Small
·
2023
·Vol. 19
·期 34
·2300047
·
IF 13.3
Mingzhu Xie,Ziheng Zhan,Chengqi Zhang,Wanqing Xu,Ce Zhang,Yongping Chen,Zhichao Dong,Zhaolong Wang
Numerous structures have been functionally optimized for directional liquid transport in nature. Inspired by lush trees’ xylem that enable liquid directional transportation from rhizomes to the tip of trees, a new kind of programmable microfluidic porous matrices using projection micro-stereolithography (P µ SL) based 3D printing technique is fabricated. Structural matrices with internal superhydrophilicity and external hydrophobicity are assembled for ultra-fast liquid rising enabled by capillary force. Moreover, the unidirectional microfluidic performance of the bionic porous matrices can be theoretically optimized by adjusting its geometric parameters. Most significantly, the successive programmable flow of liquid in a preferred direction inside the bionic porous matrices with tailored wettability is achieved, validating by a precisely printed liquid displayer and a microfluidic logic chip. The programmable and functional microfluidic matrices promise applications of patterned liquid flow, displayer, logic chip, cell screening, gas–liquid separation, and so on.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
微流控技术
·
生物医学工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Science Advances
·
2025
·Vol. 11
·期 19
·
IF 12.5
Hengjia Zhu,Qiyu Deng,Junzhi Li,Ling Yang,Hegeng Li,Zhipeng Zhao,Zuochen Wang,Chunlin Pang,Yiyuan Zhang,Vincent Chi-Hang Lui,Wei Li,Xiaobo Yin,Liqiu Wang
Precision processing of various liquids while maintaining their purity holds immense potential for many applications. However, liquids tend to leave residues that contaminate handling tools and compromise volumetric precision, necessitating contactless strategies to prevent liquid loss. Biological and chemical samples carried by fluids can be sensitive to physical stimuli, demanding mild but effective means to preserve integrity. Here, we report a sound-controlled fluidic processor for complete and well-controlled microfluidic functions, including moving, merging, mixing, and cleaving, in contactless and harmless manners. The processor generates an acoustophoretic force field that serves as a versatile toolbox for manipulating droplets with surface tension from 17.9 to 72 millinewtons per meter and volume from 1 nanoliter to 3 milliliters, offering a wealth of operations crucial to fundamental biomedical and chemical practices.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
·
化学工程
·
声学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Research
·
2019
·
IF 0
Yunru Yu,Jiahui Guo,Lingyu Sun,Xiaoxuan Zhang,Yuanjin Zhao
Inspired by helical or spiral veins, which endow plants with excellent flexibility and elasticity to withstand storms, we present novel hollow microsprings with ionic liquid encapsulation for flexible and stretchable electronics. The microsprings were generated by using a coaxial capillary microfluidic device to consecutively spin poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) presolution and an ionic liquid, which formed laminar flows in the coaxial injection microfluidic channels. The fast phase inversion of PVDF helps to form the core-shell structure of a microfiber and guarantees the in situ encapsulation of ionic liquid. The hybrid microfiber can then spiral and be further solidified to maintain the helical structure with increasing flow rates of the injection fluids. Because of the feasible and precise control of the injection fluids during the microfluidic spinning, the resultant microsprings have controlled core-shell structures, helical pitches, and corresponding electromechanical properties. By further embedding them into stretchable films, the simple paradigm of a flexible device shows great conductive performance in tensile tests and even motion cycles, which could be explored as a promising candidate in stretchable sensors, flexible electronics, and electronic skins.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
生物仿生学
·
电子工程
✓ 已验证
DOI
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
·
2020
·
IF 8.758
Yuhua Cai,Lihong Geng,Song Chen,Shuo Shi,Benjamin S. Hsiao,Xiangfang Peng
Filaments comprising solely cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) have been fabricated by flow-assisted assembling, where the strength can be improved greatly with the sacrifice of toughness. Inspired by the architecture of natural nacre and plant cell wall, the combined technique of convergent microfluidic spinning and in situ interfacial complexation between CNF and chitosan molecules was used to construct the filaments with hierarchical assembly of highly oriented CNFs locked by chitosan complexes, showing simultaneous enhancements of strength and toughness. In specific, the best performing filament exhibited a toughness of 88.9 kJ/m3 and a tensile strength of 1289 MPa because of the strong interfacial complexation interactions between CNFs and chitosan molecules. The tensile strength was further raised to 1627 MPa when the filaments were cross-linked synergistically by using Ca2+, surpassing the reported values in the literature. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the possible fracture mechanism of the filaments under tension. With excellent mechanical performance and biocompatibility, the resulting CNF/chitosan filament system showed a promising application potential as nonabsorbable surgical sutures. The demonstrated spinning technology also offered a new avenue for the fabrication of high-performance filaments.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
生物医学工程
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
Advanced Materials Technologies
·
2022
·Vol. 7
·期 10
·2200103
·
IF 8.856
Ying Fang,Na Qiao,Heli Deng,Meng Ren,Yufan Zhang,Desuo Zhang,Hong Lin,Yuyue Chen,Ken Tye Yong,Jiaqing Xiong
Transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) is effective in alleviating patient's pain and reduces frequent administration. Realizing tunable drug release on fibers/fabrics is important for constructing TDDS platform with good skin affinity and long-term comfortability. Herein, a conductive fiber consisting of polyvinyl pyrrolidone/sodium alginate/ acetaminophen/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) (PVP/SA/AAP/PEDOT: PSS, PSAP) is fabricated by core-shell microfluidic spinning technology for the controllable release of AAP, a typical pain reliever. Incorporation of conductive fillers endows fibers with microcracks that are responsive to electrical stimulation for promoting drug diffusion and release. The release rate of AAP in simulated body fluid can be improved from 70.81% to 92.07% under electric stimulation, demonstrating a regulable release process enabled by tunable fiber conductivity and applied voltage (0–1.5 V). The drug release kinetic model reveals Fickian diffusion dominates the release process of AAP that generates local concentration difference in the microcracked PSAP fiber with electrical stimulation. This work proposes an accurate fabrication strategy of fibers-based TDDS that is promising for wearable biomedical electronics and self-powered on-demand drug delivery systems.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
·
材料科学
·
药学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
PHYSICS OF FLUIDS
·
2024
·Vol. 36
·期 6
·
IF 4.1
Li Gu-Yuan,Yu Jia-Jia,Duan Cheng-Cheng,Sun Shouli,Wu Chun-Mei,Li You-Rong
In this work, efficient microfluidic flow rate tuning based on the asymmetric flow of nematic liquid crystal 5CB under a horizontal temperature gradient is studied. Rectangular microchannels with the width of 100 μ m are fabricated through soft lithography and treated with homeotropic surface anchoring conditions. Polarized optical microscopy is applied to explore the unique optical anisotropic characteristics of the nematic liquid crystal. The asymmetric velocity profiles in the microchannel are obtained by particle tracking velocimetry. The effects of temperature, flow rate, and aspect ratio on the velocity profile and split ratio of the asymmetric flow are quantitatively studied for the first time, while the mechanism of the flow asymmetry of the nematic liquid crystal is discussed. The results show that the asymmetric flow of the nematic liquid crystal occurs after the horizontal temperature gradient is applied, with the velocity in the heated region markedly higher than its counterpart. The split ratio of the asymmetric flow increases with the increase in the temperature gradient and the decrease in the flow rate. The aspect ratio influences the asymmetric flow through approaches of average velocity and surface anchoring strength, while the former is more distinct. The impacts of temperature gradient, flow rate, and aspect ratio on the flow asymmetry of nematic liquid crystals are caused by the coupling between physical properties, velocity field, and director field. Microchannels based on the asymmetric flow characteristics of nematic liquid crystals can act as a novel kind of temperature-controlled microvalve to achieve efficient microfluidic flow tuning.
研究领域:
物理学
·
微流控技术
·
材料科学
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
·
2023
·Vol. 170
·期 3
·037511
·
IF 3.9
Qiang Zou,Xiaole Wang,Qi Su,Tao Xue,Kuibo Lan
PH sensors are widely used in food processing, health monitoring, water quality monitoring, and many other fields. The pH sensor applied in the health monitoring field can realize the real-time measurement of human health information and timely prevent the occurrence of diseases by improving people's health levels. However, these sensors have some challenges in body fluid collection and temperature compensation. Here, we developed a pH sensor based on an extended-gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) with microfluidic channels and a temperature sensor to overcome these challenges. The sensor is prepared using a low-cost, solution-based process in which a temperature sensor is used for body temperature measurement and temperature compensation, and a microfluidic channel is used for body fluid collection. This pH sensor can measure both body temperature and pH of body fluid, where the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the temperature sensor is up to 5.17%, and the measurement result of body temperature is only 0.17 ℃ different from that of the gold standard. The pH sensitivity is 58.41 mV pH−1, and the pH value is only 0.066 deviating from the standard pH value. The sensor is expected to be used on a large scale in the applications of wearable health monitoring.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
·
传感器技术
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
The Innovation
·
2022
·
IF 0
Yunru Yu,Jiahui Guo,Han Zhang,Xiaocheng Wang,Chaoyu Yang,Yuanjin Zhao
The advancements in flexible electronics call for invention of fiber-based electronic systems by surface modification or encapsulation. Here we present novel shear-flow-induced graphene nanosheets coating microfibers by integrating the dip coating approach with the microfluidic spinning method. The core hydrogel microfiber was first spun continuously from the microfluidic device, and the shear flow from the dip coating approach allowed formation of the thin graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet coating shell. Because the fluid components and flow rates in the microfluidic spinning together with the lifting speed in the dip coating approach are highly controllable, the morphology of the resultant microfibers could be precisely tailored, including the core-shell structure, conductivity, and thermal responsibilities. These features equipped the resultant microfibers with the potential of thermal and motion sensors, and their value in gesture indicators has also been explored. Microfibers generated from such a simple and controllable method could be versatile in flexible electronics.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
柔性电子
·
纳米技术
✓ 已验证
DOI
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING COMMUNICATIONS
·
2025
·
IF 2
Alvin H. H. Teo,S. Y. Chin,Fiona W. M. Ling,Hayder A. Abdulbari
Water shortage is an imminent issue in the foreseeable future while thermal desalination techniques are energy intensive. This study investigates a membrane-less low temperature technique known as directional solvent extraction (DSE) desalination in a serpentine microchannel at 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65 °C. Two lower fatty acids, heptanoic acid (HeptA) and nonanoic acid (NonA) were used as the solvents to recover water from a 35000 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS) seawater at 2, 3, 4 and 5 organic to aqueous flowrate ratios (O: aq). Custom-made polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) – glass microfluidic device is fabricated via direct writing lithography with depth and length of 100 µm and 161 mm respectively while the width is varied from 400 - 800 µm. Droplets were generated during the extraction process to maximize diffusion by using a 90° T-junction where the organic solvent is the continuous phase and seawater is the dispersed phase. A maximum product water yield, Yw of 4 % v/v and 1.9 % v/v is achieved by HeptA and NonA respectively. The product water recovered from HeptA and NonA has salinity as low as 0.01% and 0.08%, respectively. The HeptA system produces water containing higher solvent residuals than the NonA system. HeptA is a better solvent as it can extract approximately two times more water than NonA under the same operating conditions. Both solvents are reusable.
研究领域:
环境科学
·
化学工程
·
水资源管理
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
LANGMUIR
·
2021
·
IF 3.882
Dege Li,Yi Cao,Bingfang Huang,Molong Han,Xinlei Wu,Qiang Sun,Chao Zheng,Lilong Zhao,Chi Ma,Hui Jin,Xiaolong Wang,Yonghong Liu,Yanzhen Zhang
The precise and effective generation of micron-sized droplets is one of the most common and important issues for droplet-based microfluidics. Active droplet generation makes use of additional energy input in promoting interfacial instabilities for droplet generation. Here, we report a new technique for the active generation of femtoliter droplets in microfluidic systems using confined interfacial vibration (CIV). The CIV is formed at the orifice of a traditional inkjet nozzle first by pushing the liquid out and then pulling it back. Droplets are pinched off during the withdrawal process, and this is different from the current active droplet generation techniques, which only monodirectionally push the liquid out. Droplets with radius ranging from ca. 1 to 28 μm can be actively generated by CIV at an orifice with radius 30 μm, distinguishing from conventional active generation techniques in which the droplets are always comparable or slightly bigger than the orifice. Experimental results showed that the droplet volume can be customized by controlling the intensity of the CIV. The inherent digital nature of the inkjet technique enables easy and precise regulating of the droplet volume, making it seamlessly compatible with the digital microfluidic systems.
研究领域:
生物工程
·
化学工程
·
物理学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
TENSIDE SURFACTANTS DETERGENTS
·
2023
·Vol. 60
·期 3
·245-252
·
IF 1
Ying Li,Yifan Zhang,Lewu Zhan,Jing Hou,Bindong Li
The effects of different surfactants on the morphology of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX) micro-nanoparticles prepared by solvent/non-solvent method in a microfluidic reactor were investigated. Alkyl polyglycoside (APG), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) were selected as non-solvents. The surface tension and interfacial tension (IFT) properties of SDS, APG and DTAB were investigated. Compared to DTAB and SDS, the APG could effectively reduce the interfacial tension to 10 −2 mN/m and exhibited better surface tension. The RDX prepared with different surfactants were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The results showed that the different surfactants could significantly improve the dispersion effect of RDX and the crystal morphology was uniform and stable.
研究领域:
化学工程
·
材料科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
TRIBOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
·
2024
·
IF 6.1
Qi Liu,Hengdi Yuan,Daolong Yang,Lanfeng Zhang,Nsilani Kouediatouka Ange,Guangneng Dong
Artificial joint lubricants injected in vitro are easily absorbed and diluted by human body, resulting in a loss of lubrication effect. In this study, the lubricating substance used was micron-sized gelatin particles containing sodium hyaluronate (GSH particles), and an attempt was made to aggregate the dilute particle solution in the microfluidic texture of Ti6Al4V surface to improve the lubrication. The COMSOL simulation results demonstrated that micron-sized particles were enriched in the microfluidic texture, where the concentration was up to 2.8 times higher than released particles. Finally, the results of particle aggregation were observed by preparing transparent microfluidic texture on PDMS surface. Aggregation of lubricant can effectively improve the lubrication environment and has potential to prolong the injection cycle of lubricant.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
·
材料科学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）