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      Mixing Enhancement in Serpentine Micromixers with a Non-Rectangular Cross-Section

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      , , *
      Micromachines
      MDPI
      passive micromixers, Dean flows, serpentine-shaped channels, mixing index

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          Abstract

          In this numerical study, a new type of serpentine micromixer involving mixing units with a non-rectangular cross-section is investigated. Similar to other serpentine/spiral shaped micromixers, the design exploits the formation of transversal vortices (Dean flows) in pressure-driven systems, associated with the centrifugal forces experienced by the fluid as it is confined to move along curved geometries. In contrast with other previous designs, though, the use of non-rectangular cross-sections that change orientation between mixing units is exploited to control the center of rotation of the transversal flows formed. The associated extensional flows that thus develop between the mixing segments complement the existent rotational flows, leading to a more complex fluid motion. The fluid flow characteristics and associated mixing are determined numerically from computational solutions to Navier–Stokes equations and the concentration-diffusion equation. It is found that the performance of the investigated mixers exceeds that of simple serpentine channels with a more consistent behavior at low and high Reynolds numbers. An analysis of the mixing quality using an entropic mixing index indicates that maximum mixing can be achieved at Reynolds numbers as small as 20 in less than four serpentine mixing units.

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          Chaotic mixer for microchannels.

          It is difficult to mix solutions in microchannels. Under typical operating conditions, flows in these channels are laminar-the spontaneous fluctuations of velocity that tend to homogenize fluids in turbulent flows are absent, and molecular diffusion across the channels is slow. We present a passive method for mixing streams of steady pressure-driven flows in microchannels at low Reynolds number. Using this method, the length of the channel required for mixing grows only logarithmically with the Péclet number, and hydrodynamic dispersion along the channel is reduced relative to that in a simple, smooth channel. This method uses bas-relief structures on the floor of the channel that are easily fabricated with commonly used methods of planar lithography.
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            3D printed microfluidic devices: enablers and barriers.

            3D printing has the potential to significantly change the field of microfluidics. The ability to fabricate a complete microfluidic device in a single step from a computer model has obvious attractions, but it is the ability to create truly three dimensional structures that will provide new microfluidic capability that is challenging, if not impossible to make with existing approaches. This critical review covers the current state of 3D printing for microfluidics, focusing on the four most frequently used printing approaches: inkjet (i3DP), stereolithography (SLA), two photon polymerisation (2PP) and extrusion printing (focusing on fused deposition modeling). It discusses current achievements and limitations, and opportunities for advancement to reach 3D printing's full potential.
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              Micromixers—a review

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Micromachines (Basel)
                Micromachines (Basel)
                micromachines
                Micromachines
                MDPI
                2072-666X
                02 March 2018
                March 2018
                : 9
                : 3
                : 107
                Affiliations
                Department of Physics, Cleveland state University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44236, USA; j.a.clark17@ 123456vikes.csuohio.edu (J.C.); m.kaufman@ 123456csuohio.edu (M.K.)
                Author notes
                [* ]Correspondence: p.fodor@ 123456csuohio.edu ; Tel.: +1-216-523-7520
                Article
                micromachines-09-00107
                10.3390/mi9030107
                6187473
                66ccb7a9-d928-4f09-8e25-a8c49938ca4a
                © 2018 by the authors.

                Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

                History
                : 31 January 2018
                : 28 February 2018
                Categories
                Article

                passive micromixers,dean flows,serpentine-shaped channels,mixing index

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