral microstructures regulate the local flow field through the enhancement of the streamlines and the secondary flow effects, and lateral microstructures have great potential to improve the mixing efficiency over a wide range of Re.

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Stackable micromixer with modular design for efficient mixing over wide Reynold numbers

Cited by 13 publications

References 46 publications

Multidirectional Vortex Micromixer Utilizing a Curved Channel with Variable Cross-Sectional Circular Arc Mixing Chambers

Multidirectional Vortex Micromixer Utilizing a Curved Channel with Variable Cross-Sectional Circular Arc Mixing Chambers

Controllable Size-Independent Three-Dimensional Inertial Focusing in High-Aspect-Ratio Asymmetric Serpentine Microchannels

Numerical investigation of multiscale lateral microstructures enhancing passive micromixing efficiency via secondary vortex flow

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