An asymmetric flow-focusing droplet generator promotes rapid mixing of reagents.

ABSTRACT: Nowadays droplet microfluidics is widely used to perform high throughput assays and for the synthesis of micro- and nanoparticles. These applications usually require packaging several reagents into droplets and their mixing to start a biochemical reaction. For rapid mixing microfluidic devices usually require additional functional elements that make their designs more complex. Here we perform a series of 2D numerical simulations, followed by experimental studies, and introduce a novel asymmetric flow-focusing droplet generator, which enhances mixing during droplet formation due to a 2D or 3D asymmetric vortex, located in the droplet formation area of the microfluidic device. Our results suggest that 2D numerical simulations can be used for qualitative analysis of two-phase flows and drople

SUBMITTER: Belousov KI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8062447 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature