Issue 20, 2024

Forced air oscillations – pneumatic capacitance in microfluidic oscillators produces non-linear responses and emergent behaviors

Abstract

Pneumatic control mechanisms have long been integral to microfluidic systems, primarily using solenoid valves, pressurized gases, and vacuums to direct liquid flow. Despite advancements in liquid-driven self-regulated microfluidic circuits, gas-driven systems leveraging fluid compressibility remain underexplored. This study presents a mathematical and experimental investigation of gas-driven microfluidic circuits, focusing on forced-air oscillators. We derive and validate a first-principles model of microfluidic circuit elements operated under positive pressurization, using a ‘molecular packets’ analogy to elucidate compressibility effects. Our findings reveal that gas compressibility impacts circuit behavior, by acting similar to a large capacitor in the system, which inherently results in longer oscillation periods. As the syringe evacuates, the capacitance decreases, which in turn reduces the oscillation period. Experimental validation of our system demonstrates persistent behavior when using forced air to drive the microfluidic oscillators, this includes assessing devices with various PDMS membrane thicknesses, as well as evaluating device performance under different flow rates and syringe sizes. The forced air oscillators exhibited decreasing periods and capacitance over time, aligning with our theoretical predictions.

Graphical abstract: Forced air oscillations – pneumatic capacitance in microfluidic oscillators produces non-linear responses and emergent behaviors

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 মে 2024
Accepted
23 আগ. 2024
First published
09 সেপ্টে. 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Lab Chip, 2024,24, 4798-4807

Forced air oscillations – pneumatic capacitance in microfluidic oscillators produces non-linear responses and emergent behaviors

S. C. Lesher-Pérez, V. Vasani, J. So and S. Takayama, Lab Chip, 2024, 24, 4798 DOI: 10.1039/D4LC00455H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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