Viscoelastic second normal stress difference dominated multiple-stream particle focusing in microfluidic channels.

Particle focusing in viscoelastic fluid flow is a promising approach for inducing particle separations in microfluidic devices. The results from theoretical studies indicated that multiple stream particle focusing can be realized with a large magnitude of the elastic second normal stress difference (N). For dilute polymer solutions, theoretical and experimental studies show that the magnitude of N is never large, no matter how large the polymer molecular weight nor how high the shear rate.

Optimization of micropatterned poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) films for enhancing dorsal root ganglion cell orientation and extension.

Nerve conduits have been a viable alternative to the 'gold standard' autograft for treating small peripheral nerve gap injuries. However, they often produce inadequate functional recovery outcomes and are ineffective in large gap injuries. Ridge/groove surface micropatterning has been shown to promote neural cell orientation and guide growth.