Prediction of bubble formation during filling of microchambers is often critical
for determining the efficacy of microfluidic devices in various applications. In this study
experimental validation is performed to verify the predictions from a previously
developed numerical model using lumped analyses for simulating bubble formation
during the filling of microchambers. The lumped model is used to predict bubble
formation in a micro-chamber as a function of the chamber geometry, fluid properties
(i.e. viscosity and surface tension), surface condition (contact angle, surface roughness)
and operational parameters (e.g., flow rate) as user defined inputs. Several
microchambers with different geometries and surface properties were microfabricated.
Experiments were performed to fill the microchambers with different liquids (e.g., water
and alcohol) at various flow rates to study the conditions for bubble formation inside the
microchambers. The experimental data are compared with numerical predictions to
identify the limitations of the numerical model. Also, the comparison of the
experimental data with the numerical results provides additional insight into the physics
of the micro/nano-scale flow phenomena. The results indicate that contact angle plays a significant role on properties of fluids confined within small geometries, such as in
microfluidic devices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2538 |
| Date | 15 May 2009 |
| Creators | Gauntt, Stephen Byron |
| Contributors | Banerjee, Debjyoti |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Thesis, text |
| Format | electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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