MICROMIXER USING INTEGRATED THREE-DIMENSIONAL POROUS STRUCTURE
First Claim
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1. A micromixer, comprising:
- a polymeric chip having a porous region;
a first microfluidic inlet channel to the porous region;
a second microfluidic inlet channel to the porous region at about the same location of the porous region as the first inlet;
a microfluidic outlet channel from the porous region that is distal to the first and second inlets such that fluids from the first and second inlets are mixed in the porous region before exiting as a mixed fluid through the outlet channel.
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Abstract
A micromixer is fabricated using a selective high intensity focused ultrasound foaming technique. The micromixer employs a 3D porous region for effective mixing. The 3D porous micromixer can achieve sufficient mixing results with a short mixing length for flows with a Reynolds number as low as 0.1. The fabrication process of the micromixer is rapid, low-cost, and biocompatible. The pore size of the micromixer can be controlled by adjusting the selective high intensity focused ultrasound foaming parameters. The micromixer has potential for use in lab-on-a-chip and micro-total-analysis devices.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A micromixer, comprising:
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a polymeric chip having a porous region;
a first microfluidic inlet channel to the porous region;
a second microfluidic inlet channel to the porous region at about the same location of the porous region as the first inlet;
a microfluidic outlet channel from the porous region that is distal to the first and second inlets such that fluids from the first and second inlets are mixed in the porous region before exiting as a mixed fluid through the outlet channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A micromixer, comprising:
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a polymeric substrate having a porous foam formed internally from the polymeric substrate material, wherein the porous foam defines a length with a proximal end and a distal end;
a first microfluidic channel leading to the porous foam at or about the proximal end;
a second microfluidic channel leading out from the porous foam at or about the distal end, such that one or more fluids entering the porous foam from the first microfluidic channel are mixed in the porous foam before exiting from the second microfluidic channel. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for mixing a first and second fluid in a micromixer, comprising:
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supplying a first and second fluid to the micromixer;
mixing the first and second fluids within a porous region of the micromixer; and
obtaining a mixed fluid from an outlet of the micromixer, wherein the Reynolds number of the fluid in the micromixer is 0.1 to 10. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for mixing a first and second fluid in a micromixer, comprising:
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supplying a first and second fluid to the micromixer;
mixing the first and second fluids within a porous region of the micromixer; and
obtaining a mixed fluid from an outlet of the micromixer, wherein the porous region comprises pores having an average diameter size of 10 μ
m to 200 μ
m. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification