Optimizing electroosmotic micromixing performance in converging–diverging microchannels - Effect of mixing chamber shape
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2025-08-01 |
| Journal | Physics of Fluids |
| Authors | Sk Mintajuddin Ahamed, Amitava Dutta, Nirmalendu Biswas |
| Institutions | Jadavpur University, Aliah University |
| Citations | 4 |
Abstract
Section titled “Abstract”Efficient mixing of fluids in microfluidic systems is a challenging task due to the dominance of laminar flow at small scales. This study numerically explores the electroosmotic micromixing in a converging-diverging microchannel using four distinct mixing chamber geometry shapes: straight (MM1), circular (MM2), diamond (MM3), and square (MM4). All designs are free of baffles and utilize electroosmotic flow (EOF) generated by diagonally placed two pairs of microelectrodes to induce efficient mixing. In particular, such design has not been extensively explored in relation to EOF-driven micromixing, and the present study explores new insights into its effectiveness for enhancing mixing and optimizing energy efficiency in microfluidic devices. The transport equations are solved utilizing the finite element method-based computing technique. The parametric simulations explore the effects of average inlet velocity (U0), voltage amplitude (V0), and alternating current (AC) frequency (f) on the mixing performance and pressure drop features. The results revealed that, among all the configurations, the diamond-shaped mixing chamber (MM3) shows the highest mixing quality, reaching 98.95% under optimal operating conditions (U0 = 0.05 mm/s, V0 = 0.5 V, and f = 8 Hz). This geometry facilitated strong, stable vortex generation and improved convective mixing without increasing pressure drop significantly. Additionally, the pressure distribution analysis of MM3 demonstrated that the geometry maintains favorable pressure gradients, promoting efficient recirculation and mixing. This research demonstrates that the mixing chamber geometry, in conjunction with controlled electrokinetic parameters, plays a critical role in mixing enhancement. The diamond shape configuration presents a robust, baffle-free solution for advanced lab-on-a-chip applications requiring high mixing efficiency.
Tech Support
Section titled “Tech Support”Original Source
Section titled “Original Source”References
Section titled “References”- 2021 - Electro-osmotic flow of biological fluid in divergent channel: Drug therapy in compressed capillaries [Crossref]
- 2020 - Active and passive micromixers: A comprehensive review [Crossref]
- 2024 - Effect of elasticity on the induced charge electro-osmotic mixing of viscoelastic fluids in a micromixer with a conductive cylinder [Crossref]
- 2024 - Prospectives and retrospectives of microfluidics devices and lab on-A-chip emphasis on cancer [Crossref]
- 2024 - Solute band transport in electroosmotic pressure-driven flow of Carreau-Yasuda fluid over micropillar arrays [Crossref]
- 2023 - Induced-charge electroosmosis flow of viscoelastic fluids under different voltage arrangements [Crossref]
- 2024 - Mixing performance of T-shaped wavy-walled micromixers with embedded obstacles [Crossref]
- 2004 - Topologic mixing on a microfluidic chip [Crossref]
- 2019 - A comparative numerical design of the static and electrostatic micromixers [Crossref]
- 2019 - Rapid mixing of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in a three dimensional micro mixer using nonuniform magnetic field [Crossref]