title: Rapid method for design and fabrication of passive micromixers in microfluidic devices using a direct-printing process.
abstract: We developed a facile and rapid one-step technique for design and fabrication of passive micromixers in microfluidic devices using a direct-printing process. A laser printing mechanism was dexterously adopted to pattern the microchannels with different gray levels using vector graphic software. With the present method, periodically ordered specific bas-relief microstructures can be easily fabricated on transparencies by a simple printing process. The size and shape of the resultant microstructures are determined by the gray level of the graphic software and the resolution of the laser printer. Patterns of specific bas-relief microstructures on the floor of a channel act as obstacles in the flow path for advection mixing, which can be used as efficient mixing elements. The mixing effect of the resultant micromixer in microfluidic devices was evaluated using CCD fluorescence spectroscopy. We found that the mixing performance depends strongly on the gray level values. Under optimal conditions, fast passive mixing with our periodic ordered patterns in microfluidic devices has been achieved at the very early stages of the laminar flow. In addition, fabrication of micromixers using the present versatile technique requires less than an hour. The present method is promising for fabrication of micromixers in microfluidic devices at low cost and without complicated devices and environment, providing a simple solution to mixing problems in the micro-total-analysis-systems field.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Department of Chemistry, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Ai-Lin
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Feng-yun
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xing-hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D020811:Biomedical Technology; D045424:Complex Mixtures / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D007834:Lasers; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D011327:Printing / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D045424:Complex Mixtures