title: Monitoring of fluid motion in a micromixer by dynamic NMR microscopy.
abstract: The velocity distribution of liquid flowing in a commercial micromixer has been determined directly by using pulsed-field gradient NMR. Velocity maps with a spatial resolution of 29 microm x 43 microm were obtained by combining standard imaging gradient units with a homebuilt rectangular surface coil matching the mixer geometry. The technique provides access to mixers and reactors of arbitrary shape regardless of optical transparency. Local heterogeneities in the signal intensity and the velocity pattern were found and serve to investigate the quality and functionality of a micromixer, revealing clogging and inhomogeneous flow distributions.
authors.affiliation: NMR Research Group, Department of Physical Sciences, 90014 University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, Finland. suahola@sun3.oulu.fi
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahola
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Casanova
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perlo
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Münnemann
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blümich
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stapf
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation; D009038:Motion; D012996:Solutions / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions