Microfluidics

Basic principles

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Microfluidics
Microfluidics aims at investigating

and developing miniature devices which can sense, pump, mix, monitor and control small volume of fluids

Microfluidics has the potential to

revolutionize the processes and products that can use fluids07/28/12 by

Microfluidics
Advantages of miniaturized channels and

reservoirs

Work with small volume Increase speed of reaction Better performance with lower power Precise mixing / dosage and heating Can be integrated with other devices- e.g lab on a

chip (LOC) Ease of disposing of device and fluids High surface to volume ratio/ low Reynolds numbers Reduce cost of reagents and power consumption Minimize dead space, void volume, and sample carryover Multiplex capability: increased number of 07/28/12 parameters monitored per assay

Applications of Microfluidics System

Chemical analysis Biological sensing Chemical sensing Drug delivery Molecular separation Amplification, sequencing,

synthesis of nucleic acids

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Challenges for total integration

Integrating microvalves and

micropumps Packaging Interconnects (optimize, reduce, eliminate) Filling, bubbles, dead volume Leakage Integrated, ultra sensitive detection Sensitivity limited by sample volume Expensive low power pressure sources Control algorithms, data processing 07/28/12 and

Outline
Fluid basic properties Components for fluidic

devices Some devices and applications

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Basic Properties
Basic fluidic concepts Conversation of Mass-

continuity equation Newtons second law-Navier stokes equation Incompressible laminar flow Squeeze film in MEMS
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Gases and Liquids

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Microfluidics
Fluid has volume but no shape Any substance that deforms

continuously under the application of shear Microfluidics Fluid dynamics in microscopic domains
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Macro assumptions
Fluid behaves as continuum Fluid sticks to surface- no slip

condition

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Fluid movement
Gravity pumped Vacuum pumps Electro-osmotic flow Thermal flow Material in the fluid is moved

electrostatically

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Basic Properties
Types of fluids
Newtonian Non-Newtonian

Fluid flow
Laminar flow Turbulant flow

Parameters
Shear Viscosity Surface tension
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Fluids
Newtonian fluids
Shear stress is proportional to shear strain

Non-Newtonian Fluids
Time independent with yield stress Time dependent with shear rate of

deformation magnitude and time history Viscoelastic-allows to recover some of the deformation energy
Most of the body fluids are Non-Newtonian

fluids
Blood viscosity is smaller in thin vessels
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Stress-strain for a fluid

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Topics in fluids
Ideal gas law Navier-stokes equation Laminar flow
Poiseuille flow

Viscosity

Surface tension Capillary forces

Reynolds Number Knudsen Number Diffusion Electroosmotic flow Electrophoresis Mixing

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Density
Density of fluid depends on

pressure, P and temperature, T Gases are compressible For an ideal gas:

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Ideal gases

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Fluids-types of flow
Laminar flow-steady Energy losses are dominated by viscosity effects Turbulent flow
Most flow in nature are

turbulent Reynolds Number is a measure of turbulence

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Newtons second law of fluidics

Newtons second law:
Time rate of change of momentum of a

system equal to net force acting on the system

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Navier-Stokes Equation

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Navier-Stokes Equation
Navier-Stokes Equation applies when:
There are more than one million molecules in

smallest volume that a macroscopic change takes place The flow is not too far from thermodynamic equilibrium
In microsystems, continuum assumptions

seem to hold reasonably well Breaks down in nanosystems-requires molecualr dynamics calculations
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Navier-Stokes Equation in microfluidics

Terms become dominant based on physics

of scale In microfluidics, internal forces dominate due to small dimensions, even though velocity can be high

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Laminar and turbulent flows

Laminar flow
Viscous interaction between the wall and the

fluid is strong and there is no turbulence and vortices

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Laminar flow

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Couette flow
This is a steady flow
One of the plate is moving with respect to the

other
No slip at any of the plates Shear stress acts on plate due to motion

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Poiseuille flow
This is a pressure driven flow No slip at any of the plates Shear stress is dissipative The pressure force is balanced by shear

forces at the walls

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Pressure driven flow

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Flow velocity profiles

Assume that we have both pressure driven

(Poiseuille flow) and plate motion (Couette flow)

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Fluidic resistance
Resistance = pressure drop/ flow rate For laminar flow in circular plate

For rectangular channel

For micromachined channel in Si

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Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of resistance

(friction) of the fluid to the flow This determines flow rate Symbol: and in some books

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Basic properties-viscosity
Fluids and gases are very different
Fluids become less viscous as temperature

increases Gases become more viscous as temperature increases

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Viscosity in gases and fluids

Gases

Fluids

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Viscosity
Fluid deforms continuously in presence of

shear forces For a Newtonian fluid

Some values

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Examples of viscosity at a certain temperature

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Viscosity and Temperature

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Surface Tension

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Forces- capillary effects

A wetting fluid will rise in a capillary tube Equilibrium: pressure drop across meniscus Surface tension viscosity

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Capillary forces

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Reynolds Number
Reynolds Number (Re) = intertial

forces/viscous forces Re = Kinetic energy/energy dissipated by shear Implies inertia relatively important

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High and Low Reynolds Number Fluidics

When the Reynolds number is low, Viscous

interaction between the wall and the fluid is strong, and there si no turbulence or vortices

Is This Flow Turbulent?

Mixing

Microchannel cross sections

Re and Size

Knudsen Number
Knudsen Number assumes that we can

treat the material as a Continuum Continuum hypothesis holds true for liquids than gases

Kn measures deviation of the state of the

material continuum

The smallest length scale of a continuum

Stokes-Einstein Diffusion

Diffusion in Fluids
Very short diffusion times

Laminar flow limits benefits for fluid mixing Highly predictable diffusion has enabled a

new class of microfluidic diffusion mixers

Fluid Squeeze
Squeeze film damping

Summary
Re= Turbulent/viscous stresses Re < 2100 : laminar (stokes) flow

regime, slow fluid flow, no inertial effects Laminar flow in microfluidics Slow time constant, heavy damping Re > 4000: turbulent flwo regime

Fluid Behaviour
What happens when the fluid is on the

micro/nanoscale Scaling:
Quantities proportional L3 Inertia, Buoyancy Quantities proportional L2
Drag, surface charge, etc

Quantities proportional L1 Surface tension

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