Engineering:Microchannel (microtechnology)

From HandWiki
Short description: Basic structure used in microtechnology
Depiction of a cell passing through a microchannel


Microchannel in microtechnology is a channel with a hydraulic diameter below 1 mm, usually 1–99 μm.[1] Microchannels are used in fluid control (see Microfluidics), heat transfer (see Micro heat exchanger) and cell migration observation.[2] They are more efficient than their 'macro' counterparts, because of a high surface-area to volume ratio yet pose a multitude of challenges due to their small size.[3]

Materials

Different types of materials are required for the different uses of microchannels. These are the three main categories.[4]

Polymeric and glass substrates

polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is used as a solution to a wide range of microfluidic devices due to its low cost and easier fabricating methods.[4] Silicon elastomers can be used for situations in which elasticity and deformation is necessary.[5]

Metallic substrates

Metallic substrates are often chosen for their advantageous metallic properties, such as withstanding high temperatures and transferring heat faster. They can be subject to corrosion.[4][6]

Semiconductors, ceramics and composites

Ceramic materials allow for high-temperature operation in comparison to metallic substrates and enable operation in harsh chemical environments in which metals cannot be used.[7]

History

The concept of the microchannel was proposed for the first time by researchers Tuckerman and Pease of Stanford Electronics Laboratories in 1981.[8] They suggested an effective method for designing microchannels in the laminar and fully developed flow.[9]

Common uses

Microchannels are extensively used in the pharmaceuticals, and biochemical industries due to short diffusion distances, higher interfacial area, and higher heat/mass transfer rates.[10]

See also

Sources

  1. Kandlikar, Satish G. (2006). Heat transfer and fluid flow in minichannels and microchannels. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Elsevier B.V.. pp. 450. ISBN 978-0-08-044527-4. https://archive.org/details/heattransferflui00kand. 
  2. "Microchannels" (in en-US). https://www.4dcell.com/cell-culture-systems/microchannels/. 
  3. Puccio, Kris (2020-02-10). "Understanding Microchannel Heat Exchangers & Their Use Cases" (in en-US). https://www.therma.com/microchannel-heat-exchangers/. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Prakash, Shashi; Kumar, Subrata. "Fabrication of microchannels: A review". Journal of Engineering Manufacture 229 (8). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280923796. 
  5. Yuen, Michelle; Kramer, Rebecca. "Fabricating microchannels in elastomer substrates for stretchable electronics". MSEC Science. https://www.eng.yale.edu/faboratory/publications/conference/2016/Yuen%20and%20Kramer%20-%202016%20-%20Fabricating%20Microchannels%20in%20Elastomer%20Substrates%20for%20Stretchable%20Electronics.pdf. 
  6. Andou, F.; Yamamoto, A.; Kawai, T.; Ohmori, H.; Ishida, T.; Takeuchi, Y. (2007-01-01), Arai, Eiji; Arai, Tatsuo, eds., "MICROCHANNEL ARRAY CREATION BY MEANS OF ULTRAPRECISION MACHINING" (in en), Mechatronics for Safety, Security and Dependability in a New Era (Oxford: Elsevier): pp. 163–168, ISBN 978-0-08-044963-0, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080449630500345, retrieved 2022-07-15 
  7. Kee, Robert J.; Almand, Berkeley B.; Blasi, Justin M.; Rosen, Benjamin L.; Hartmann, Marco; Sullivan, Neal P.; Zhu, Huayang; Manerbino, Anthony R. et al. (2011-08-01). "The design, fabrication, and evaluation of a ceramic counter-flow microchannel heat exchanger" (in en). Applied Thermal Engineering 31 (11): 2004–2012. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2011.03.009. ISSN 1359-4311. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359431111001414. 
  8. Tuckerman, D. B., & Pease, R. F. W. (1981). High-performance heat sinking for VLSI. IEEE Electron device letters, 2(5), 126-129. https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/EDL.1981.25367
  9. Salimpour, M. R., Al-Sammarraie, A. T., Forouzandeh, A., & Farzaneh, M. (2019). Constructal design of circular multilayer microchannel heat sinks. Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications, 11(1), 011001. https://dx.doi.org/10.1115/1.4041196
  10. Jaiswal, P., Kumar, U., Biswas, K. G.(2021) Liquid-Liquid Flow through Micro Dimensional Reactors: A Review on Hydrodynamics, Mass Transfer, and Reaction Kinetics. Exp. Comput. Multiph. Flow 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42757-020-0092-0