Browsing by Subject "Flow-focusing"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Open Access
A microfluidic droplet system for ultra-monodisperse droplet generation: A universal approach
(Elsevier Ltd, 2022-07-22) Kalantarifard, Ali; Alizadeh-Haghighi, Elnaz; Elbüken, Çağlar
Despite the importance of droplet monodispersity, a universal methodology for high monodispersity droplet generation does not exist yet. We have recently demonstrated that unlike the conventional method of droplet generation, applying an identical pressure from a single source makes the microfluidic droplet system immune to the external fluctuations that originate from the imperfection of the flow source. In this work, we show that our method is universal and applicable to other common microfluidic devices and flow sources. We applied this method to flow-focusing and coflow devices that are commonly used for high-frequency microdroplet generation. In addition to the pressure pump, we used a syringe pump to show that our method is applicable to flow rate controllable systems as well. We compared the monodispersity of droplets formed by the conventional methods and the novel method explained in this work. © 2022 The Authors
Open Access
A simple approach for the fabrication of 3D microelectrodes for impedimetric sensing
(Institute of Physics Publishing, 2015) Guler, M. T.; Bilican, I.; Agan, S.; Elbuken, C.
In this paper, we present a very simple method to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) microelectrodes integrated with microfluidic devices. We form the electrodes by etching a microwire placed across a microchannel. For precise control of the electrode spacing, we employ a hydrodynamic focusing microfluidic device and control the width of the etching solution stream. The focused widths of the etchant solution and the etching time determine the gap formed between the electrodes. Using the same microfluidic device, we can fabricate integrated 3D electrodes with different electrode gaps. We have demonstrated the functionality of these electrodes using an impedimetric particle counting setup. Using 3D microelectrodes with a diameter of 25 μm, we have detected 6 μm-diameter polystyrene beads in a buffer solution as well as erythrocytes in a PBS solution. We study the effect of electrode spacing on the signal-to-noise ratio of the impedance signal and we demonstrate that the smaller the electrode spacing the higher the signal obtained from a single microparticle. The sample stream is introduced to the system using the same hydrodynamic focusing device, which ensures the alignment of the sample in between the electrodes. Utilising a 3D hydrodynamic focusing approach, we force all the particles to go through the sensing region of the electrodes. This fabrication scheme not only provides a very low-cost and easy method for rapid prototyping, but which can also be used for applications requiring 3D electric field focused through a narrow section of the microchannel.