Mixing of fluids in microfluidics can be performed in various ways, using so-called folding flow techniques. Folding flow mixers consist of a chain of elements. In each element the flow is folded upon itself, decreasing the length scale for mixing and thus reducing the mixing time.
Micronit and The University of Sheffield have worked on mixing principles in glass microfluidic devices. Different mixers were studied for fluids with different Reynolds (Re) numbers.
The study resulted in two commercially available micromixers:
- Tear-drop mixer for low Re number mixing (Re < 100)
Swirl mixer for high Re number mixing (Re > 50)
For a Reynolds number calculator with Micronit micromixers and an advice which mixer type to use click here.
Micronit offers these two mixers as standard chips, but can also implement the mixing principles in a customized device. The combination of our micromachining capabilities and microfluidics expertise enables us to develop optimal glass micromixers for your applications. As a result of the extensive micromixing knowledge we developed together with The University of Sheffield, we can find a solution for your mixing problem.
| Micronit Micromixers Key features of the Micronit micromixers:
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Why Using Glass? Benefits of glass for a micromixer:
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| Flow Rates It should be stressed that the devices are scalable, implying that they can be designed for every flow rate. For the Swirl mixer, the flow rate range is 200 µl/min - 20 ml/min for aqueous solutions. The Tear-drop mixer can be applied if these high flow rates are not accessible, because of pressure limitations or high viscosities. The minimum flow rate of this particular Tear-drop mixer is therefore in the µl/min range. The Tear-drop mixer is therefore ideally suited for "difficult" mixing, while the Swirl mixer performs best when "fast" mixing is required. |
Standard ChipsMicronit offers four standard micromixer chips, available off-the-shelf. The chips can be ordered in our webshop.
Lab-on-a-Chip Kit All standard micromixer chips can be used with the Micronit lab-on-a-chip kit 4515. This set-up is applicable to chemical reactions and can be used with confocal microscopy.
Poster Presentation
The results of the mixer study was presented in a poster entitled "Reynolds and Péclet Number Effects in Folding Flow Mixers", which can be downloaded below.
Reynolds Number Calculation
Calculate the Reynolds number of your application with standard Micronit micromixers and get an advice for the mixer type to use.