Analysis, Design and Fabrication of Micromixers

This book includes an editorial and 12 research papers on micromixers collected from the Special Issue published in Micromachines. The topics of the papers are focused on the design of micromixers, their fabrication, and their analysis. Some of them proposed novel micromixer designs. Most of them deal with passive micromixers, but two papers report studies on electrokinetic micromixers. Fully three-dimensional (3D) micromixers were investigated in some cases. One of the papers applied optimization techniques to the design of a 3D micromixer. A review paper is also included and reports a review of recently developed passive micromixers and a comparative analysis of 10 typical micromixers

Micro/nano devices for blood analysis

[Excerpt] The development of microdevices for blood analysis is an interdisciplinary subject that demandsan integration of several research fields such as biotechnology, medicine, chemistry, informatics, optics,electronics, mechanics, and micro/nanotechnologies.Over the last few decades, there has been a notably fast development in the miniaturization ofmechanical microdevices, later known as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which combineelectrical and mechanical components at a microscale level. The integration of microflow and opticalcomponents in MEMS microdevices, as well as the development of micropumps and microvalves,have promoted the interest of several research fields dealing with fluid flow and transport phenomenahappening at microscale devices. [...

Smart Flow Control Processes in Micro Scale

In recent years, microfluidic devices with a large surface-to-volume ratio have witnessed rapid development, allowing them to be successfully utilized in many engineering applications. A smart control process has been proposed for many years, while many new innovations and enabling technologies have been developed for smart flow control, especially concerning “smart flow control” at the microscale. This Special Issue aims to highlight the current research trends related to this topic, presenting a collection of 33 papers from leading scholars in this field. Among these include studies and demonstrations of flow characteristics in pumps or valves as well as dynamic performance in roiling mill systems or jet systems to the optimal design of special components in smart control systems

Microfluidic Organ‐on‐a‐Chip Technology for Advancement of Drug Development and Toxicology

In recent years, the exploitation of phenomena surrounding microfluidics has seen an increase in popularity, as researchers have found a way to use their unique properties to create superior design alternatives. One such application is representing the properties and functions of different organs on a microscale chip for the purpose of drug testing or tissue engineering. With the introduction of “organ‐on‐a‐chip” systems, researchers have proposed various methods on various organ‐on‐a‐chip systems to mimic their in vivo counterparts. In this article, a systematic approach is taken to review current technologies pertaining to organ‐on‐a‐chip systems. Design processes with attention to the particular instruments, cells, and materials used are presented

Industrial lab-on-a-chip: design, applications and scale-up for drug discovery and delivery

Microfluidics is an emerging and promising interdisciplinary technology which offers powerful platforms for precise production of novel functional materials (e.g., emulsion droplets, microcapsules, and nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles- and drug molecules) as well as high-throughput analyses (e.g., bioassays, detection, and diagnostics). In particular, multiphase microfluidics is a rapidly growing technology and has beneficial applications in various fields including biomedicals, chemicals, and foods. In this review, we first describe the fundamentals and latest developments in multiphase microfluidics for producing biocompatible materials that are precisely controlled in size, shape, internal morphology and composition. We next describe some microfluidic applications that synthesize drug molecules, handle biological substances and biological units, and imitate biological organs. We also highlight and discuss design, applications and scale up of droplet- and flow-based microfluidic devices used for drug discovery and delivery. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Studying Multicellular Dynamics with Single-cell Micropattern Clusters

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Strategic design of flow structures for single (bio) particle analysis using droplet microfluidic platform

This thesis is designed to meet the need for knowledge of droplet-based encapsulation strategies by carrying out systematic fundamental studies based on a double-cross configuration. This configuration has been commonly used for co-encapsulation of particles or cells with multiple reagents. Particular attention is also paid to the simplicity and robustness of the channel network for real-world applications. Proposed methods of single-particle encapsulation and integration of multiple functional components are validated by the first two projects. The goal of the first project is to co-encapsulate a 1micrometer magnetic bead (MB) with multiple Quantum Dots (QDs) for further bio-decorating the QD surfaces with different molecules (i.e. single-strand DNA). The goal of the second project is to integrate into a single device a two-step reaction assay for functionalizing the surface of QDs with oligonucleotide strands while QDs are immobilized on MBs. The QD-Oligonucleotide conjugate serves as bio-sensing probes for nucleic acid detection. Additionally, to provide the fundamental knowledge for non-microfluidic-researchers to apply this approach in their single-encapsulation applications, a comprehensive experimental study is designed to span a wide range of operating parameters

Advances in Hydraulics and Hydroinformatics Volume 2

This Special Issue reports on recent research trends in hydraulics, hydrodynamics, and hydroinformatics, and their novel applications in practical engineering. The Issue covers a wide range of topics, including open channel flows, sediment transport dynamics, two-phase flows, flow-induced vibration and water quality. The collected papers provide insight into new developments in physical, mathematical, and numerical modelling of important problems in hydraulics and hydroinformatics, and include demonstrations of the application of such models in water resources engineering