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High-precision microfluidic pressure control through modulation of dual fluidic resistances

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Abstract

This work presents an approach to the modulation of dual fluidic resistances for long-term, high-speed, and high precision (less than 0.5% steady-state error) control of the inlet pressure of a microfluidic device. This is accomplished through independent controls of dual variable resistances in a fluid network between a pressurized reservoir and a microfluidic device. We show the superior characteristics of the system with dual resistance modulation by experimentally comparing our new model with our previous approach. We demonstrate the performance of the controlled system and address the long-term stability and robustness. This system can be utilized in a variety of applications that require high-precision, high-speed, and long-term controls of microfluidic flows, including chemical synthesis, cell sorting, energy harvesting optofluidics, microbial fuel cells, and multiscale biological investigation of cellular or tissue level.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the startup resources of Georgia Institute of Technology (Y.K.) and by the National Science Foundation under CAREER CMMI 1653006 (Y.K.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Michael J. Toth & YongTae Kim

  2. Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, 808-0196, Japan

    Tomohiro Kawahara

  3. Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    YongTae Kim

  4. Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    YongTae Kim

  5. Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    YongTae Kim

Authors
  1. Michael J. Toth
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  2. Tomohiro Kawahara
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  3. YongTae Kim
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Correspondence to YongTae Kim.

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Toth, M.J., Kawahara, T. & Kim, Y. High-precision microfluidic pressure control through modulation of dual fluidic resistances. Int. J. Dynam. Control 6, 1175–1182 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40435-017-0378-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40435-017-0378-7

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