Micromixing is a critical component of microfluidics because it assures that fluidic species within microfluidic channels are completely mixed, resulting in homogenous and repeatable outcomes. The tiny size of the channels and the lack of turbulence in microfluidic systems, as compared to macroscale systems, might make effective mixing difficult. This can have an effect on the precision and dependability of tests conducted within these systems. Micromixing may be accomplished utilizing a variety of methods, including the use of microscale devices such as T-junctions, rotary valves, and diffusive mixers. These devices can give fine control over the mixing process, increasing accuracy and repeatability. Furthermore, micromixing may be accomplished via active methods such as magnetically actuated rotos, acoustic fields, dielectrophoretic forces, and vibrating structures. Active methods provide more control over mixing parameters such as on-demand mixing. In this work, a simple 3D printed microfluidic device is developed and fabricated for mixing fluids using vibration induced streaming. The device is composed of an elastic fluidic channel, a battery-powered vibration motor, and a glass capillary. As for the channel material thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filament is used which provides higher degree of elasticity compared to traditional PLA filaments. It is shown that the presented device can mix fluids using a simple vibrating motor. Mixing quality is characterized using a mixing index calculation through measuring gray-scale values across the glass capillary part of the microfluidic device. Overall, the demonstrated application shows the potential of 3D printed simple devices for active fluids mixing. ORCID NO: 0000-0001-7110-901X
Anahtar Kelimeler: microfluidic flow mixing, low Reynolds number, 3D printing, micromixing
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