Microfluidics
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Electroosmotic Pumps
We are developing high performance electroosmotic pumps for variety of applications including IC chip cooling, drug delivery, high performance liquid chromatography, and water management in hydrogen PEM fuel cells. Electroosmotic (EO) pumps use ion drag in micro- and nano-scale flow channels to pump electrolytes. EO flow is the motion of an electrolyte caused by the …
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Hydrodynamic Particle Separation
We are investigating a hydrodynamic particle separation technique that employs pinching of particles to a narrow microchannel. The particles are subject to a sudden expansion which results in a size-based particle separation transverse to the flow direction. The separation resolution and particle dispersion are measured using epifluorescence microscopy. The resolution and dispersion are predicted using …
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Nanofluidics
We have fabricated silicon nanoscale pores and examined their electrokinetic transport behaviors.13, 26 We have shown that nanoscale pores in series with microchannels can exhibit asymmetric concentration polarization that can be leveraged for DNA sequencing, biomolecule separation, and desalination, for example. We have also functionalized the pore with antibodies in the goal of developing nanofluidic …
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Three-Dimensional Velocimetry
A diagnostic platform for measuring three dimensional velocity fields in whole microscopic volumes is presented. The imaging system is based on Nipkow spinning disk confocal microscopy. The confocal system provides optical sectioning using pinhole spatial filtering which rejects light originating from out of focus objects. Volumetric scanning is obtained by rapid translation of the high …
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Microfluidic Fuel Cells
Microfluidic fuel cell uses controlled flow patterns to separate liquid fuel and oxidizer instead of a physical membrane. In our group we are developing unique cell architectures that provide increased power density, fuel flexibility, and an increase in fuel utilization.
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