• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.25-29
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• 2012

This paper introduces a new parameter to design the $2{\times}2$ microfluidic centrifuge with single flow rotation positioned at the center of microchamber. The dimensional centrifugal acceleration momentum flux which is defined as the interfacial momentum flux divided by distance from the center of the chamber explains the flow rotation and its threshold provides a reference to expect single flow rotation. Through the numerical and experimental visualization of the flow rotation, the number and position of flow rotation in the $2{\times}2$ microfluidic centrifuge were examined. At a channel width of $50{\mu}m$ and chamber width of $250{\mu}m$, single flow rotation was obtained over at a Reynolds number of 300, while at a channel width of $100{\mu}m$ and chamber width of $500{\mu}m$, single flow rotation did not appear. The numerical analysis showed that the threshold centrifugal acceleration momentum flux to obtain single flow rotation was $3500kg/m{\cdot}s^2$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2014

This paper describes the measurement of performance evaluation of rotational flow varying chamber size and Reynolds number. Through the experimental visualization of the flow rotation, the number and position of flow rotation in the $2{\times}2$ microfluidic centrifuge were examined. At a chamber width of 250${\mu}m$, single flow rotation was obtained over at a Reynolds number of 300, while at a chamber width of 500 ${\mu}m$, single flow rotation did not appear. For performance evaluation, the intensity in microchamber was measured during 20 sec. At a chamber width of 250 ${\mu}m$, performance of rotational flow increased as Reynolds number increased. However, the variation of intensity in microchamber remained unchanged at a chamber width of 500 ${\mu}m$. The numerical analysis showed that the threshold centrifugal acceleration to obtain rotational flow for ejected particles was 200g.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2023

Microfluidic reactors have been made to achieve significant development for the generation of new functional materials to apply in a variety of fields. Over the last decade, microfluidic reactors have attracted attention as a user-friendly approach that is enabled to control physicochemical parameters such as size, shape, composition, and surface property. Here, we develop a centrifugal microfluidic reactor that can control the flow of fluid based on centrifugal force and generate multifunctional particles of various sizes and compositions. A centrifugal microfluidic reactor is fabricated by combining microneedles, micro- centrifuge tubes, and conical tubes, which are easily obtained in the laboratory. Depending on the experimental control param- eters, including centrifuge rotation speed, alginate concentration, calcium ion concentration, and distance from the needle to the calcium aqueous solution, this strategy not only enables the generation of size-controlled microparticles in a simple and reproducible manner but also achieves scalable production without the use of complicated skills or advanced equipment. Therefore, we believe that this simple strategy could serve as an on-demand platform for a wide range of industrial and academic applications, particularly for the development of advanced smart materials with new functionalities in biomedical engineering.