Moving and Breaking Drops/Bubbles

Because of capillary force drops and bubbles are difficult to move in a micro-channel (See review in CRC MEMS Handbook in ref [132] below).These problems are especially accute for electrokinetic devices when it is necessary to transport dielectric liquid drops.The group has employed surfactants to endow an interfacial stress such that non-electrolyte drops/bubbles can be transported in microdevices. The same strategy can also be used to break micro-drops against high capillary force. We intend to use this technique to remove bubbles generated in liquid(direct-Methanol) fuel cells and to design a micro-heatexchanger with phase change. An AC micropump that utilizes micro-bubble trains to move fluid is also under investigation.

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Representative Publications: [53], [54], [77], [79], [132], [136]