2020/11/09 by J. L. Rodriguez, D. Chen, Rodríguez, J. +3
Engineering · #Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Microfluidic and Bio-sensing Technologies #Microfluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis Applications
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2011.04126
openalex publication_date 2020/11/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
This research paper presents a 2D numerical model of an electrokinetic T-junction micromixer based on the stretching and folding theory presented by Ottino. Particle deformation was considered by simulating 2 μm massless particles as 8-point square cells. Furthermore, stretching and folding definitions are proposed, compatible with a Lagrangian particle approach. Moreover, mixing homogeneity and consistency were measured in a 200 μm square region of interest neighboring the outlet. Statistical analysis of the exiting mixing homogeneity at four different electric field conditions (93.5 V/cm, 109.8 V/cm, 126 V/cm and 117.9 V/cm, corresponding to a 23V, 27V, 29V and 31V potential difference) show that mixing consistency and homogeneity are not always increased with a higher electric field intensity, even after electrokinetic instabilities are formed, as increasingly unstable flow conditions decrease the ratio of folding to stretching (m), hindering the interaction between substances. Finally, an optimal proportion of stretching to folding was found for maximizing mixing efficiency at m =0.0045.