Capillary flow in microfluidic Hele-Shaw cells

K. Petkovic-Duran; Y. Zhu

doi:10.1117/12.903213

23 December 2011 Capillary flow in microfluidic Hele-Shaw cells

K. Petkovic-Duran, Y. Zhu

Proceedings Volume 8204, Smart Nano-Micro Materials and Devices; 82040M (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.903213
Event: SPIE Smart Nano + Micro Materials and Devices, 2011, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Capillary flow in microchannels has received substantial attention of investigation recently due to its potential applications in microfluidics. This paper will report the new findings of capillary flow behavior in microfluidic Hele- Shaw flow cells. Flow cells with a rectangular cross section of 50×50, 50×500, 20×200, and 50×1000μm were used. It was observed that the shape of the meniscus varied with cell size and aspect ratio. The shape was also strongly affected by the contact lines on both sidewalls and the gas phase flow in front of the meniscus. For cells with same height, the meniscus was stretched more in the flow direction for wider cells. The measured averaged speed of the interface was 5.7, 8.3, 8.3 and ~8 mm/s for the flow cells with a cross section of 50×50, 50×500 and 50×1000μm, respectively. The speed of interface movement was not affected significantly by the aspect ratio for the values used in the current study. The average speed for the flow cells agree reasonably well with the value from the theoretical analysis.

Citation Download Citation

K. Petkovic-Duran and Y. Zhu "Capillary flow in microfluidic Hele-Shaw cells", Proc. SPIE 8204, Smart Nano-Micro Materials and Devices, 82040M (23 December 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.903213

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available