Microfluidic active mixers employing ultra-high aspect-ratio rare-earth magnetic nano-composite polymer artificial cilia

摘要: We present a new micromixer based on highly magnetic, flexible, high aspect-ratio, artificial cilia that are fabricated as individual elements or in arrays for improved mixing performance. These enable efficiency, fast microchamber, and controlled by small electromagnetic fields. The using micromolding process nano-composite polymers. Cilia fibers with aspect-ratios 8:0.13 demonstrate the fabrication technique's capability creating ultra-high aspect-ratio microstructures. Cilia, which realized polydimethylsiloxane doped rare-earth magnetic powder, magnetized to produce permanent structures bidirectional deflection capabilities, making them suitable mixers Due magnetization level of polarized polymer, we able use miniature electromagnets providing relatively fields 1.1 7 mT actuate microstructures over very wide motion range. Mixing performances single cilium, well different multiple ranging from 2 8 per reaction chamber, characterized compared passive diffusion mixer actuated at amplitudes frequencies optimize more than 85% total volume chamber is fully mixed after 3.5 min cilium only 20% diffusion. time achieve further reduced 70 s an array eight novel microfabrication technique permanently-magnetizable polymers applications has not been reported elsewhere other researchers. micromixers enabled flexibility, properties our elements.