Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dege Li, Yi Cao, Bingfang Huang, Molong Han, Xinlei Wu, Qiang Sun, Chao Zheng, Lilong Zhao, Chi Ma, Hui Jin, Xiaolong Wang, Yonghong Liu, Yanzhen Zhang
Summary: This study introduces a new technique for actively generating femtoliter droplets in microfluidic systems using confined interfacial vibration (CIV), different from traditional methods. The volume of the droplets can be customized by controlling the intensity of the vibration.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
M. Besanjideh, M. Rezaeian, Z. Mahmoudi, A. Shamloo, S. Kazemzadeh Hannani
Summary: Droplet-based microfluidics offers precise control over the size and shape of microgels, making it an attractive method for their production. However, achieving monodisperse microgels with desired structures remains challenging. This study investigates the effects of alginate concentration and junction width on droplet size and formation regimes. The results show that increasing alginate concentration can transform the droplet formation regime from dripping to binary dripping or quasijetting. The quasijetting regime yields monodisperse and smaller droplets compared to the other regimes. Computational fluid dynamics analysis reveals the importance of viscous stresses and dissipation in controlling droplet formation stability.
MATERIALS TODAY CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Mechanics
Giridar Vishwanathan, Gabriel Juarez
Summary: Oscillatory flows have the potential to overcome limitations of using steady flows for inertial focusing due to low particle Reynolds numbers. Unsteady inertial forces on inertial focusing have not been thoroughly examined. Experimental and theoretical studies show that oscillatory flows are remarkably efficient for inertial focusing, even at low particle Reynolds numbers.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Junyi Chen, Shaoqi Huang, Yan Long, Kan Wang, Yangtai Guan, Lianping Hou, Bo Dai, Songlin Zhuang, Dawei Zhang
Summary: Droplet-based microfluidics has great potential in various applications, and this paper introduces a modular microfluidic system using 3D printing technology for droplet generation. The system allows flexible control of droplet size and generation rate by adjusting flow rates. It is a promising candidate for chemical and biological applications.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Meng Wang, Huanming Xia, Li Zhu, Yanyin Zhang
Summary: This work demonstrates an active approach using pulsatile perturbations to control gas-liquid slug flow. By applying a rotating valve to produce high-frequency pulsating air flow, either Taylor bubbles or liquid-in-gas droplets can be generated in a hydrophilic or hydrophobic channel, respectively. The gas and liquid slug lengths can be independently tuned via the air inlet pressure and the liquid flow rate, providing an efficient method to regulate gas-liquid slug flow in multiphase microreactors or microfluidic analytical systems.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sajad Yazdanparast, Pouya Rezai, Alidad Amirfazli
Summary: A co-flow microfluidic droplet-generation device with flexible walls was developed, allowing for the adjustment of continuous phase channel width to control droplet sizes. Two different droplet-generation regimes were observed at low dispersed phase Weber numbers. Reducing the channel width produced smaller droplets and a wider range of droplet sizes compared to current technology.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Kailiang Zhang, Fangyuan Xing, Jiuqing Liu, Zhijie Xie
Summary: This paper presents a method for effective on-chip droplet generation, splitting, and switching using controllable hydrodynamics. A two-dimensional simulation model based on the phase-field method is established to analyze the hydrodynamic droplet manipulation behaviors. The numerical results show that the droplets can be generated with controlled sizes and can realize on-demand splitting and switching.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Akepogu Venkateshwarlu, Ram Prakash Bharti
Summary: This study investigated the hydrodynamics of droplet generation in two-phase flow through a T-junction cross-flow microfluidic device by examining the influences of capillary number and flow rate ratio. It identified different flow regimes and presented correlations to guide the design of droplet microfluidics devices based on droplet size, detachment time, and generation frequency.
JOURNAL OF THE TAIWAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tymele Deydier, Guido Bolognesi, Goran T. Vladisavljevic
Summary: Monodispersed organic phase droplets were produced in a glass microfluidic chip. The stability of droplet generation in different regimes was found to be related to the Weber number of the dispersed phase. This study provides a new method for the production of drug microcarriers.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Amirmohammad Sattari, Nishat Tasnim, Pedram Hanafizadeh, Mina Hoorfar
Summary: This paper presents a parametric study on a dual co-axial microfluidic device for creating compound droplets using numerical simulation. The outer phase parameters were found to have the most significant influence on double emulsion characteristics. Adjusting non-dimensional parameters allows for easy adaptation of the size of both the inner and outer droplets.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND PROCESSING-PROCESS INTENSIFICATION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Amith Mudugamuwa, Samith Hettiarachchi, Gehan Melroy, Shanuka Dodampegama, Menaka Konara, Uditha Roshan, Ranjith Amarasinghe, Dumith Jayathilaka, Peihong Wang
Summary: This paper discusses an active droplet generation system that successfully generates droplets using two fluid phases. The system is able to control, sense, and analyse the droplet generation, and the droplet morphology is analysed using vision sensing and digital image processing. The proposed system includes a droplet generator, camera module with image pre-processing and identification algorithm, and a controller and control algorithm with a workstation computer. The average droplet diameter varies with the droplet generation time in a second-order polynomial relationship.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ali M. Ibrahim, Jose I. Padovani, Roger T. Howe, Yasser H. Anis
Summary: This paper examines the parameters affecting droplet generation in a microfluidic system, develops a three-dimensional numerical model for simulation, and investigates the impact of different flow rates on droplet size.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Saikat Biswas, Partho S. G. Pattader, Tapas K. Mandal
Summary: This study investigates the splitting of droplets in a multi-furcating microfluidic channel using 3D simulation. The simulations were validated using experimental data and showed the occurrence of multiple splitting in the multi-furcating microchannel. The findings have implications for future microfluidic platform-based devices.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rutvik Lathia, Krishnadas Narayanan Nampoothiri, Nitish Sagar, Shubhi Bansal, Chandantaru Dey Modak, Prosenjit Sen
Summary: Microscale droplet generation and manipulation are widely used in various fields, from biochemical assays to printing and additive manufacturing. Most techniques are limited in the range of droplet sizes they can handle, as well as the variety of fluid properties they can work with. Recent advancements have focused on overcoming these limitations and this feature article discusses the developments in this area that cover a wide range of droplet sizes from subpicoliter to microliter.
Article
Mechanics
Mostafa Soroor, Mohammad Zabetian Targhi, Seyed Ali Tabatabaei
Summary: In this study, a flow focusing droplet generator was designed using numerical simulation, and the numerical method was verified according to previous research. The study found that the deviation of simulations from experiments was small, which is helpful in choosing the optimal flow regime to increase droplet generation frequency and monodispersity.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MECHANICS B-FLUIDS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jiawei Wu, Huanming Xia, Wei Wang, Yuhao Foo, Zhiping Wang, Hejun Du
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jinyu Shi, Peng Zhu, Shuangfei Zhao, Cong Xu, Fanyuhui Yan, Ruiqi Shen, Huanming Xia, Hanyu Jiang, Siyu Xu, Fengqi Zhao
Summary: The study introduces a microfluidic strategy for the spheroidization of explosives with micro/nano hierarchical structure, which includes a spheroidization model and verification experiments. The strategy was found to be applicable for achieving high-quality spheroidization and continuous preparation of explosives with micro/nano hierarchical structure.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Liang Zhu, Zhenfeng Wang, Huanming Xia, Hanry Yu
Summary: The study introduces a novel vertical-flow bioreactor (VfB) that is able to mimic the mechanical microenvironment in vivo and enhance hepatic functions in a 2D culture setup. By optimizing the design and fabrication of VfB as a prototype for drug testing, the enhanced hepatic function is demonstrated, showcasing the performance of the bioreactor.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fanyuhui Yan, Peng Zhu, Shuangfei Zhao, Jinyu Shi, Yunfei Mu, Huanming Xia, Ruiqi Shen
Summary: A microfluidic crystallization system (MCS) was proposed in this study to control and optimize the crystallization environment of polymer bonded explosives (PBXs), resulting in PBXs with narrow particle size distribution and high crystal quality. Furthermore, the anti-overload performance of four different PBXs was evaluated through air gun experiments, confirming their stability under strong external dynamic load conditions.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Y. T. Duan, C. Y. Mao, Y. Y. Zhang, D. Z. Wang, H. M. Xia
Summary: The paper presents a simple, automatic, and cost-effective method for microfluidic metering and transport, utilizing geometric metering method and hydrophobic valves to improve accuracy, and designing on-chip Bernoulli pump and pulse width modulation scheme. Testing results show high accuracy in liquid metering and transport.
MICROFLUIDICS AND NANOFLUIDICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
J. M. Wang, Q. Q. Jin, Y. Y. Zhang, H. C. Fang, H. M. Xia
Summary: Membrane fouling is a major obstacle in membrane filtration processes, and a passive fluidic oscillator has been shown to effectively reduce fouling and improve permeate flux. By generating a pulsating flow, the oscillator mitigates concentration polarization, prevents clogging, and inhibits fouling layer formation. Additionally, it has the potential to be applied in existing filtration systems without increasing complexity.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Y. Z. Chu, J. F. Chen, H. M. Xia
Summary: This study improves the capturing efficiency of Procalcitonin (PCT) antigen by using an aeroelastic agitator that produces chaotic advection to enhance fluid mixing. The performance of the agitator is compared with an ultrasonic mixer, and the results show that chaotic mixing significantly improves PCT detection consistency and reliability.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS A-PHYSICAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Y. Y. Zhang, H. M. Xia
Summary: This study presents a method for active droplet generation using a cost-effective piezo disk actuator. By controlling the flow rates of discrete and continuous fluids, the droplet volume and spacing can be linearly adjusted, while reducing the restrictions of channel size and fluid viscosity. Furthermore, flexible modulation of the size and morphology of double-emulsion microdroplets is demonstrated using the same method.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jinyu Shi, Peng Zhu, Jianzhe Liu, Ruiqi Shen, Huanming Xia, Hanyu Jiang, Siyu Xu, Fengqi Zhao
Summary: This study proposes a method to prepare composite energetic microspheres with core-shell structures using oscillating-swirling-coflowing microfluidics and spray drying. The experimental results demonstrate that the superior core-shell structure and spheroidization can be achieved under the cocoating method, and the sensitivity and burning rate of the sample are significantly improved under optimized conditions.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Meng Wang, Huanming Xia, Li Zhu, Yanyin Zhang
Summary: This work demonstrates an active approach using pulsatile perturbations to control gas-liquid slug flow. By applying a rotating valve to produce high-frequency pulsating air flow, either Taylor bubbles or liquid-in-gas droplets can be generated in a hydrophilic or hydrophobic channel, respectively. The gas and liquid slug lengths can be independently tuned via the air inlet pressure and the liquid flow rate, providing an efficient method to regulate gas-liquid slug flow in multiphase microreactors or microfluidic analytical systems.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Chaochao Yuan, Qinqin Gu, Hongchun Fang, Huanming Xia
Summary: The preparation of aluminum phosphate (AP) adjuvant through a microfluidic approach is investigated, using a chaotic micromixer to enhance the mixing between the reactants. The effects of magnetic stirring and continuous-flow shearing during the settling of the AP precipitate are compared. The method provides better control over the particle size distribution, with tunable median particle size and uniformity index.
MICROFLUIDICS AND NANOFLUIDICS
(2023)
Article
Mathematics, Applied
J. W. Wu, H. M. Xia, Z. P. Wang, W. Wang, H. J. Du
Summary: The study demonstrates how the performance of a hydroelastic microfluidic oscillator can be analyzed using a simple equivalent circuit model, where the performance is mainly determined by a bias fluidic resistor and a pressure variant resistor. Numerical study also examines the effects of key design factors on the device robustness, applicable fluid viscosity, flow rate, and transition pressure.
ADVANCES IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND MECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jue-yong Ning, Jin-bo Liu, Jian-zhe Liu, Qing-hua Zhang, Wen-quan Zhang, Huan-ming Xia, Rui-qi Shen, Peng Zhu
Summary: A multi-parallel recrystallization system based on microfluidic technology was established for rapid screening of recrystallization conditions and small-batch preparation of high-quality explosives, showing effective preparation of various explosives with high-quality crystal morphology.
ENERGETIC MATERIALS FRONTIERS
(2021)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
H. M. Xia, J. W. Wu, J. J. Zheng, J. Zhang, Z. P. Wang
Summary: Microfluidic flow is typically laminar, but at intermediate Reynolds numbers, weak-inertia flow regimes with secondary flows such as Dean vortices can be accessed through microfluidic manipulations. Nonlinear factors like non-Newtonian fluid properties, concurrent flow of dissimilar fluids, compliant fluidic structures, etc., can also affect flow behaviors.
