Complex-shaped particle fabrication from inertial microfluidics
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Authors
Paulsen, Kevin
Issue Date
2017-12
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Mechanical engineering
Alternative Title
Abstract
Complex shaped particles have shown great potential for applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and structural materials; however, the ability to fabricate custom particle shapes with current manufacturing methods remains limited. A variety of techniques can create two-dimensional shaped particles such as cubes and cylinders, although it is expected that fully three-dimensional (3D) shaped particles can enhance their utility due to increased surface-area-to-volume ratios and altered structural properties. Here, we present a novel inertial microfluidic technology called optofluidic fabrication for the generation of complex 3D-shaped polymer particles based on two coupled processes: inertial flow shaping and ultraviolet light (UV) polymerization. While flowing at finite Reynolds numbers in microfluidic channels, secondary flows generated near pillars within the channel deterministically alter the flow cross-section of UV-reactive and inert fluid streams coflowing through the channel. The channels are then illuminated with patterned UV light to polymerize the UV curable fluid, creating particles with multi-scale 3D geometries. The effect of pillar location, number of pillars, Reynolds number, and photomask pattern is investigated for the creation of a variety of 3D particle shapes at the millimeter scale.
Description
December 2017
School of Engineering
School of Engineering
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY