Capillary driven movement of gas bubbles in tapered structures

This article presents a study on the capillary driven movement of gas bubbles confined in tapered channel configurations. These configurations can be used to transport growing gas bubbles in micro fluidic systems in a passive way, i.e. without external actuation. A typical application is the passive degassing of CO₂ in micro direct methanol fuel cells (μDMFC). Here, a one-dimensional model for the bubble movement in wide tapered channels is derived and calibrated by experimental observations. The movement of gas bubbles is modelled on straight trajectories based on a balance of forces. The bubble geometry is considered as three dimensional. In the development of the model, the effects of surface tension, inertia, viscosity, dynamic contact angle and thin film deposition are considered. It is found that in addition to viscous dissipation, the dynamics related to the contact line—dynamic contact angle and thin film deposition—are essential to describe the gas bubble’s movement. Nevertheless, it was also found that both of these effects, as modelled within this work, have similar impact and are hard to distinguish. The model was calibrated against experiments in a parameter range relevant for the application of travelling gas bubbles in passive degassing structures for μDMFCs.     

All-angle removal of CO2 bubbles from the anode microchannels of a micro fuel cell by lattice-Boltzmann simulation

The removal of carbon dioxide (CO₂) at the anode of a micro direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) is critical. The bubbles are generated at the anode and may block part of the catalyst/diffusion layer, causing the μDMFC to malfunction. This work discusses the CO₂ bubble dynamics of microfluidics in a μDMFC from a microscopic perspective. A two-dimensional, nine-velocity lattice-Boltzmann model was adopted in this work to simulate the two- component (CO₂ bubble plus methanol solution) two-phase (gaseous and liquid) micro flow in a microchannel. The liquid–gas surface tension, the buoyancy force and the fluid–solid wall interaction force play the major roles in the bubble dynamics. They are treated as source terms in the lattice momentum equation. Simulation results indicate that the methanol stream flow rate, the pore size and the channel incline angle significantly affect the removal of CO₂ bubbles. The effect of the incline angle is substantial at low stream flow rates. The critical pore size in the microchannel for removing bubbles at all angles under various flow conditions has been predicted quantitatively.     

Capillary-based water removal cathode for an air-breathing micro direct methanol fuel cell

This paper presents a capillary-based water removal cathode for an air-breathing micro direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC). The mechanism of water removal from the cathode is studied and an array of capillaries with hydrophilic surface is designed on the ribs of the cathode structure. Microfabrication techniques, including double-side lithography and ICP, were used to fabricate the anode and cathode plates of the μDMFC on the same silicon wafer simultaneously. The surface of capillary structure was treated by low temperature oxygen plasma to improve the hydrophilicity. One μDMFC with capillary-based water removal cathode and another regular one without were both assembled and characterized. Measured results show that the μDMFC with water removal cathode achieves a power density of 2.35 mW/cm², 12 % larger than that of the regular one with the value of 2.10 mW/cm². And the maximum current density of the novel μDMFC is 30 mA/cm², 20 % larger than that of the regular one, 25 mA/cm². It is also clearly observed during the μDMFC operation that the water is drawn out from the capillary-based water removal cathode expectantly.     

A study of capillary flow from a pendant droplet

Surface tension driven capillary flow from a pendant droplet into a horizontal glass capillary is investigated in this paper. Effect of the droplet surface on dynamic behavior of such capillary flow is examined and compared with surface tension driven capillary flow from an infinite reservoir. In the experiment, capillaries of 300–700 μm in diameter were used with glycerol–DI water mixture solutions having viscosities ranging from 80 to 934 mPa s. It is observed that compared to the capillary flow from an infinite reservoir, the capillary flow from a droplet exhibits higher rates of meniscus displacement. This is due to an additional driving force resulted from change in droplet surface area (or curvature). The two main parameters influencing the flow are the dimensionless droplet geometry parameter (k) and the dynamic contact angle (θ _D). The molecular kinetics theory of Blake and De Coninck’s model [Adv Colloid Interface Sci 96(1–3):21–36, 2002] is used to interpret the dynamic contact angle. This theory considers a molecular friction coefficient (ζ) at the liquid front flowing over a solid surface. Moreover, three models are proposed to describe the shape of the pendant droplet during capillary action. It is found that the egg-shaped model provides a more realistic model to compute the shape of the pendant droplet deformed during the capillary action. Thus the predictions by the egg-shaped model are in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Motion effect on the dynamic contact angles in a capillary tube

A mathematical model is developed to predict the effect of motion of a liquid plug in a capillary tube on the dynamic contact angles including the effects of driving pressure, liquid plug length, tube diameter, and operating temperature. Results show that the advancing contact angle significantly affects the flow resistance of the liquid plug occurring in a capillary tube. For a given driving pressure difference, the pressure difference due to the increase of the advancing contact angle is the primary contribution to the flow resistance of capillary flow in a capillary tube. For example, when the liquid plug length is equal to 5?mm at a driving pressure difference of 10?Pa and a tube radius of 500?μm, the flow resistance caused by the dynamic contact angle can be 92% of the total flow resistance at an operating temperature of 60°C. It can be concluded that the effect of the dynamic contact angle on the fluid flow of a liquid plug in a capillary tube must be considered.     

Capillary flow in microchannels

The surface of microchannels, especially polymer channels, often needs to be treated to acquire specific properties. This study investigated the capillary flow and the interface behavior in several glass capillaries and fabricated microchannels using a photographic technique and image analysis. The effect of air plasma treatment on the characteristics of capillary flow in three types of microfluidic chips, and the longevity of the acquired surface properties were also studied. It was observed that the dynamic contact angles in microchannels were significantly larger than those measured from a flat substrate and the angle varied with channel size. This suggests that dynamic contact angle measured in situ must be used in the theoretical calculation of capillary flow speed, especially for microfabricated microchannels since the surface properties are likely to be different from the native material. This study also revealed that plasma treatment could induce different interface patterns in the PDMS channels from those in the glass and PC channels. The PDMS channel walls could acquire different level of hydrophilicity during the plasma treatment, and the recovery to hydrophobicity is also non-homogeneous.     

Fabrication and characterization of a passive silicon-based direct methanol fuel cell

This paper reports on the fabrication and characterization of a passive silicon microfabricated direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC). The main characteristics of the device are its capability to work without complex pumping systems, only by capillary pressure, and the fact that its performance is not affected by the device orientation. A simple fabrication process based in deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), allows obtaining a reliable and low-cost final device. The device consists of two silicon microfabricated plates mounted together with a commercial membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The impact of current collector design on microfuel cell performance is explored and current–voltage (I–V) and current–power (I–P) curves of the device at different methanol concentration and orientation are presented. Optimal performance was obtained for methanol concentrations between 3 and 5 M, achieving a maximum power density of 12 mW/cm². The results obtained in this work demonstrate the feasibility of the device and give a guideline for design and conditions optimization.     

Capillary and electrostatic limitations to the contact angle in electrowetting-on-dielectric

The shape of a conducting liquid droplet placed on a hydrophobic dielectric surface is simulated numerically by solving the Laplace–Young capillary equation. The electric force, acting on the conducting surface, distorts the droplet shape leading to a change in the apparent contact angle; its variation is compared with a theoretical Young–Lippman prediction. At sufficiently large values of voltage, applied to the droplet, the numerical algorithm fails to converge, which is interpreted as the break-up of the droplet surface with small droplets being ejected from the surface. These highly charged droplets, as well as any other electric charges near the triple contact line, generated for example by the electric corona discharge, cause a change of the distribution of the electric forces. This effect can be helpful in explaining saturation of the apparent contact angle: an appropriately selected surface charge near the contact line can completely stop droplet distortion, and the contact angle variation, despite the increased droplet voltage. Furthermore, the simulation results show the effect of the permittivity of the medium surrounding the droplet, on the contact angle variation.     

Controlling capillary-driven surface flow on a paper-based microfluidic channel

This paper describes two methods for controlling capillary-driven liquid flow on microfluidic channels. Unlike flow driven by external forces, capillary-driven flow is dominated by interfacial phenomena and, therefore, is sensitive to the channel geometry and chemical composition (surface energy) along the channel. The first method to control fluid flow is based on altering surface energy along the channel through regulation of UV irradiation time, which enables adjusting the contact angle along the fluid path. The slowing down (delay) of the liquid flow depends on the stripe length and its position in the channel. Using this technique, we generated flow delays spanning from a second to over 3 min. In the second approach, we manipulated the flow velocity by introducing contractions and expansions in the channel. The methods used herein are inexpensive and can be incorporated to the microfluidic channel fabrication step. They are capable of controlling liquid flow with precise time delays without introducing the foreign matter in the fluidic device.     

Valves for autonomous capillary systems

Autonomous capillary systems (CSs) are microfluidic systems inside which liquids move owing to capillary forces. CSs can in principle bring the high-performances of microfluidic-based analytical devices to near patient and environmental testing applications. In this paper, we show how wettable capillary valves can enhance CSs with novel functionalities, such as delaying and stopping liquids in microchannels. The valves employ an abruptly changing geometry of the flow path to delay a moving liquid filling front in a wettable microchannel. We show how to combine delay valves with capillary pumps, prevent shortcuts of liquid along the corners of microfluidic channels, stop liquids filling microchannels from a few seconds to over 30 min, trigger valves using two liquid fronts merging, and time a liquid using parallel microfluidic paths converging to a trigger valve. All together, these concepts should add functionality to passive microfluidic systems without departing from their initial simplicity of use. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Microfabricated microfluidic fuel cells

We demonstrate high performance microfuel cells (μFC) operating at room temperature. The smallest μFC has a reaction surface of 0.11 cm² and has an output power density equal to 22.9 mW cm⁻². Methanol and air are supplied using microchannels etched into silicon wafers using microfabrication techniques which can accurately determine the μFC surface and the microchannel dimensions. The insertion of a novel hydrophilic fibrous layer into the anode diffusion layer stack produces 9.25 mW cm⁻² for an input fuel flow rate of 550 nL min⁻¹. The benefits of size-scaling and architecture optimization in μFC are demonstrated. Our observations and conclusions are by no means unique to methanol μFC but could be applied to other microfluidic liquid fuel μFC based on, e.g. microbial fuel cells, bio-ethanol and glucose solution.     

A study of flows in tangentially crossing micro-channels

In the present study, flow fields in the three-dimensional, tangentially crossing micro-channels were studied. The effect of the relevant geometrical parameters such as the aspect ratio, contact surface area, surface to volume factor, flow rate and cross angle on the flow turning was reported. When the geometries and the flow conditions of the two crossing channels were the same, the fraction of turning flow was found to be dependent on the aspect ratio of the channel as reported previously in the literature. However, if the configuration and flow conditions of the two channels were different, the results need to be clarified. A parameter of non-dimensionalized surface to volume ratio was devised to characterize the flow turning. And the parameter was tested against its validity using numerical simulation and the available experimental data. The experiments on the crossing angle were conducted to show that larger angle in general yielded higher turning flow ratio. The results are expected to be useful in the passive control of flow in micro-fluidic devices among others.     

接触角滞后对变截面微通道内水银液滴流动特性影响的数值仿真研究

微通道中气-液两相流的流动特性复杂,影响因素众多,表面效应成为了微流体流动的主要影响因素。在表面张力作用下,静态接触角由固相和液相物性决定,而动态接触角和接触角滞后则受表面粗糙度、表面不均匀性、表面污染等很多因素的影响。本文利用FLUENT中的VOF-CSF模型研究了惯性微流体开关中水银微液滴在变截面微通道内两相流的流动特性。通过动态和静态接触角滞后的UDF函数对变截面微通道中内流动特性的影响进行了数值仿真分析。结果表明,接触角滞后对水银微液滴的流动特性有重要影响,接触角滞后性越大,水银液滴越难通过微阀而进入储液槽闭合信号电极。由于水银液滴在加速度作用下接触线运动速度较低,动态接触角对流动特性的影响可以忽略,动态接触角可由静态接触角代替。     

微型直接甲醇燃料电池的三维数值模拟研究

运用计算流体力学软件COMSOLTM建立了微型直接甲醇燃料电池(μDMFC)三维数值模型,并用MEMS工艺制作电池进行实验验证.模型耦合了连续性方程、电化学反应方程和动量方程等.通过对模型求解,输出了平均电流密度和电压等参数.分析了扩散层和催化层结构参数对电池性能的影响,结果表明:过厚的催化层对电池性能提升并无太大帮助,在增大电催化剂Pt担量前提下应尽量减小催化层厚度.     

基于Fluent的微型直接甲醇燃料电池阳极流场结构分析

微型直接甲醇燃料电池中阳极流场结构对电池的性能有着重要的影响。为了合理设计阳极流场结构,改善甲醇燃料在阳极流场中的分布,采用计算流体动力学(CFD)软件Fluent对微型直接甲醇燃料电池进行建模并仿真分析。分析比较了点型、平行和蛇形3种不同流场图案下得到的压降与流速分布,得出蛇形流场能够更有利于甲醇燃料的均匀分配。在此基础上分别建立不同流道宽度(800,400,200,100μm)的蛇形流场模型,通过仿真计算甲醇燃料的分布情况来分析其对燃料电池性能的影响,并结合实验结果进行对比得出流道宽度为200～400μm之间为优化值。     

Liquid recirculation in microfluidic channels by the interplay of capillary and centrifugal forces

We demonstrate a technique to recirculate liquids in a microfluidic channel by alternating predominance of centrifugal and capillary forces to rapidly bring the entire volume of a liquid sample to within one diffusion length, δ, of the surface, even for sample volumes hundreds of times the product of δ and the geometric device area. This is accomplished by repetitive, random sampling of an on-disc sample reservoir to form a thin fluid layer of thickness δ in a microchannel, maintaining contact for the diffusion time, then rapidly exchanging the fluid layer for a fresh aliquot by disc rotation and stoppage. With this technique, liquid volumes of microlitres to millilitres can be handled in many sizes of microfluidic channels, provided the channel wall with greatest surface area is hydrophilic. We present a theoretical model describing the balance of centrifugal and capillary forces in the device and validate the model experimentally.     

A microreactor for hydrogen production in micro fuel cell applications

A silicon-chip based microreactor has been successfully fabricated and tested for carrying out the reaction of methanol reforming for microscale hydrogen production. The developed microreactor in combination with a micro fuel cell is proposed as an alternative to conventional portable sources of electricity such as batteries due to its ability to provide an uninterrupted supply of electricity as long as a supply of methanol and water can be provided. The microreformer-fuel cell combination has the advantage of not requiring the tedious recharging cycles needed by conventional rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. It also offers significantly higher energy storage densities, which translates into less frequent "recharging" through the refilling of methanol fuel. The microreactor consists of a network of catalyst-packed parallel microchannels of depths ranging from 200 to 400 /spl mu/m with a catalyst particle filter near the outlet fabricated using photolithography and deep-reactive ion etching (DRIE) on a silicon substrate. Issues related to microchannel and filter capping, on-chip heating and temperature sensing, introduction and trapping of catalyst particles in the microchannels, flow distribution, microfluidic interfacing, and thermal insulation have been addressed. Experimental runs have demonstrated a methanol to hydrogen molar conversion of at least 85% to 90% at flow rates enough to supply hydrogen to an 8- to 10-W fuel cell.     

Microfluidic motion for a direct investigation of solvent interactions with PDMS microchannels

Solid surface/liquid interactions play an important role in microfluidics and particularly in manipulation of films, drops and bubbles, a basic requirement for a number of lab-on-chip applications. The behavior of solvents in coated microchannels is difficult to be predicted considering theories; therefore, experimental methods able to estimate the properties at the interface in real time and during the operational regime are amenable. Here, we propose to use an experimental setup to evaluate the effective dynamics of solvents inside PDMS microchannels. The influence of the solvent properties as well as of the channel wall’s wettability on the fluid movements was evaluated. Modification of the channel properties was achieved by introducing Teflon coatings that allow producing stable hydrophobic microchannel walls. The results were fitted according to Washburn-type power-law and compared with theoretical calculations of the parameter β that expresses the dependence of capillary dynamics on surface tension γ, liquid viscosity η, contact angles θ and the hydraulic radius R _H. A comparison between the calculated and the experimental values reveled that parameters other than the contemplated ones influenced the measurements. The main parameter that affects the flow of solvents such as water, methanol ethanol, dimethylformamide, acetonitrile and acetone was found to be the γ/η ratio. Considering these results, the investigation tool described here is believed to be promising to predict the dynamics of common organic solvents inside integrated functional fluidic devices and to accurately control solvent flow, particularly in capillary-driven pumpless systems, a basic requirement for widening the application range of PDMS lab-on-chip devices.     

Optimization of a serpentine flow field with variable channel heights and widths for PEM fuel cells

The present study proposes a modified serpentine flow field design in which the channel heights vary along each straight flow path to enhance reactant transport and liquid water removal. An optimization approach, combining a simplified conjugate-gradient method (inverse solver) and a three-dimensional, two-phase, non-isothermal fuel cell model (direct solver), has been developed to optimize the key geometric parameters. The optimal design has tapered channels for channels 1, 3 and 4 and increasing heights f...     

A passive through hole microvalve for capillary flow control in microfluidic systems

A passive through hole microvalve is proposed to stop the capillary-driven flow in microchannels with small static contact angle (θ_s < 45°). Its gating condition on regulating flow is derived based on contact line theory. Using numerical simulations in certain limits and some experiments, we investigated the valve performance of a few different valve designs. A kind of converging through hole microvalve is found which can stop the relative faster capillary flow and is easier to fabricate and integrate. It is shown that allowable flow velocity for DI water could reach 0.5 m/s, and the height of microvalve could be as short as to 20 μm.