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Physics Studies

Microfluidics has emerged as a key tool to make complex physics studies much easier and enable the experimental investigation of phenomena that could not be recreated in a lab-environment until then.

The main advantages of microfluidics when running experiment in physics field are: 

• The possibility to have laminar flows (low Reynold number) and important deformation rates (high Weissenberg number) which is very important when studying rheology
• The visualization windows at a smaller scale enabling direct observations and efficient measurement of various phenomena otherwise not accessible
• To possibility to create nano-structures “in situ” 

 

Microfluidics is used for several applications in the physics area such as:

• Polymer study and characterization
•  Oil behaviour study (in oil wells environment)
•  Precise fabrication and assembling of nano-structures
• Fabrication of thermal flow sensors

 

The key advantages of the MFCS^TM for physical experiment are:

• Avoiding the risk of clogging the system since there is no contact between the fluid and the MFCS^TM
• Enabling a precise positioning of the fluids thanks to the high precision of the pressure control together with the possibility to control each fluid independently (independent channels)
• Offering automation possibility thanks to the MAESFLO^TM software controlling the MFCS^TM

 

You can find more information in the following publications for which the MFCS^TM have been used to manipulation various droplets:
Design, modeling and characterization of microfluidic architectures for high flow rate, small footprint microfluidic systems, L. Saias, J. Autebert, L.Malaquin and J.-L. Viovy, Lab Chip, 2010
Microfluidic anodization of aluminum films for the fabrication of nanoporous lipid bilayer support structures, J. Bhattacharya, A.Kisner, A. Offenhäusser and B. Wolfrum, Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. n°2, 2011
Enzyme-Free Sugar Sensing in Microfluidic Channels with an Affinity-Based Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Sensor, A. Vlandas, T. Kurkina, A. Ahmad, K. Kern and K. Balasubramanian, Anal. Chem. 2010
Moving temporary wall in microfluidic devices, V. Bazargan; B. Stoeber, Physical Review, E 2008
A highly integrated vertical SU8 valve for stepwise in-series reactions, V. Calvo, A. Ezkerra, J. Elizalde, L. J. Fernández, J. Berganzo, K. Mayora, J. M. Ruano-López, Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, vol. 21, issue 6, 2011
Fabrication and testing of a SU-8 thermal flow sensor, R. Vilares, C. Hunter, I. Ugarte, I. Aranburu, J. Berganzo, J. Elizalde and L.J. Fernandez, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, vol.147, issue 2, 2010
Highly viscous fluids in pressure actuated flow focusing devices, J. Berthiera, S. Le Vota, P. Tiquet, N. David, D. Lauro, P.Y. Benhamou, F. Rivera, Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2009
Microscopic Mechanisms of the Brittleness of Viscoelastic Fluids, H. Tabuteau, S. Mora, G.Porte, M. Abkarian, C. Ligoure, Physical review letters, 2009