Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation of passive mixing behaviors in a pillar obstruction poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic mixer using fluorescence microscopy

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Microfluidics and Nanofluidics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The rapid mixing of fluids passing through a microfluidic channel is very important for various applications of microfluidic systems. It has been a great challenge to achieve highly efficient mixing in a microfluidic system because it is very difficult to generate turbulence in a submillimeter-size channel at low Reynolds numbers (Re). In this paper, we fabricated a pillar obstruction microfluidic mixer and evaluated its mixing efficiency at various flow rates. The mixing behavior of confluent streams was estimated using a fluorescence microscope. Three different sets of miscible solutions (phosphate-buffered solution, gold nanocolloids and 20% glycerol), with Rhodamine 6G aqueous solution, were used as sample laminar flows. According to our experimental results, the pillar obstruction microfluidic mixer shows an excellent mixing performance in the low Re range. Here, the mixing performance was strongly dependent on the characteristic viscosity changes of different sets of miscible solutions. The pillar obstruction microfluidic mixer designed here is expected to benefit a wide range of lab-on-a-chip applications because fabrication is very simple and the mixing efficiency is excellent at low Re.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bessoth FG, de Mello AJ, Manz A (1999) Microstructure for efficient continuous flow mixing. Anal Commun 36:213–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhagat AAS, Peterson ETK, Papautsky I (2007) A passive planar micromixer with obstructions for mixing at low Reynolds numbers. J Micromech Microeng 17:1017–1024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Choo J (2008) Recent advances on surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection technology for microfluidic chips. Electrophoresis 29:1815–1828

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Lee S, Choo J, Lee EK (2008a) Continuous dynamic flow micropumps for microfluid manipulation. J Micromech Microeng 18:013001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Lee S, Lee M, Lim C, Choo J, Park JY, Lee S, Joo SW, Lee KH, Choi YW (2008b) DNA hybridization detection in a microfluidic channel using two fluorescently labeled nucleic acid probes. Biosens Bioelectron 23:1878–1882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Mello AJ (2006) Control and detection of chemical reactions in microfluidic systems. Nature 442:394–402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Den Toonder J, Bos F, Broer D, Filippini L, Gillies M, de Goede J, Mol T, Reijme M, Talen W, Wilderbeek H, Khatavkar V, Anderson P (2008) Artificial cilia for active micro-fluidic mixing. Lab Chip 8:533–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El Moctar AO, Aubry N, Batton J (2003) Electro-hydrodynamic micro-fluidic mixer. Lab Chip 3:273–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frens G (1973) Controlled nucleation for the regulation of the particle size in monodispersed gold suspensions. Nat Phys Sci 241:20–22

    Google Scholar 

  • He B, Burke BJ, Zhang X, Zhang R, Regnier FE (2001) A picoliter-volume mixer for microfluidic analytical systems. Anal Chem 73:1942–1947

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jung J, Chen L, Lee S, Kim S, Seong GH, Choo J, Lee EK, Oh CH, Lee S (2007) Fast and sensitive DNA analysis using changes in the FRET signals of molecular beacons in a PDMS microfluidic channel. Anal Bioanal Chem 387:2609–2615

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung SA, Winkle RF, Wootton RCR, de Mello AJ (2005) A method for rapid reaction optimisation in continuous-flow microfluidic reactors using online Raman spectroscopic detection. Analyst 130:46–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu AL, He FY, Wang K, Zhou T, Lu Y, Xia XH (2005) Rapid method for design and fabrication of passive micromixers in microfluidic devices using a direct-printing process. Lab Chip 5:974–978

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu RH, Stremler MA, Sharp KV, Olsen MG, Santiago JG, Adrian RJ, Aref H, Beebe DJ (2000) Passive mixing in a three-dimensional serpentine microchannel. J Microelectromech Syst 9:190–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu LH, Ryu KS, Lu C (2002) A magnetic microstirrer and array for microfluidic mixing. J Microelectromech Syst 11:462–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mengeaud V, Josserand J, Girault HH (2002) Mixing processes in a zigzag microchannel: finite element simulations and optical study. Anal Chem 74:4279–4286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen NT, Wu Z (2005) Micromixers—a review. J Micromech Microeng 15:R1–R16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park T, Lee M, Choo J, Kim YS, Lee EK, Kim DJ, Lee SH (2004) Analysis of passive mixing behavior in a PDMS microfluidic channel using confocal fluorescence and Raman microscopy. Appl Spectrosc 58:1172–1179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sasaki N, Kitamori T, Kim HB (2006) AC electroosmotic micromixer for chemical processing in a microchannel. Lab Chip 6:550–554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slentz BE, Penner NA, Regnier FE (2002) Capillary electrochromatography of peptides on microfabricated poly(dimethylsiloxane) chips modified by cerium(IV)-catalyzed polymerization. J Chromatogr A 948:225–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song H, Tice JD, Ismagilov RF (2003) A microfluidic system for controlling reaction networks in time. Angew Chem Int Ed 42:767–772

    Google Scholar 

  • Sritharan K, Strobl CJ, Schneider MF, Wixforth A, Guttenberg Z (2006) Acoustic mixing at low Reynolds numbers. Appl Phys Lett 88:054102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stroock AD, Dertinger SKW, Ajdari A, Mezic I, Stone HA, Whitesides GM (2002) Chaotic mixer for microchannels. Science 295:647–651

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Unger KK, Skudas R, Schulte MM (2008) Particle packed columns and monolithic columns in high-performance liquid chromatography—comparison and critical appraisal. J Chromatogr A 1184:393–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang H, Iovenitti P, Harvey E, Masood S (2002) Optimizing layout of obstacles for enhanced mixing in microchannels. Smart Mater Struct 11:662–667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang J, Pi XT, Zhang LG, Liu XS, Yang J, Cao Y, Zhang WX, Zheng XL (2007) Diffusion characteristics of a T-type microchannel with different configurations and inlet angles. Anal Sci 23:697–703

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (Grant numbers R01-2007-000-20238-0 and R11-2008-044-01002-0), the National Cancer Center of Korea (Grant number 0620400-1) and the Seoul Research and Business Development Program (Grant number 10574). J.C. also thanks for the financial support from the Korea Research Foundation (Grant number C00170).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Hanyang University, Ansan, 426-791, South Korea

    Lingxin Chen, Guoqing Wang, Chaesung Lim, Gi Hun Seong & Jaebum Choo

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, 426-791, South Korea

    Eun Kyu Lee

  3. Department of Chemistry, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, 561-756, South Korea

    Seong Ho Kang

  4. Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, South Korea

    Joon Myong Song

Authors
  1. Lingxin Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Guoqing Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chaesung Lim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gi Hun Seong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jaebum Choo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Eun Kyu Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Seong Ho Kang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Joon Myong Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jaebum Choo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chen, L., Wang, G., Lim, C. et al. Evaluation of passive mixing behaviors in a pillar obstruction poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic mixer using fluorescence microscopy. Microfluid Nanofluid 7, 267–273 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-008-0386-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-008-0386-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation