Microfluidic Device for Enhancing Capillary-driven Flow in Microchannels
Categories for this Invention
Category-Micro & Nano Technologies
Industry Classification:
- NIC (2008)- 32504 – Manufacture of bone plates and screws, syringes, needles, catheters, Cannulae etc; 42904- Construction of outdoor sports facilities; 01612- Operation of agricultural irrigation equipment; 26511- Manufacture of physical properties testing and inspection equipment; 26204- Manufacture of printers, scanners etc
- NAICS (2022)- 339112 Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing; 334516- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing; 221310 Water Supply and Irrigation Systems.
Applications– Flow enhancing vascular implants, Subsurface irrigation systems, Microfluidic sensors, polymer micro-devices, inkjet printers, microfabs etc.
Market Drivers-
Cardiovascular implants market projected to reach $34.59 billion by 2028, reflecting a CAGR of 6.6% ; The; Global Microfluidics market projected to reach USD 117.13 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 23.98%
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Problem Statement
- Capillary flow in thin tubes is a useful phenomenon that can be utilized to enhance flow of fluids in microfluidic channels without the need for external energy.
- Extent of capillary rise depends on the radius of the meniscus of the rising liquid and the diameter of the micro-channel, This limits the capillary rise in tubes having a fixed diameter.
- Enhancing capillary rise would require reducing tube diameters; however, this may reduce fluid flow.
- There is a need for a capillary rise method that enhances capillary rise based on the principle of elasto-capillarity to enhance capillary rise and flow.
Technology
- The invention uses a polymer membrane in microchannel walls to enhance capillary action.
- The flexible polymer membrane is fabricated using soft lithography and a polymer microchip is bonded to it using oxygen-plasma bonding to create a micro-channel.
- The capillary pressure drop in the channel is enhanced by the deformation of the flexible membrane wall into the channel reducing the average curvature of the meniscus
- Enhanced capillary drop results in increase in meniscus height for flexible wall channels when compared to rigid wall channels.
- Capillary rise height was plotted as a function of aspect ratio of a 1 mm wide micro-channel with 60 micron thick flexible PDMS wall
Key Features / Value Proposition
- The method of using a flexible polymer membrane in micro-channels enhances capillary flow when compared to micro-channels with only rigid walls.
- The experimental data closely follows the theoretically predicted data for capillary flow in flexible wall micro-channels.
- The use of PDMS a bio-compatible polymer in fabricating the flexible membrane for the microchannel enables its application in implants for humans.
- Elasto-capillarity based micro channels enable steady and predictable flows enabling their application in sub-surface irrigation systems with reduced evaporative losses. Whereas, traditional sprinkler irrigation for lawns and turfs suffers from wastage due to evaporation.
Questions about this Technology?
Contact For Licensing
sm-marketing@imail.iitm.ac.in
ipoffice2@iitm.ac.in
Research Lab
Prof. Ashis Kumar Sen
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Intellectual Property
- IITM IDF Ref. 1257
- IN 366293 – Patent Granted
Technology Readiness Level
TRL – 3
Experimental proof of concept