3D printed microfluidic mixers: a comparative study on mixing unit performances
| Autor: | Ina G. Siller, Janina Bahnemann, Michael R. Hoffmann, Katharina Urmann, Anton Enders |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Molecular diffusion
Materials science business.industry Microfluidics Laminar flow 02 engineering and technology General Chemistry Lab-on-a-chip 010402 general chemistry 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology 01 natural sciences 0104 chemical sciences Volumetric flow rate law.invention Biomaterials law General Materials Science 0210 nano-technology Process engineering business Mixing (physics) Biotechnology Complete mixing Microfabrication |
| Popis: | One of the basic operations in microfluidic systems for biological and chemical applications is the rapid mixing of different fluids. However, flow profiles in microfluidic systems are laminar, which means molecular diffusion is the only mixing effect. Therefore, mixing structures are crucial to enable more efficient mixing in shorter times. Since traditional microfabrication methods remain laborious and expensive, 3D printing has emerged as a potential alternative for the fabrication of microfluidic devices. In this work, five different passive micromixers known from literature are redesigned in comparable dimensions and manufactured using high-definition MultiJet 3D printing. Their mixing performance is evaluated experimentally, using sodium hydroxide and phenolphthalein solutions, and numerically via computational fluid dynamics. Both experimental and numerical analysis results show that HC and Tesla-like mixers achieve complete mixing after 0.99 s and 0.78 s, respectively, at the highest flow rate (Reynolds number (Re) = 37.04). In comparison, Caterpillar mixers exhibit a lower mixing rate with complete mixing after 1.46 s and 1.9 s. Furthermore, the HC mixer achieves very good mixing performances over all flow rates (Re = 3.7 to 37.04), while other mixers show improved mixing only at higher flow rates. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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