Thermal instability in a rotating porous layer saturated by a non-Newtonian nanofluid with thermal conductivity and viscosity variation

The stability of a non-Newtonian nanofluid saturated horizontal rotating porous layer subjected to thermal conductivity and viscosity variation is investigated using linear and nonlinear stability analyses. The model used for the non-Newtonian nanofluid includes the effects of Brownian motion and thermophoresis. The Darcy law for the non-Newtonian nanofluid of the Oldroyd type is used to model the momentum equation. The linear theory based on the normal mode method, and the criteria for both stationary and oscillatory modes are derived analytically. A weak nonlinear analysis based on the minimal representation of truncated Fourier series method containing only two terms is used to compute the concentration and thermal Nusselt numbers. The results obtained during the analysis are presented graphically.     

Thermal conductivity of doped polysilicon layers

The thermal conductivities of doped polysilicon layers depend on grain size and on the concentration and type of dopant atoms. Previous studies showed that layer processing conditions strongly influence the thermal conductivity, but the effects of grain size and dopant concentration were not investigated in detail. The current study provides thermal conductivity measurements for low-pressure chemical-vapor deposition (LPCVD) polysilicon layers of thickness near 1 μm doped with boron and phosphorus at concentrations between 2.0×10¹⁸ cm^-3 and 4.1×10¹⁹ cm^-3 for temperatures from 20 K to 320 K. The data show strongly reduced thermal conductivity values at all temperatures compared to similarly doped single-crystal silicon layers, which indicates that grain boundary scattering dominates the thermal resistance. A thermal conductivity model based on the Boltzmann transport equation reveals that phonon transmission through the grains is high, which accounts for the large phonon mean free paths at low temperatures. Algebraic expressions relating thermal conductivity to grain size and dopant concentration are provided for room temperature. The present results are important for the design of MEMS devices in which heat transfer in polysilicon is important     

Thermal conductivity measurement of liquids in a microfluidic device

A new microfluidic-based approach to measuring liquid thermal conductivity is developed to address the requirement in many practical applications for measurements using small (microlitre) sample size and integration into a compact device. The approach also gives the possibility of high-throughput testing. A resistance heater and temperature sensor are incorporated into a glass microfluidic chip to allow transmission and detection of a planar thermal wave crossing a thin layer of the sample. The device is designed so that heat transfer is locally one-dimensional during a short initial time period. This allows the detected temperature transient to be separated into two distinct components: a short-time, purely one-dimensional part from which sample thermal conductivity can be determined and a remaining long-time part containing the effects of three-dimensionality and of the finite size of surrounding thermal reservoirs. Identification of the one-dimensional component yields a steady temperature difference from which sample thermal conductivity can be determined. Calibration is required to give correct representation of changing heater resistance, system layer thicknesses and solid material thermal conductivities with temperature. In this preliminary study, methanol/water mixtures are measured at atmospheric pressure over the temperature range 30–50°C. The results show that the device has produced a measurement accuracy of within 2.5% over the range of thermal conductivity and temperature of the tests. A relation between measurement uncertainty and the geometric and thermal properties of the system is derived and this is used to identify ways that error could be further reduced.     

The end of nanochannels

Current theories of nanochannel flow impose no upper bound on flow rates, and predict friction through nanochannels can be vanishingly small. We reassess neglecting channel entry effects in extremely long channels and find violations at the nanoscale. Even in frictionless nanochannels, end effects provide a finite amount of friction. Hence, the speed at which nanochannels transport liquids is limited. Flow-rate and slip-length measurements are reevaluated using calculations which include end-effect friction. End effects are critical for the design of new technological devices and to understand biological transport.     

Electrochemomechanical energy conversion efficiency in silica nanochannels

The electrochemomechanical energy conversion efficiency has been investigated using a new theoretical and numerical framework for modeling the multiphysiochemical transport in long silica nanochannels. Both the chemical dissociation effects on surface charge boundary conditions and the bulk concentration enrichment caused by double layer interactions are considered in the framework. The results show that the energy conversion efficiency decreases monotonically with the increasing ionic concentration at pH = 8. For a given ionic concentration, there is an optimal channel height for the highest efficiency. The efficiency does not increase with the pH value monotonically, and there is an optimal pH value for the maximum energy conversion efficiency as the other conditions are given. The energy conversion efficiency increases with the environmental temperature. The present results may guide the design and optimization of nanofluidic devices for energy conversion.     

Entrance effect on ion transport in nanochannels

We investigate the effect of the surface charge at channel entrances upon ion conductance, which has been overlooked in the study of nanofluidics. Nonlinear ion transport behaviors were observed in 20-nm thick nanochannels having opposite surface charge polarity on the entrance side-walls with respect to that in the nanochannel. The heterogeneous distribution of surface charge at the channel entrance functions as a parasitic diode, which can cause ion current saturation under high voltage biases. Such effect becomes crucial at low bath concentration at which the electric double layers originated from the bath sidewalls pinch off the channel entrance. The experimental results are clarified by theoretical calculations based on 2D Poisson–Nernst–Planck equations. With such strong effect on ionic conductance of nanochannels, the change of surface charge polarity at the entrance sidewalls may find applications in chemical and biological sensing.     

Electrokinetics in nanochannels grafted with poly-zwitterionic brushes

In this paper, we compute the electrokinetic transport in soft nanochannels grafted with poly-zwitterionic (PZI) brushes. The transport is induced by an external pressure gradient, which drives the ionic cloud (in the form of an electric double layer or EDL) at the brush surfaces to induce an electric field that drives an induced electroosmotic transport. We characterize the overall transport by quantifying this electric field, overall flow velocity, and the energy conversion associated with the development of the electric field and a streaming current. We specially focus on how the ability of the PZI to ionize and demonstrate a significant charge at both large and small pH can be efficiently maneuvered to develop a liquid transport, an electric field, and an electrokinetically induced power across a wide range of pH values.     

Thermal conductivity microsensor for determining the Methane Number of natural gas

As a result of the liberalization of the gas market, more important and frequent fluctuations of the natural gas composition are expected. Owing to this fact, the on-site control of the gas properties will become necessary for end-users. Methane Number (MN) is the parameter used to quantify knocking tendency of a gas, parameter especially relevant when natural gas is used as engines fuel. The present paper describes a measurement method to determine the Methane Number of natural gas as well as the microdevice developed to carry out these measurements. The method is based on the measurement of the gas thermal conductivity and the existing correlation between this parameter and the Methane Number of natural gas. The developed microsensor is ascribed to Microsystems Technology. It integrates two platinum thermoresistors, a sensing one and a reference one, each of them patterned on a microbridge. The latter is defined in turn in the silicon substrate by surface micromachining using porous silicon as sacrificial layer. In the range of natural gas compositions considered (60–100 MN), applying a 50 mA constant current to the sensing thermoresistor, obtained sensitivity has been 0.95 mV/1 MN. Furthermore, the microdevice has been mounted in a gas line in order to test it in field. Additional tests are still required but it can be concluded that the developed microsensor is a valid alternative to measure in situ the Methane Number of natural gas.     

Electrokinetic motion of single nanoparticles in single PDMS nanochannels

Electrokinetic motion of single nanoparticles in single nanochannels was studied systematically by image tracking method. A novel method to fabricate PDMS-glass micro/nanochannel chips with single nanochannels was presented. The effects of ionic concentration of the buffer solution, particle-to-channel size ratio and electric field on the electrokinetic velocity of fluorescent nanoparticles were studied. The experimental results show that the apparent velocity of nanoparticles in single nanochannels increases with the ionic concentration when the ionic concentration is low and decreases with the ionic concentration when the concentration is high. The apparent velocity decreases with the particle-to-channel size ratio (a/b). Under the condition of low electric fields, nanoparticles can hardly move in single nanochannels with a large particle-to-channel size ratio. Generally, the apparent velocity increases with the applied electric field linearly. The experimental study presented in this article is valuable for future research and applications of transport and manipulation of nanoparticles in nanofluidic devices, such as separation of charged nanoparticles and DNA molecules.     

Application of continuum mechanics to fluid flow in nanochannels

A fundamental understanding of the transport phenomena in nanofluidic channels is critical for systematic design and precise control of such miniaturized devices towards the integration and automation of Lab-on-a-chip devices. The goal of this study is to develop a theoretical model of electroosmotic flow in nano channels to gain a better understanding of transport phenomena in nanofluidic channels. Instead of using the Boltzmann distribution, the conservation condition of ion number and the Nernst equation are used in this new model to find the ionic concentration field of an electrolyte solution in nano channels. Correct boundary conditions for the potential field at the center of the nanochannel and the concentration field at the wall of the channel are developed and applied to this model. It is found that the traditional plug-like velocity profile is distorted in the center of the channel due to the presence of net charges in this region opposite to that in the electrical double layer region. The developed model predicted a trend similar to that observed in experiments reported in the literature for the area-average velocity versus the ratio of Debye length to the channel height.     

Analysis of capillary filling in nanochannels with electroviscous effects

Capillary filling is the key phenomenon in planar chromatography techniques such as paper chromatography and thin layer chromatography. Recent advances in micro/nanotechnologies allow the fabrication of nanoscale structures that can replace the traditional stationary phases such as paper, silica gel, alumina, or cellulose. Thus, understanding capillary filling in a nanochannel helps to advance the development of planar chromatography based on fabricated nanochannels. This paper reports an analysis of the capillary filling process in a nanochannel with consideration of electroviscous effect. In larger scale channels, where the thickness of electrical double layer (EDL) is much smaller than the characteristic length, the formation of the EDL plays an insignificant role in fluid flow. However, in nanochannels, where the EDL thickness is comparable to the characteristic length, its formation contributes to the increase in apparent viscosity of the flow. The results show that the filling process follows the Washburn’s equation, where the filled column is proportional to the square root of time, but with a higher apparent viscosity. It is shown that the electroviscous effect is most significant if the ratio between the channel height (h) and the Debye length (κ ⁻¹) reaches an optimum value (i.e. κh ≈ 4). The apparent viscosity is higher with higher zeta potential and lower ion mobility.     

Mesoscopic simulations of electroosmotic flow and electrophoresis in nanochannels

We review recent dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations of electrolyte flow in nanochannels. A method is presented by which the slip length δB at the channel boundaries can be tuned systematically from negative to infinity by introducing suitably adjusted wall-fluid friction forces. Using this method, we study electroosmotic flow (EOF) in nanochannels for varying surface slip conditions and fluids of different ionic strength. Analytic expressions for the flow profiles are derived from the Stokes equation, which are in good agreement with the numerical results. Finally, we investigate the influence of EOF on the effective mobility of polyelectrolytes in nanochannels. The relevant quantity characterizing the effect of slippage is found to be the dimensionless quantity κδB, where 1/κ is an effective electrostatic screening length at the channel boundaries.     

Surface wettability effects on flow in rough wall nanochannels

The effect of rough-wall/fluid interaction on flow in nanochannels is investigated by NEMD. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces are studied for walls with nearly atomic-size rectangular protrusions and cavities. Our NEMD simulations reveal that the number of liquid atoms temporarily trapped in the cavities is affected by the strength of the potential energy inside the cavities. Regions of low potential energy are possible trapping locations. Fluid atom localization is also affected by the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the surface. Potential energy is greater between two successive hydrophilic protrusions, compared to hydrophobic ones. Moreover, groove size and wall wettability are factors that control effective slip length. Surface roughness and wall wettability have to be taken into account in the design of nanofluidic devices.     

Solutal transport in rectangular nanochannels under pressure-driven flow conditions

In this article, we investigate the effect of channel sidewalls on the transport of neutral samples through rectangular conduits under pressure-driven flow and small zeta potential conditions. Our analyses show that while these structures can significantly reduce the streaming potential in small aspect ratio rectangular channels, they introduce a very minor variation in the sample velocity with the extent of Debye layer overlap in the system. Moreover, the increase in sample dispersion due to the channel side-regions has been shown to be nearly independent of the Debye layer thickness and very comparable to that reported under simple pressure-driven flow conditions. Interestingly however, a simple one-dimensional (1D) model that decouples band broadening arising due to diffusional limitations across the depth and width of the rectangular conduit has been shown to capture the predicted dependence of the Taylor–Aris dispersion coefficient on the channel aspect ratio under all operating conditions with less than 3% error.     

Thermal radiation and slip effects on MHD stagnation point flow of non-Newtonian nanofluid over a convective stretching surface

The present analysis examines the combine effects of thermal radiation and velocity slip along a convectively nonlinear stretching surface. Moreover, MHD effects are also considered near the stagnation point flow of Casson nanofluid. Slipped effects are considered with the porous medium to reduce the drag reduction at the surface of the sheet. Main structure of the system is based upon the system of partial differential equations attained in the form of momentum, energy, and concentration equations. To determine the similar solution system of PDEs is rehabilitated into the set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by employing compatible similarity transformation. Important physical parameters are acquired through obtained differential equations. To determine the influence of emerging parameters, resulting set of ODE’s in term of unknown function of velocity, temperature, and concentration are successfully solved via Keller’s box-scheme. All the obtained unknown functions are discussed in detail after plotting the results against each physical parameter. To analyze the behavior at the surface: skin friction, local Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are also illustrated against the velocity ratio parameter A, Brownian motion Nb, thermophoresis Nt, and thermal radiation parameters R. Results obtained from the set of equations described that skin friction is decreasing function of A, and local Nusselt and Sherwood number demonstrate the significant influenced by Brownian motion Nb, thermophoresis Nt, and radiation parameters R.

     

Capillary filling speed of ferrofluid in hydrophilic microscope slide nanochannels

The capillary filling speed of ferrofluid in hydrophilic nanofluidic channels is investigated under various temperature and constant magnetic field conditions. Nanochannels with depths ranging from 50 to 150 nm and widths of 30 to 200 μm are fabricated on borosilicate glass substrates using buffered oxide wet etching and glass–glass fusion bonding techniques. The capillary filling speed of the ferrofluid is measured experimentally and compared with the theoretical results predicted by the classical Washburn equation. It is found that the experimental filling speed is significantly slower than the theoretical filling speed due to the erroneous assumption in the Washburn model of a constant contact angle irrespective of the flow rate and the presence of flow obstructions. The experimental results show that the filling speed reduces with a reducing channel depth, an increasing ferrofluid concentration, a lower operating temperature and an increased filling length. However, the filling speed is enhanced in the presence of an external magnetic field.     

Hot embossing of polymer nanochannels using PMMA moulds

A novel hot embossing method is developed to fabricate polymer nanochannels. The pattern on the silicon nanomould is transferred to polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) plates, and then polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanochannels are embossed by using the PMMA mould. The use of the PMMA intermediate mould can extremely increase the device yield of the expensive silicon nanomould. To avoid the use of nanolithography, a method based on UV-lithography techniques for fabricating silicon nanomoulds with sub-micrometer width was put forward. 1 PMMA mould can be used to repeatedly emboss at least 30 PET substrates without damage and obvious deformation. Good pattern fidelity of PET nanochannels was obtained at the optimized embossing temperature of 90 °C. For an 808 nm-wide and 195 nm-deep nanochannel, the variations in width and depth between PET nanochannels and PMMA moulds were 1.8 and 2.5 %, respectively. The reproducibility was also evaluated, and the relative standard deviations in width and depth of 5 PET nanochannels were 5.1 and 7.3 %, respectively.     

Molecular dynamics-based prediction of boundary slip of fluids in nanochannels

Computational modeling and simulation can provide an effective predictive capability for flow properties of the confined fluids in micro/nanoscales. In this paper, considering the boundary slip at the fluid–solid interface, the motion property of fluids confined in parallel-plate nanochannels are investigated to couple the atomistic regime to continuum. The corrected second-order slip boundary condition is used to solve the Navier–Stokes equations for confined fluids. Molecular dynamics simulations for Poiseuille flows are performed to study the influences of the strength of the solid–fluid coupling, the fluid temperature, and the density of the solid wall on the velocity slip at the fluid boundary. For weak solid–fluid coupling strength, high temperature of the confined fluid and high density of the solid wall, the large velocity slip at the fluid boundary can be obviously observed. The effectiveness of the corrected second-order slip boundary condition is demonstrated by comparing the velocity profiles of Poiseuille flows from MD simulations with that from continuum.     

Thermal conductivity measurement of submicrometer-scale silicon dioxide films by an extended micro-Raman method

The micro-Raman method is a noncontact and nondestructive method for thin film thermal conductivity measurements. To apply the micro-Raman method, however, the thickness of the film must be at least tens of micrometers. An analytical heat transfer model is presented in this work to extend the micro-Raman measurement method to measure the thermal conductivity of thin films with submicrometer- or nanometer-scale thickness. The model describes the heat transfer process in the thin film and substrate considering the effects of thin film thickness, interface thermal resistance, thermal conductivity of the thin film and substrate. From this heat transfer model, an analytical expression for the thermal conductivity of the thin film is derived. Experiments were successfully performed to measure the thermal conductivity of 200, 300 and 500 nm thickness silicon dioxide films using the extended micro-Raman measurement method, with results confirming the accuracy and validity of the extended model.