Work

Microfluidic systems for chemical kinetics that rely on chaotic mixing in droplets

Year: 2004

Type: review

Abstract: This paper reviews work on a microfluidic system that relies on chaotic advection to rapidly mix multiple reagents isolated in droplets (plugs). Using a combination of turns and straight sections, winding microfluidic channels create unsteady fluid flows that rapidly mix the multiple reagents contained within plugs. The scaling of mixing for a range of channel widths, flow velocities and diffusion coefficients has been investigated. Due to rapid mixing, low sample consumption and transport of reagents with no dispersion, the system is particularly appropriate for chemical kinetics and biochemical assays. The mixing occurs by chaotic advection and is rapid (sub-millisecond), allowing for an accurate description of fast reaction kinetics. In addition, mixing has been characterized and explicitly incorporated into the kinetic model.

Source: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences

DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2003.1364

Authors: Michelle R. Bringer, Cory J. Gerdts, Helen Song, Joshua D. Tice, Rustem F. Ismagilov

Institution: University of Chicago

Language: English

Topic: Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation

Subfield: Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes

Field: Chemical Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Award: New Microfluidic Technology as Research Tool for Biology