Elasto-Inertial Focusing Mechanisms of Particles in Shear-Thinning Viscoelastic Fluid in Rectangular Microchannels.

ABSTRACT: Growth of the microfluidics field has triggered numerous advances in focusing and separating microparticles, with such systems rapidly finding applications in biomedical, chemical, and environmental fields. The use of shear-thinning viscoelastic fluids in microfluidic channels is leading to evolution of elasto-inertial focusing. Herein, we showed that the interplay between the elastic and shear-gradient lift forces, as well as the secondary flow transversal drag force that is caused by the non-zero second normal stress difference, lead to different particle focusing patterns in the elasto-inertial regime. Experiments and 3D simulations were performed to study the effects of flowrate, particle size, and the shear-thinning extent of the fluid on the focusing patterns. The Giesekus constituti

SUBMITTER: Naderi MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9781382 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature