Acoustic microstreaming applied to batch micromixing

Abstract

Experiments are presented in which acoustic microstreaming is investigated and applied to a batch micromixing case appropriate to a point-of-care pathology screening test. The flows presented can be created without complex engineering of contacts or surfaces in the microdevice, which could thus be made disposable. Fundamental flow patterns are measured with a micro-Particle-Image Velocimetry (micro-PIV) system, enabling a quantification of the fluid-dynamical processes causing the flows. The design of micromixers based on this principle requires a quantification of the mixing. A simple technique based on digital image processing is presented that enables an assessment of the improvement in m..