Abstract
New strategy in design of single-use burst microfluidic valves is based on the physico-chemical properties of the valve actuator. The different dissolution rates of salt-based actuators allowed the control of the timing of the opening of the autonomous timed microfluidic valves in the range of seconds to a few minutes by using, as dissolvable actuators, NaCl crystals and for range between several minutes and hours by using actuators made of CuSO4 crystals. Autonomous timed microfluidic valves are successfully used to determine the concentration distribution of a contaminant tracer in groundwater at scheduled times.
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The author acknowledges the financial support from FIR 2014—Marletta (University of Catania) and the geologist A. Serges for the collaboration in the case study.
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Tuccitto, N. A physico-chemical timer: autonomous time-delayed microfluidic valves for environmental applications. Microfluid Nanofluid 20, 129 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-016-1795-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-016-1795-1