• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.2460-2464
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• 2008

The present paper suggests new method to know the effects of molecular diffusion and the helicity of microchannel flows on mixing in passive micromixers, which are essential components of a microfluidic chip. In this study, 'Helix Index' is newly defined as the magnitude of chaotic advection. Relationship between Helix Index and Mixing Index is analyzed numerically such as the wide range of Peclet and Reynolds numbers in three dimensional serpentine microchannel when using soluble solutions (water/glycerol). As a result, a simple algebraic equation is derived by this relationship based on a regression analysis. The algebraic equation is found to be able to accurately predict the mixing performance without solving the coupled, complex momentum and mass transfer equations.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.231-236
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• 2004

A normally open thermopneumaticc-actuated microvalve has been fabricated and their properties are investigated. The advantages of the proposed microvalve are of the low cost fabrication process and the transparent optical property using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and indium tin oxide (ITO) glass. The fabricated microvalves with in-channel configuration are easily integrated with other microfluidic devices on the same substrate. The fabrication process of thermopneumatic-actuated microvalvesusing PDMS is very simple and its performance is very suitable for a disposable lab-on-a-chip. The PDMS membrane deflection increases and the flow rates of the microchannel with microvalvels decrease as the applied power to the ITO heater increases. The powers at flow-off are dependent on the membrane thickness and the applied inlet pressure but are independent of the channel width of microvalves. The flow rate is well controlled by the switching function of ITO heater and the closing/opening times are around 20 sec and 25 sec, respectively.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.2 s.245
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• pp.110-116
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• 2006

A syringe pump or a device using high electric voltage has been used for controlling flows inside a LOC (lab-on-a-chip). Compared to LOC, however, these microfluidic devices are large and heavy that they are burdensome for a portable ${\mu}-TAS$ (micro total analysis system). In this study, a new flow control technique employing pressure regulators and pressure chambers was developed. This technique utilizes compressed air to control the micro-scale flow inside a LOC, instead of a mechanical actuator or an electric power supply. The pressure regulator controls the output air pressure by adjusting the variable resistor attached. We checked the feasibility of this system by measuring the flow rate inside a capillary tube of $100{\mu}m$ diameter in the Re numbers ranged from 0.5 to 50. In addition, the performance of this flow control system was compared with that of a conventional syringe pump. The developed flow control system was found to show superior performance, compared with the syringe pump. It maintains automatically the: air pressure inside a pressure chamber whether the flow inside the capillary tube is on or off. Since the flow rate is nearly proportional to the resistance, we can control flow in multiple microchannels precisely. However, the syringe pump shows large variation of flow rate when the fluid flow is blocked in the microchannel.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.738-742
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• 2012

Here, we develop a new nanofilter device for the rapid and efficient separation of nanoparticles and biomolecules, exploiting the use of AAO mebrane with ordered nanopores in the range from 20 nm to 200 nm. Briefly, the chip comprises of a series of the upper and lower PDMS channels containing embedded inlet and outlet ports, and $50{\mu}m$ width microfluidic channel, and AAO membrane to be made the filtering zone. After assembling these components, the acrylate plastic plates were used to fix the device on the top and bottom side. When introducing the samples into the inlet ports of the upper PDMS channel, we were able to separate and concentrate the nanoparticles and target molecules at the filtering zone, and to elute the solutions containing the unwanted materials toward the lower PDMS channels normal to the direction of AAO membrane. To demonstrate the usefulness of the device we apply it to the SERS detection of nucleic acid sequences associated with Dengue virus serotype 2. We report a limit of detection for Dengue sequences of 300 nM and show excellent enhancement of Raman signals from the filter zone of the nanofilter device.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.1159-1165
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• 2013

Powder blasting, which is an efficient micromachining method for glass, silicon, and ceramics, has a critical disadvantage in that the surface finish is poor owing to the brittle fracture of materials. Low-pressure waterjet machining can be applied to smoothen the rough surface inside the blasted structure. In this study, the surface roughness and sectional dimension of micro-channels are observed during the repetitive application of a waterjet to blasted micro-channels. The asperities and subsurface cracks created by blasting are removed by waterjet machining. Along with the surface roughness, it is found that the sectional dimension increases and the edges of the finished micro-channel become slightly round. Finally, a microfluidic chip is machined by the blasting-waterjet process and a transparent microfluidic channel is obtained efficiently.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.233-239
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• 2003

For the quantitative analysis of an unknown sample a calibration curve should be obtained, as analytical instruments give relative, rather than absolute measurements. Therefore, researchers should make standard samples with various known concentrations, measure each standard and the unknown sample, and then determine the concentration of the unknown by comparing the measured value to those of the standards. These procedures are tedious and time-consuming. Therefore, we developed a polymer based microfluidic device from polydimethylsiloxane, which integrates serial dilution and capillary electrophoresis functions in a single device. The integrated microchip can provide a one-step analytical tool, and thus replace the complex experimental procedures. Two plastic syringes, one containing a buffer solution and the other a standard solution, were connected to two inlet holes on a microchip, and pushed by a hydrodynamic force. The standard sample is serially diluted to various concentrations through the microfluidic networks. The diluted samples are sequentially introduced through microchannels by electro-osmotic force, and their laser-induced fluorescence signals measured by capillary electrophoresis. We demonstrate the integrated microchip performance by measuring the fluorescence signals of fluorescein at various concentrations. The calibration curve obtained from the electropherograms showed the expected linearity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2017

In droplet-based microfluidic systems, in-droplet preconcentration of a sample is one of the important prerequisites for biochemical or medical analysis. There have been a few studies on preconcentration in a moving droplet, but they are limited to practical applications since 1) their method are time-consuming or 2) they require specific properties such as electric and magnetic properties. In this study, we demonstrated the position control of polystyrene particles of 5 and $10{\mu}m$ in diameter inside a moving water-in-oil droplet using traveling surface acoustic waves. Since the frequencies for effective control of each diameter were found, microparticles with no labels could be utilized. In addition, the proposed method enabled on-demand preconcentration inside a polydimethylsiloxane microchannel. In-droplet preconcentration of microparticles was realized by splitting a mother droplet with manipulated particles at a downstream bifurcation zone. Given these advantages, the proposed system is a promising acoustofluidic lab-on-a-chip platform for preconcentration inside a droplet.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.1785-1791
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• 2010

This paper describes a separable microfluidic device fabricated with PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) and glass. The device is used for sample preparation involving cell lysis and the DNA purification process. The cell lysis was performed for 2 min at $80^{\circ}C$ in a serpentine-type microreactor ($20 {\mu}l$) using a Au microheater that was integrated with a thermal microsensor on a glass substrate. The DNA that was mixed with other residual products during the cell lysis process was then filtered through a new filtration system composed of microbeads (diameter: $50 {\mu}m$) and PDMS pillars. Since the entire process (sample loading, cell lysis reaction, DNA purification, and sample extraction) was performed within 5 min in a microchip, we could reduce the sample preparation time in comparison with that for the conventional methods used in biochemistry laboratories. Finally, we verified the performance of the sample preparation chip by conducting PCR (polymerase chain reaction) analysis of the chip product.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.197-202
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• 2023

Recently, research on experimental and analytical techniques utilizing microfluidic devices has been pursued. For example, lab-on-a-chip devices that integrate micro-devices onto a single chip for processing small sample quantities have gained significant attention. However, during sample preparation, unnecessary gases can be introduced into the internal channels, thus, impeding device flow and compromising specific function efficiency, including that of analysis and separation. Several methods have been proposed to mitigate this issue, however, many involve cumbersome procedures or suffer from complexities owing to intricate structures. Recently, some approaches have been introduced that utilize hydrophobic device structures to remove gases within channels. In such cases, the permeability of gases passing through the structure becomes a crucial performance factor. In this study, a method involving the deposition and sintering of diluted Ag-ink onto a silicon wafer surface is presented. This is followed by unstructured nano-pattern creation using a Metal Assisted Chemical Etching (MACE) process, which yields a nanostructured surface with unstructured pillar shapes. Subsequently, gas permeability in the spaces formed by these surface structures is investigated. This is achieved by experiments conducted to incorporate a pressure chamber and measure gas permeability. Trends are subsequently analyzed by comparing the results with existing theories. Finally, it can be confirmed that the significance of this study primarily lies in its capability to effectively evaluate gas permeability through unstructured pillar-like nanostructures, thus, providing quantitative values for the appropriate driving pressure and expected gas removal time in practical device operation.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2004

It is of great interest to enhance mixing performance in a microchannel in which the flow is usually characterized as a low Reynolds number (Re) so that good mixing is quite difficult to be achieved in this laminar flow regime. In this regard, we present a new chaotic passive micromixer, named Barrier Embedded Micromixer (BEM), of which the mixing mechanism is based on chaotic flows. In BEM, chaotic flow is induced by periodic perturbation of the velocity field due to periodically inserted barriers along the channel wall while a helical type of flow is obtained by slanted grooves on the bottom surface of the channel in the pressure driven flow. To experimentally compare the mixing performance, a T-microchannel and a microchannel with only slanted grooves were also fabricated. All microchannels were made of PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) from SU-8 masters that were fabricated by conventional photolithography. Mixing performance was experimentally characterized with respect to an average mixing intensity by means of color change of phenolphthalein as pH indicator. It was found that mixing efficiency decreases as Re increases for all three micromixers. Experimental results obviously indicate that BEM has better mixing performance than the other two. Chaotic mixing mechanism, suggested in this study, can be easily applied to integrated microfluidic systems , such as Micro-Total-Analysis-System, Lab-on-a-chip and so on.