Comment circulent des gouttes dans un laboratoire sur puce ?

National audienceLes applications microfluidiques à haut débit visent à miniaturiser un laboratoire d'analyse à l'échelle de quelques centimètres carrés, afin d'améliorer la rapidité et la sensibilité des mesures. Dans ce contexte, l'utilisation de gouttelettes produites en flux continu s'avère une stratégie prometteuse permettant de manipuler des volumes allant du picolitre au nanolitre avec une grande répétabilité, ces gouttelettes faisant office de " microtubes à essai ". Nous discutons ici de cette approche, la " microfluidique digitale ", qui nécessite de comprendre et maîtriser l'écoulement de gouttes au sein de circuits hydrodynamiques. Nous nous intéressons tout particulièrement à la dynamique riche et complexe de ces systèmes, qui peuvent servir de modèles pour comprendre la circulation d'objets discrets dans des réseaux, c'est-à-dire de problèmes liés au trafic

Microfluidic breakups of confined droplets against a linear obstacle: The importance of the viscosity contrast.

International audienceCombining experiments and theory, we investigate the break-up dynamics of deformable objects, such as drops and bubbles, against a linear micro-obstacle. Our experiments bring the role of the viscosity contrast Δη between dispersed and continuous phases to light: the evolution of the critical capillary number to break a drop as a function of its size is either nonmonotonic (Δη>0) or monotonic (Δη≤0). In the case of positive viscosity contrasts, experiments and modeling reveal the existence of an unexpected critical object size for which the critical capillary number for breakup is minimum. Using simple physical arguments, we derive a model that well describes observations, provides diagrams mapping the four hydrodynamic regimes identified experimentally, and demonstrates that the critical size originating from confinement solely depends on geometrical parameters of the obstacle

Slow relaxation mode in concentrated oil-in-water microemulsions consisting of repulsive droplets.

International audienceThe present contribution reports on the observation of two diffusive relaxation modes in a concentrated microemulsion made of repulsive droplets. These two modes can be interpreted in the frame of Weissman's and Pusey's theoretical pioneering works. The fast mode is associated to the collective diffusion of droplets whereas the slow one corresponds to the relaxation of droplet concentration fluctuations associated with composition and/or size. We show that (i) repulsive interactions considerably slow down the latter and (ii) a generalized Stokes Einstein relationship between its coefficient of diffusion and the Newtonian viscosity of the solutions, similar to the Walden's rule for electrolytes, holds for concentrated microemulsion systems made of repulsive droplets

Passive breakups of isolated drops and one-dimensional assemblies of drops in microfluidic geometries: experiments and models.

International audienceUsing two different geometries, rectangular obstacles and asymmetric loops, we investigate the breakup dynamics of deformable objects, such as drops and bubbles, confined in microfluidic devices. We thoroughly study two distinct flow configurations that depend on whether object-to-object hydrodynamic interactions are allowed. When such interactions are introduced, we find that the volumes of the daughter objects created after breakup solely depend on the geometrical features of the devices and are not affected by the hydrodynamic and physicochemical variables; these results are in sharp contrast with those obtained for non-interacting objects. For both configurations, we provide simple phenomenological models that capture well the experimental findings and predict the evolution of the volumes of the daughter objects with the controlling dimensionless quantities that are identified. We introduce a mean-field approximation, which permits accounting for the interactions between objects during breakup and we discuss its conditions of validity

Defects of structure in one-dimensional trains of drops of alternating composition

International audienceMerging two periodic droplet trains at a T-junction, we investigate the production of one-dimensional (1D) trains of drops of alternating composition. The structure of these trains consists of a succession of well-defined patterns and defects. A discrete model recently introduced to describe the structure of double emulsions made with two-step microfluidic dripping techniques predicts the nature of these patterns and their scheme of arrangement in a train as functions of the rates at which the two droplet trains reach the junction. Millifluidic experiments validate these predictions

Observation of Droplet Size Oscillations in a Two-Phase Fluid under Shear Flow

Experimental observations of droplet size sustained oscillations are reported in a two-phase flow between a lamellar and a sponge phase. Under shear flow, this system presents two different steady states made of monodisperse multilamellar droplets, separated by a shear-thinning transition. At low and high shear rates, the droplet size results from a balance between surface tension and viscous stress whereas for intermediate shear rates, it becomes a periodic function of time. A possible mechanism for such kind of oscillations is discussed

AFM Analysis on Polymer Optical Micro-Resonators: Investigation on Quality Factor Origin

International audienceThis paper deals with the surface analysis of spherical polymeric optical micro-resonators in order to correlate surface defects with optical characteristics. Atomic force microscopy was used on structures to determine surface quality, which is the main origin of optical scattering losses. Surface morphologies were numerically treated to enable a relevant investigation on surface parameters such as root mean square (RMS) roughness (30.1 +/- 3.0 nm) or correlation length (few microns) necessary to express optical quality factors. A statistical analysis was conducted for calibration of these parameters as a function of cavities' diameter. Results are in perfect agreement with spectral analyses performed in parallel on others structures. This comparison highlights the main role of scattering losses on quality factor origin

Path selection rules for droplet trains in single-lane microfluidic networks.

International audienceWe investigate the transport of periodic trains of droplets through microfluidic networks having one inlet, one outlet, and nodes consisting of T junctions. Variations of the dilution of the trains, i.e., the distance between drops, reveal the existence of various hydrodynamic regimes characterized by the number of preferential paths taken by the drops. As the dilution increases, this number continuously decreases until only one path remains explored. Building on a continuous approach used to treat droplet traffic through a single asymmetric loop, we determine selection rules for the paths taken by the drops and we predict the variations of the fraction of droplets taking these paths with the parameters at play including the dilution. Our results show that as dilution decreases, the paths are selected according to the ascending order of their hydrodynamic resistance in the absence of droplets. The dynamics of these systems controlled by time-delayed feedback is complex: We observe a succession of periodic regimes separated by a wealth of bifurcations as the dilution is varied. In contrast to droplet traffic in single asymmetric loops, the dynamical behavior in networks of loops is sensitive to initial conditions because of extra degrees of freedom

Utilisation de données SPOT5 pour la cartographie des habitats benthiques littoraux. Application à l’archipel des îles Chausey (golfe normand-breton, France)

Cette étude présente l’intérêt et les limites des données de télédétection à Haute Résolution Spatiale issues du capteur SPOT5 pour la cartographie des habitats benthiques médiolittoraux. Le site d’étude, l’archipel des îles Chausey (golfe normand-breton, France) se caractérise par un très vaste estran parsemé d’une multitude d’îlots. Par ses contraintes physiques, il constitue un site de recherche privilégié pour répondre aux problèmes actuels de cartographies des habitats littoraux, par ailleurs en cours de réalisation (programme REBENT-IFREMER) et initiées par les instances publiques (services délocalisés de l’État) suite aux nombreuses pollutions côtières. Des méthodes de traitement d’images traditionnelles et couramment utilisées ont été testées et validées à l’échelle de l’archipel par des photographies aériennes récentes et des campagnes d’échantillonnages faites sur le terrain. La classification retenue est très proche de celle de la nomenclature NATURA 2000 en ce qui concerne les habitats naturels de l’estran. Les traitements apportés permettent d’explorer quelques potentialités de SPOT5 et d’afficher ainsi une première évaluation de ces données pour la caractérisation, l’inventaire et le suivi des habitats naturels littoraux.Recent coastal pollutions have induced local and national authorities (research institutes – IFREMER, CNES, IFEN –, decentralised state agencies) to evaluate present mapping techniques and to assess their ability to map coastal benthic habitats. Within these research programs a test site has been choosen to evaluate data from the High Spatial Resolution Satelite SPOT5. It is the Chausey archipelago, in the English Channel which is characterized by a very wide macro tidal shore line with many skerries and very small islands. Such a rugged inter-and sub-tidal topography makes it a very demanding site for cartography. SPOT5 data has been classified (using usual routines of image processing), compared to photos, cross checked with field evidences. This has allowed to point out SPOT5 potential : the classification is very similar to the Natura 2000 check list and shows a good ability to map this type of shore. This preliminary test is a begining to a wider program of coastal monitoring by SPOT5

Axillary lymphadenopathy at the time of COVID-19 vaccination: ten recommendations from the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI).

Unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy is a frequent mild side effect of COVID-19 vaccination. European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) proposes ten recommendations to standardise its management and reduce unnecessary additional imaging and invasive procedures: (1) in patients with previous history of breast cancer, vaccination should be performed in the contralateral arm or in the thigh; (2) collect vaccination data for all patients referred to breast imaging services, including patients undergoing breast cancer staging and follow-up imaging examinations; (3) perform breast imaging examinations preferentially before vaccination or at least 12 weeks after the last vaccine dose; (4) in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, apply standard imaging protocols regardless of vaccination status; (5) in any case of symptomatic or imaging-detected axillary lymphadenopathy before vaccination or at least 12 weeks after, examine with appropriate imaging the contralateral axilla and both breasts to exclude malignancy; (6) in case of axillary lymphadenopathy contralateral to the vaccination side, perform standard work-up; (7) in patients without breast cancer history and no suspicious breast imaging findings, lymphadenopathy only ipsilateral to the vaccination side within 12 weeks after vaccination can be considered benign or probably-benign, depending on clinical context; (8) in patients without breast cancer history, post-vaccination lymphadenopathy coupled with suspicious breast finding requires standard work-up, including biopsy when appropriate; (9) in patients with breast cancer history, interpret and manage post-vaccination lymphadenopathy considering the timeframe from vaccination and overall nodal metastatic risk; (10) complex or unclear cases should be managed by the multidisciplinary team