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Application of electrokinetic instability flow for enhanced micromixing in cross-shaped microchannel

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Abstract

This paper proposes a cross-shaped micromixer featuring a pair barrier within the mixing channel. The proposed device obtains a rapid mixing of two sample fluids by means of the electrokinetic instability-induced shedding effects which are produced when a DC electric field of an appropriate intensity is applied. The proposed device uses a single high-voltage power source to simultaneously drive and mix the sample fluids. The effectiveness of the mixer is characterized experimentally as a function of the applied electric field intensity and the extent to which a pair barrier obstruct the mixing channel. The experimental results indicate that the mixing performance reaches 96% at a cross-section located 1 mm downstream of the cross-junction when an electric field of 300 V/cm is applied. The micromixing method presented in this study provides a simple low-cost solution to mixing problems in lab-on-a-chip systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng-Kung University, Taiwan, 701

    Min-Zhong Huang & Ruey-Jen Yang

  2. Department of Vehicle Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan, 912

    Chang-Hsien Tai & Chien-Hsiung Tsai

  3. Department of Materials Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan, 912

    Lung-Ming Fu

Authors
  1. Min-Zhong Huang
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  2. Ruey-Jen Yang
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  3. Chang-Hsien Tai
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  4. Chien-Hsiung Tsai
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  5. Lung-Ming Fu
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Correspondence to Lung-Ming Fu.

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Huang, MZ., Yang, RJ., Tai, CH. et al. Application of electrokinetic instability flow for enhanced micromixing in cross-shaped microchannel. Biomed Microdevices 8, 309–315 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-006-0034-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-006-0034-z

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