Principles of surface-directed liquid flow in microfluidic channels

To direct liquid flow inside microchannels, surface free energies were patterned by use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in combination with either multistream laminar flow or photolithography. For the photolithographic method, two photocleavable SAMs were designed and synthesized. Carboxylic acid-terminated monolayers were obtained by photodeprotection, which was confirmed by contact angle and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Using either of these patterning methods, we show that aqueous liquids flow only along the hydrophilic pathways when the pressure is maintained below a critical value; the liquids are referred to as being confined by virtual walls. Several principles of liquid flow in surface-patterned channels were derived analytically and verified experimentally. These principles include the maximum pressure that virtual walls can withstand, the critical width of the hydrophilic pathway that can support spontaneous flow, the smallest width of the liquid streams under an external pressure, the critical radius of curvature of turns that can be introduced into the hydrophilic pathway without liquid crossing the hydrophilic-hydrophobic boundary, and the minimal distance for two liquid streams to remain separated under the maximum pressure. Experimental results are in good agreement with the analytical predictions.     

Flow behavior in surface-modified microchannels with polymer nanosheets

The paper describes water flow behavior in surface-modified microchannels. We prepared straight-type microchannels which had rectangular cross sections with four different combinations of microchannel surface wettability; cleaned glass substrates served as hydrophilic microchannel walls and the microchannel walls coated with polymer Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films were used as hydrophobic surfaces. The polymer LB films were successfully transferred onto glass substrates by vertical dipping method. The flow rates and the water meniscus shape strongly depended on the microchannel surface wettability. The decrease in flow rate with the increasing number of hydrophobic (polymer LB film) surface was attributed to the higher adhesion energy of hydrophobic surface. The Reynolds number was also characterized to be in the order of 10^− 1, implying a specific feature of microchannel; laminar flow.     

Induced pressure pumping in polymer microchannels via field-effect flow control

Microfluidic field-effect flow control (FEFC) modifies the zeta potential of electroosmotic flow using a transverse electric field applied through the microchannel wall. Previously demonstrated in silicon-based and glass microsystems, FEFC is presented here as an elegant method for flow control in polymer-based microfluidics with a simple and low-cost fabrication process. In addition to direct FEFC flow modulation, independent transverse electric fields in connected microchannels are demonstrated to produce a differential pumping rate between the microchannels. The different electroosmotic pumping rates formed by local zeta potential control induce an internal pressure at the microchannel intersection, resulting in hydrodynamic pumping through an interconnecting field-free microchannel. Modulation of the voltages applied to the gate electrodes adjusts the magnitude and direction of the bidirectional pressure pumping, with fine resolution volume flow rates from -2 to 2 nL/min in the field-free microchannel demonstrated.     

Stabilization of liquid interface and control of two-phase confluence and separation in glass microchips by utilizing octadecylsilane modification of microchannels

We demonstrated a liquid/liquid and a gas/liquid two-phase crossing flow in glass microchips. A 250-microm-wide microchannel for aqueous-phase flow was fabricated on a top glass plate. Then, as a way to utilize the surface energy difference for stable phase confluence and separation, a 250-microm-wide microchannel for organic-phase (or gas-phase) flow was fabricated on a bottom glass plate and the wall was chemically modified by octadecylsilane (ODS) group. The top and bottom plates were sealed only by pressure. A microchannel pattern was designed so that the two phases made contact at the crossing point of the straight microchannels. The crossing point was observed with an optical microscope. Results showed that the ODS modification of the microchannel wall clearly improved stability of the interface between the two fluids. Pressure difference between fluids was measured and the interface of water and nitrobenzene was stable for the pressure difference from +300 Pa to -200 Pa. The pressure drop in a countercurrent flow configuration was also estimated, and the pressure difference required to realize the counter current flow was less than the allowable pressure range. Finally, we discussed the advantages of utilizing this approach.     

Stable microstructured network for protein patterning on a plastic microfluidic channel: strategy and characterization of on-chip enzyme microreactors

Chemical modification of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microchannel surface has been explored to functionalize microfluidic chip systems. A craft copolymer was designed and synthesized to introduce the silane functional groups onto the plastic surface first. Furthermore, it has been found that, through a silicon-oxygen-silicon bridge that formed by tethering to these functional groups, a stable patterning network of gel matrix could be achieved. Thus, anchorage of proteins could be realized onto the hydrophobic PMMA microchannels with bioactivity preserved as far as possible. The protein homogeneous patterning in a microfluidic channel has been demonstrated by performing microchip capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection and confocal fluorescence microscopy. To investigate the bioactivity of enzymes entrapped within stable silica gel-derived microchannels, the suggested scheme was employed to the construction of immobilized enzyme microreactor-on-a-chip. The proteolytic activity of immobilized trypsin has been demonstrated with the digestion of cytochrome c and bovine serum albumin at a fast flow rate of 4.0 microL/min, which affords the short residence time less than 5 s. The digestion products were characterized using MALDI-TOF MS with sequence coverage of 75 and 31% observed, respectively. This research exhibited a simple but effective strategy of plastic microchip surface modification for protein immobilization in biological and proteomic research.     

Pressure balance at the liquid-liquid interface of micro countercurrent flows in microchips

An interfacial pressure balance model was proposed and verified for the elucidation of the physical mechanism of micro countercurrent flow in a hydrophilic-hydrophobic selective-modification microchannel. We considered the conditions of the microflow phase separation, where the phase separation entails a single phase flow in each output of the microchannel. In this pressure balance model, the pressure difference between the two phases due to pressure loss in each phase is balanced by the Laplace pressure generated by the interfacial tension at the liquid-liquid interface between the separated phases. When the pressure difference between the two phases is sufficiently low, the contact line between the two phases is pinned at the boundary between the hydrophilic and the hydrophobic surfaces. Since the contact angle is restricted to values between the advancing and receding contact angles, the Laplace pressure has a limit. When the pressure difference between the two phases exceeds the limiting Laplace pressure, one of the phases leaks into the output channel of the other phase, and the phase separation fails. In order to experimentally verify this physical picture, a microchip with an asymmetric cross section, whose hydraulic diameters were 19 and 102 mum, was used. In the microchip, a phase separation of a water-toluene micro countercurrent flow was achieved under pressure differences between an upper limit of 6.9 kPa and a lower limit of -9.3 kPa. The upper limit agreed well with the proposed model. The model is also applicable to cocurrent flows, so that it is useful for general multiphase microflows in continuous-flow chemical processing.     

Nanointerstice‐Driven Microflow

To generate flow in microchannels, various actuation schemes such as electrokinetic, pressure‐driven, and capillary‐driven flow have been suggested. Capillary‐driven flow is widely used in plastic disposable diagnostic platforms due to its simplicity and because it requires no external power. However, plastics such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), generally used in microfluidics, are hydrophobic, which inhibits capillary force generation and requires surface enhancement that deteriorates with age. It is shown that the microchannels made of PMMA lose their acquired hydrophilicity by oxygen plasma treatment in long‐term storage and tend to generate slow capillary flow exhibiting large variability. To promote consistency and drive flow in the microchannel, nanointerstices (NI) are introduced at the side wall of the microchannel, which results in capillary flow that is less dependent on surface characteristics. The results show that NI flow generation can be a useful alternative technique to create long‐term predictable flow in commercialized products with microchannels.     

Control of microfluidic flow in amphiphilic fabrics

Woven textile fabrics were designed and constructed from hydrophilic and hydrophobic spun yarns to give planar substrates containing amphiphilic microchannels with defined orientations and locations. Polypropylene fibers were spun to give hydrophobic yarns, and the hydrophilic yarns were spun from a poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolyester. Water wicking rates into the fabrics were measured by video microscopy from single drops, relevant for point-of-care microfluidic diagnostic devices, and from reservoirs. intra-yarn microchannels in the hydrophilic polyester yarns were shown to selectively transport aqueous fluids, with the flow path governed by the placement of the hydrophilic yarns in the fabric. By comparing fluid transport in fabric constructions with systematic variations in the numbers of adjacent parallel and orthogonal hydrophilic yarns, it was found that inter-yarn microchannels significantly increased wicking rates. Simultaneous wicking of an aqueous and hydrocarbon fluid into the hydrophilic and hydrophobic microchannels of an amphiphilic fabric was successfully demonstrated. The high degree of interfacial contact and micrometer-scale diffusion lengths of such coflowing immiscible fluid streams inside amphiphilic fabrics suggest potential applications as highly scalable and affordable microcontactors for liquid-liquid extractions.     

行波压电微泵的制作和测试(英文)

微泵是微流体芯片发展水平的重要标志.为提高微泵的工作性能,提出了一种新型行波驱动的压电微泵.在设计了不同的微管道结构(锯齿形微管道和直微管道)的基础上,对压电执行器和微管道进行仿真分析和优化设计.采用热键合工艺制作具有不同微管道的微泵,在不同频率的驱动信号下测定行波微泵的频率特性,同时也测量了微泵流速与背压的关系曲线以及电压幅值特性.相比于直管道微泵,锯齿形管道微泵具有更好的工作性能,在26 V驱动电压下,其最大平均流速和背压分别达到33.36μL/min和1.13 kPa.     

Inner Surface Design of Functional Microchannels for Microscale Flow Control

Fluidic flow behaviors in microfluidics are dominated by the interfaces created between the fluids and the inner surface walls of microchannels. Microchannel inner surface designs, including the surface chemical modification, and the construction of micro‐/nanostructures, are good examples of manipulating those interfaces between liquids and surfaces through tuning the chemical and physical properties of the inner walls of the microchannel. Therefore, the microchannel inner surface design plays critical roles in regulating microflows to enhance the capabilities of microfluidic systems for various applications. Most recently, the rapid progresses in micro‐/nanofabrication technologies and fundamental materials have also made it possible to integrate increasingly complex chemical and physical surface modification strategies with the preparation of microchannels in microfluidics. Besides, a wave of researches focusing on the ideas of using liquids as dynamic surface materials is identified, and the unique characteristics endowed with liquid–liquid interfaces have revealed that the interesting phenomena can extend the scope of interfacial interactions determining microflow behaviors. This review extensively discusses the microchannel inner surface designs for microflow control, especially evaluates them from the perspectives of the interfaces resulting from the inner surface designs. In addition, prospective opportunities for the development of surface designs of microchannels, and their applications are provided with the potential to attract scientific interest in areas related to the rapid development and applications of various microchannel systems.     

Label-free detection of heparin, streptavidin, and other probes by pulsed streaming potentials in plastic microfluidic channels

In this paper, pulsed streaming potentials generated in plastic microfluidic channels are used for the label-free detection of some model analytes. The microchannels are fabricated with the commodity plastic cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), and the detection signal arises from a change in the surface charge upon analyte adsorption on the modified microchannel surface. The role of the surface modification is to confer the microchannel with a predetermined charge and a particular specificity toward the adsorption of the target analyte. In this work, several target probes displaying different levels of specificity were investigated. Heparin and streptavidin were detected by adsorption on microchannel surfaces modified with protamine and biotin, respectively, whereas bovine serum albumin (BSA) and methylene blue (MB) showed nonspecific adsorption on almost any modified or unmodified COC microchannel surface. The magnitude of the streaming potential was found to be proportional to the liquid pressure and the surface charge of the microchannel in accord with the Smoluchowski equation. Because the relative polarity of the streaming potential is determined by the surface charge, the most straightforward detection with this method occurs when the charge is reversed upon analyte adsorption. This strategy was used for the species described in this work, and the lowest concentrations detected were approximately 0.01 units/mL for heparin (below clinical relevance), approximately 10 (-9) M for BSA, and approximately 10 (-6) M for MB. Unlike the conventional method of steady flow, in this work, the streaming potentials were measured under pulsed conditions of flow and using nonreference electrodes. This approach removes the need of special electrolytes as it is usually required when using reference electrodes, and at the same time, it mitigates the interference of electrochemical drift from the electrodes. Relative standard deviations of approximately 1-2% and measuring times of approximately 10 s are readily attained with this experimental setup. The on-channel modification of the surface was carried out by UV-photografting methods given the significant UV transparency of COC.     

Features of water microdrop dispersion flow in microchannels

A remarkable property of inverse water-hydrocarbon emulsions, which is manifested during their flow in microchannels, has been discovered and called dynamic blocking. According to this phenomenon, the flow of emulsion through a microchannel ceases with the time despite the presence of a continuously applied pressure gradient. Experiments show that this effect can be observed for the flow of emulsions with different compositions and rheological properties. The effect is manifested at rather significant pressure gradients, although it is accompanied by a partial degradation of dispersions. A physical mechanism is proposed to explain the dynamic blocking of water-hydrocarbon emulsions in microchannels, which is based on the notion of an interaction between nanodimensional surface shells consisting of surfactant molecules that surround water microdrops.     

Characteristic electrochemical responses of polymer microchannel-microelectrode chips

Polymer microchannel chips (dimension of the channel, 20 microm (depth) x 100 microm (width)) integrated with dual microband electrodes were fabricated by an imprinting method, and their characteristic electrochemical responses were elucidated in detail. A silicon micromachined template fabricated by photolithography and dry etching techniques was used for imprinting. An aqueous solution of a ferrocene derivative was brought into the microchannel by pressure-driven flow, and the electrode responses were studied on the basis of voltammetry and chronoamperometry. A linear sweep voltammetry of 1-hydroxyethylferrocene (FeCp-OH) in water demonstrated that the electrode responses in the microchannel chip were best characterized by one-dimensional diffusion along the channel length, reflecting the structural dimension of the channel. In generation-collection mode experiments, furthermore, a collection efficiency as high as approximately 90% was attained in the microchannel owing to both restricted space and characteristics of solution flow in the channel. It was confirmed that diffusion and solution flow made molecular transport very efficient in the microchannel. The experimental results were also compared with those predicted by computer simulations.     

Pressure drop in round cylindrical headers of parallel flow MCHXs: Pressure loss coefficients for single phase flow

This paper presents the investigation of the pressure drop in headers and development of correlation for pressure loss coefficient for single phase flow through round cylindrical headers of parallel MCHXs. The working fluid was compressed air flowing through header with 1–20 m s⁻¹ based on smallest cross section while the velocity through microchannels was in the range 6–30 m s⁻¹. The experimental results indicate that the pressure loss coefficient of inlet header is a linear function of the ratio of velocities through microchannel tube and header, except for the first two microchannel tubes; the pressure loss coefficient of outlet header is a quadratic function of the ratio of velocities through microchannel tube and header, and decreases as the velocities through upstream microchannel tubes increase. Correlations for predicting pressure drop of inlet header and outlet header are developed and agreement for 98% of experimental data is within a ±15 Pa.     

Integration of a microextraction system on a glass chip: ion-pair solvent extraction of Fe(II) with 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthrolinedisulfonic acid and tri-n-octylmethylammonium chloride

An ion-pair solvent extraction was performed in a microchannel fabricated in a quartz glass chip. the aqueous solution of Fe-bathophenanthrolinedisulfonic acid complex and the chloroform solution of tri-n-octylmethylammonium chloride were introduced into the microchannel, and a parallel two-phase laminar flow was formed. The ion-pair product extracted in chloroform was monitored by the thermal lens microscope. The ion-pair product was gradually extracted from aqueous solution into chloroform when the flow was very slow or stopped, while nothing was extracted into chloroform when the flow was fast. The time for extraction in the present 250 microns microchannel, 45 s, roughly coincided with the molecular diffusion time, and the extraction time was at least 1 order shorter compared with the ordinary extraction time using a separatory funnel and mechanical shaking. The microspace in the microchannel was characterized by the large specific interface area and short diffusion distance, and these characteristics may contribute to highly efficient extraction without mechanical shaking. The success of this molecular transport may lead to the integration of more complicated separation and chemical operations on a microchip and more applications.     

An experimental investigation of saturated flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop in square microchannels

In this study, saturated flow boiling characteristics of deionized water in parallel microchannels are investigated experimentally. The silicone microchannel heat sink consists of 29 parallel square microchannels having hydraulic diameters of 150 µm. Experiments have been conducted for four different values of the mass flux consisting of 51, 64.5, 78 and 92.6 kg/m²s and heat flux values from 59.3 to 84.1 kW/m². Inlet temperature of deionized water is kept at 50 ± 1 °C. Heat transfer and pressure drop are examined for varying values of the governing parameters. Simultaneous high-speed video images have been taken as well as temperature and pressure measurements. The flow visualization results lead to key findings for flow boiling instabilities and underlying physical mechanisms of heat transfer in microchannels. Quasi-periodical rewetting and drying, rapid bubble growth and elongation toward both upstream and downstream of the channels and reverse flow are observed in parallel microchannels.     

Flow-dependent directional growth of carbon nanotube forests by chemical vapor deposition

We demonstrated that the structural formation of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) forests is primarily affected by the geometry-related gas flow, leading to the change of growth directions during the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. By varying the growing time, flow rate, and direction of the carrier gas, the structures and the formation mechanisms of the vertically aligned CNT forests were carefully investigated. The growth directions of CNTs are found to be highly dependent on the nonlinear local gas flows induced by microchannels. The angle of growth significantly changes with increasing gas flows perpendicular to the microchannel, while the parallel gas flow shows almost no effect. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was employed to explain the flow-dependent growth of CNT forests, revealing that the variation of the local pressure induced by microchannels is an important parameter determining the directionality of the CNT growth. We expect that the present method and analyses would provide useful information to control the micro- and macrostructures of vertically aligned CNTs for various structural/electrical applications.     

Plastic microfluidic devices modified with polyelectrolyte multilayers

Control of the polymer surface chemistry is a crucial aspect of development of plastic microfluidic devices. When commercially available plastic substrates are used to fabricate microchannels, differences in the EOF mobility from plastic to plastic can be very high. Therefore, we have used polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) to alter the surface of microchannels fabricated in plastics. Optimal modification of the microchannel surfaces was obtained by coating the channels with alternating layers of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(styrene sulfonate). Polystyrene (PS) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) glycol (PETG) were chosen as substrate materials because of the significant differences in the polymer chemistries and in the EOF of channels fabricated in these two plastic materials. The efficacy of the surface modification has been evaluated using XPS and by measuring the EOF mobility. When microchannels prepared in both PS and PETG are modified with PEMs, they demonstrate very similar electroosmotic mobilities. The PEMs are easily fabricated and provide a means for controlling the flow direction and the electroosmotic mobility in the channels. The PEM-coated microchannels have excellent wettability, allowing facile filling of the channels. In addition, the PEMs produce reproducible results and are robust enough to withstand long-term storage.     

Single-molecule DNA patterning and detection by padlock probing and rolling circle amplification in microchannels for analysis of small sample volumes

The rolling circle amplification (RCA) is a versatile DNA amplification method in which a DNA molecule is amplified using a single DNA primer, allowing the product to be counted as a single dot. Circular templates for RCA can arise from padlock probes in highly specific DNA target-mediated ligation reactions. However, improvement of detection efficiency represents an important challenge. In homogeneous assays, the detection efficiency is generally only under 0.1%, mainly because the sample volume is too large compared with the detection volume. Here, we used microchannel surfaces in a glass microchip for DNA detection in small volume samples. First, DNA patterning on glass surfaces in microchannels was demonstrated using chemical surface patterning by UV light. By using a photochemical reaction, we realized DNA patterning in a closed space. Second, RCA was demonstrated using dilutions of target molecules, and a calibration curve was obtained. The highest detection efficiency was 22.5% by virtue of the reduced sample volumes from several hundred microliters to 5.0 nL. Accordingly, a countable number of DNA molecules was successfully detected. This method is suitable for analysis of very small volume samples such as single cells, especially by using extended-nanochannels with dimensions of 10-1000 nm.     

锯齿型微流道微泵流动特性分析及性能测试

通过对新型锯齿型和传统扩张／收缩型两种微流道内部流场数值分析结果进行比较,得出微流道内流动状态随雷诺数的变化情况以及漩涡产生原因：锯齿型微流道由于侧面齿形角的存在．流动过程中较传统扩张／收缩型微流道易产生漩涡,正是由于漩涡的产生使流道压力损失降低．因而新型锯齿型微流道微泵性能优于传统扩张／收缩微流道微泵．最后采用先进的硅深反应刻蚀技术（DRIE）在硅片上加工制作出两种微流道及泵腔结构,并采用硅-玻璃阳极键合以及玻璃-聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）紫外线键合的方法封装出三明治结构式微泵．通过对两种微泵分别在对称和电压偏置正弦波驱动下进行性能测试．得出电压正向偏置时微泵性能仅次于对称波形驱动下微泵性能,而电压负向偏置时最差．在对称波形驱动下,新型锯齿型微流道微泵最大流量（MFR）和最大压力头（MPH）值分别为扩张／收缩微流道微泵的1．4倍和1．9倍．因此采用新型锯齿型微流道结构将使微泵性能大大提高．