Articles techniques et présentations

A simple design for a microfluidic flow system for use in mixing or reacting assays with limited sample availability has been proposed and analyzed using COMSOL\'s multiphysics simulation package. The design is based on differential electroosmotic flow concept which has facilitated a number of interesting flow phenomena in micro-domains. For an average potential drop of about 86 kV/m in the setup, flow rates of about 0.7 nl/s were obtained. The component consists of a microchannel (~20 microns in width) designed to have different electroosmotic mobility in different sections to give a continuous, closed circuit flow. The system has been designed for continuous recirculation of the flow and hence appropriate for use as a micromixer or solid phase microreactor where there is a requirement for high residence time due to slow reaction/diffusion rates.