Browsing by Subject "Two phase flow"
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Item 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, ÇağlarDespite 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 AuthorsItem Open Access Theoretical and experimental limits of monodisperse droplet generation(Elsevier Ltd, 2021-01-16) Ali, Kalantarifard; Elnaz, Alizadeh-Haghighi; Abtin, Saateh; Elbüken, ÇağlarDroplet microfluidic systems are becoming routine in advanced biochemical studies such as single cell gene expression, immuno profiling, precise nucleic acid quantification (dPCR) and particle synthesis. For all these applications, ensuring droplet monodispersity is critical to minimize the uncertainty due to droplet volume variation. Despite the wide usage of droplet-based microfluidic systems, the limit of monodispersity for droplet generation systems is still unknown. Here, we present an analytical approach that takes into account all the system dynamics and internal/external factors that disturb monodispersity. Interestingly, we are able to model the dynamics of a segmented two-phase flow system using a single-phase flow analogy, electron flow, in electrical circuits. We offer a unique solution and design guidelines to ensure ultra-monodisperse droplet generation. Our analytical conclusions are experimentally verified using a T-junction droplet generator. Equally importantly, we show the limiting experimental factors for reaching the theoretical maximum of monodispersity.