A computer-controlled microfluidic extensional flow device is developed for trapping and manipulating micron-sized hard and soft particles. The extensional flow is generated in a diamond-shaped cross-slot that has each corner connected to a pressure-controlled liquid reservoir. By employing an imaging-based control algorithm, a particle can be made to move to an arbitrary position within the slot by adjusting the reservoir pressures and hence the fluid flow rates into/out of the slot. Thus, a soft particle can be trapped indefinitely at a point within the slot, and a known hydrodynamic force can be applied to study the dynamics of stretching and breakup of the particle. Alternatively, adhesion or coalescence dynamics of soft particles may be investigated by effecting a controlled collision between two particles. The device is validated by measuring the low interfacial tension of a compatibilized oil-water interface.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/43263 |
| Date | 05 December 2013 |
| Creators | Motagamwala, Ali Hussain |
| Contributors | Ramachandran, Arun |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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