Flow focusing geometry generates droplets through a plug and squeeze mechanism.

Lab Chip

Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.

Published: December 2012

AI Article Synopsis

  • Microdroplets are produced using two main microfluidic designs: T-junctions and flow focusing.
  • The study compares the pressure fluctuations in both designs and finds them to be similar, indicating that their mechanisms for drop formation might not be as different as previously thought.
  • In low-to-moderate capillary numbers, the drop formation in both devices is influenced by interfacial stresses and occurs through a process called plugging-squeezing.

Article Abstract

Microdroplets are typically generated by one of two microfluidic geometries, the T-junction and flow focusing. These two geometries are often thought to form drops through different mechanisms. Here, by directly measuring the pressures in the drop maker, we show that flow focus devices exhibit pressure fluctuations that are essentially identical to those found in T-junctions, suggesting that, in these devices and low-to-moderate capillary number, the drop formation process is also dominated by interfacial stresses and proceeds through a plugging-squeezing process.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c2lc40938kDOI Listing

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