Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Flux characteristics of cell culture medium in rectangular microchannels

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Artificial Organs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rectangular microchannels 50 μm high and 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70 μm wide were fabricated by adjusting the width of a gap cut in a polyethylene sheet 50 μm thick and sandwiching the sheet between an acrylic plate and a glass plate. Flux in the microchannels was measured under three different inner surface conditions: uncoated, albumin-coated, and confluent growth of rat fibroblasts on the bottom of the microchannels. The normalized flux in microchannels with cultured fibroblasts or albumin coating was significantly larger than that in the uncoated channels. The experimental data for all microchannels deviated from that predicted by classical hydrodynamic theory. At small aspect ratio the flux in the microchannels was larger than that predicted theoretically, whereas it became smaller at large aspect ratio. The aspect ratio rather than Reynolds number is the correct property for predicting the variation of the normalized friction factor. We postulate that two counteracting effects, rotation of large molecules and slip velocity at the corners of the microchannels, are responsible for the deviation. From these results we conclude that albumin coating should be carried out in the same way as when fabricating our integrating cell-culture system. The outcomes of this study are not only important for the design of our culture system, but also quite informative for general microfluidics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Khandurina J, Guttman A. Bioanalysis in microfluidic devices. J Chromatogr A. 2002;943:159–83.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Heller M, Guttman A. Integrated microfabricated biodevices. New York: Marcel Dekker; 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gad-el-Hak M, editor. The MEMS handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Jayaraj S, Kanga S, Suh YK. A review on the analysis and experiment of fluid flow and mixing in micro-channels. J Mech Sci Technol. 2007;21:536–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Shoffner MA, Cheng J, Hvichia GE, Kricka LJ, Wilding P. Chip PCR. I. Surface passivation of microfabricated silicon-glass chips for PCR. Nucleic Acids Res. 1996;24:375–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Cheng J, Shoffner MA, Hvichia GE, Kricka LJ, Wilding P. Chip PCR. II. Investigation of different PCR amplification systems in microfabricated silicon-glass chips. Nucleic Acids Res. 1996;24:380–5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Korin N, Bransky A, Dinnar U, Levenberg S. Periodic “flow-stop” perfusion microchannel bioreactors for mammalian and human embryonic stem cell long-term culture. Biomed Microdevices. 2009;11:87–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Walker GM, Ozers MS, Beebe DJ. Cell infection within a microfluidic device using virus gradients. Sens Actuators B. 2004;98:347–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Voldman J, Gray ML, Schmidt MA. Microfabrication in biology and medicine. Ann Rev Biomed Eng. 1999;1:401–25.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kaihara S, Borenstein J, Koka R, Lalan S, Ochoa ER, Ravens M, Pien H, Cunningham B, Vacanti JP. Silicon micromachining to tissue engineer branched vascular channels for liver fabrication. Tissue Eng. 2000;6:105–17.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. White FM. Viscous fluid flow. 2nd ed. McGraw–Hill, Inc., New York; 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Papautsky I, Brazzle J, Ameel T, Frazier AB. Laminar fluid behavior in microchannels using micropolar fluid theory. Sens Actuators. 1999;73:101–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Steinke ME, Kandlikar SG. Single-phase liquid friction factors in microchannels. Int J Therm Sci. 2006;45:1073–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hetsroni G, Mosyak A, Pogrebnyak E, Yarin LP. Fluid flow in micro-channels. Int J Heat Mass Transf. 2005;48:1982–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Ye S, Zhu K, Wang W. Laminar flow of micropolar fluid in rectangular microchannels. Acta Mech Sin. 2006;22:403–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Saha AA, Mitra SK. Effect of dynamic contact angle in a volume of fluid (VOF) model for a microfluidic capillary flow. J Colloid Interface Sci. 2009;339:461–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Liu CF, Ni YS. The fractal roughness effect of micro Poiseuille flows using the lattice Boltzmann method. Int J Eng Sci. 2009;47:660–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Rosengarten G, Cooper-White J, Metcalfe G. Experimental and analytical study of the effect of contact angle on liquid convective heat transfer in microchannels. Int J Heat Mass Transf. 2006;49:4161–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Khadem MH, Shams M, Hossainpour S. Numerical simulation of roughness effects on flow and heat transfer in microchannels at slip flow regime. Int Commun Heat Mass Trans. 2009;36:69–77.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Chen CH. Slip-flow heat transfer in a microchannel with viscous dissipation. Heat Mass Trans. 2006;42:853–60.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Patzek TW, Silin DB. Shape factor and hydraulic conductance in noncircular capillaries. J Colloid Interface Sci. 2001;236:295–304.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University, Johnan 4-3-16, Yonezawa, 992-8510, Japan

    Zhonggang Feng, Shuhei Fukuda, Michio Yokoyama & Tatsuo Kitajima

  2. Graduate School of Medical Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan

    Takao Nakamura

  3. Integrative Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

    Mitsuo Umezu

Authors
  1. Zhonggang Feng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shuhei Fukuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michio Yokoyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tatsuo Kitajima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Takao Nakamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Mitsuo Umezu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhonggang Feng.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Feng, Z., Fukuda, S., Yokoyama, M. et al. Flux characteristics of cell culture medium in rectangular microchannels. J Artif Organs 14, 238–244 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10047-011-0564-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10047-011-0564-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation