Study of the geometry in a 3D flow‑focusing device

We present a numerical and experimental study on a non-planar three-dimensional design of a microfluidic flow-focusing device for the well-controlled generation of monodisperse micron-sized droplets. Three relevant geometric parameters were identified: the distance between the inner inlet channel an...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Castro Hernández, Elena De, Kok, Maarten P., Versluis, Michel, Fernández Rivas, David
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/135011
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/135011
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-016-1708-3
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Flow-focusing
Microfluidics
Jet
Micro-droplets
Descripción
Sumario:We present a numerical and experimental study on a non-planar three-dimensional design of a microfluidic flow-focusing device for the well-controlled generation of monodisperse micron-sized droplets. Three relevant geometric parameters were identified: the distance between the inner inlet channel and the outlet channel, the width of the outlet channel, and its length. Simulation data extracted from a full parameter study and finite element simulations yielded four optimum designs that were then fabricated using soft lithography techniques. Under the predicted operating conditions, micro-droplets of a size of ~1μm in diameter are obtained from a channel 50 μm in width. This work represents an important breakthrough in the practical use of flow-focusing devices delivering a ratio of constriction to droplet size of 50 times, with the advantage of reduced clogging of the micro-channel, greatly improving the control and reliability of the device.