Efficient and Accurate Microfluidic Models

To facilitate design of complex microfluidic systems, we are developing closed-form, parametrized microfluidic models that are accurate to capture the essential characteristics of physical phenomena under consideration, and in the same time efficient to be suitable for use in iterative design processes. Microfluidics generally involves complex geometries and multi-domain physical phenomena, and accurate understanding of such devices is often sought with numerical simulations (e.g., using finite element methods). However, numerical simulations are typically inefficient and not reusable. For example, when a microfluidic design is modified even with minor changes, the numerical model in general would need to be rebuilt, which can be extremely labor-intensive and time-consuming. On the other hand, design of microfludics, like design of any other devices, is typically a process in which initial designs are iteratively modified. Full numerical simulations are generally not suitable as a tool for evaluation of such design iterations. We have been addressing this issue by developing microfluidic models that have both accuracy and efficiency. Such models are typically in closed form and parametrized: closed-form formulas allow rapid evaluation of device performance, and parameters embedded in the formulas allow efficient performance comparisons of various design choices. Expensive, time-consuming numerical simulations are hence not needed until design verification in the final design stage.

This modeling effort has primarily focused on electrokinetic microfluidic systems, and has also involved pressure-driven microfluidic devices and thermal microsensors.

Projects

- Efficient and accurate models for electrokinetic microfluidic systems
- Parmametrized models for pressure-driven microfluidic devices and thermal microsensors