Principles and Applications of Fluidics in Microsystems

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The proposed research involves the detailed numerical and experimental study of fluid behavior in a range of microsystems that are an integrated part of many advanced industrial systems. Specifically, it will tackle areas of multi-phase flow in porous media, multi-component flow in microchannels, and precise on-chip microdroplet operations. Likely areas of impact include energy and life sciences where the proposed research program enables us to develop high efficiency fluidic systems resolving the existing technological barriers. Understanding multi-phase flow in porous structure will have an impact on applications such as fuel cells for which the performance is limited by fluid transport. In this research experimental and numerical tools will be developed to characterize the flow properties of porous structures and identify the key parameters influencing transport leading to the design of an engineered microstructure with enhanced transport characteristics. Efficiency of microfluidic devices performing particle capture using a reactive surface (loaded with capture molecules) can be significantly affected by particle deformation due to flow and interaction with the surface. My research focuses on advanced numerical and experimental techniques to simulate the effect of deformation on particle capture efficiency and exact positioning which can help with the design of geometries for applications requiring high capture efficiency (e.g., waterborne pathogen detection) or single cell immobilization (e.g., cell growth). On-chip microdroplet manipulation on planar electrodes has shown potentials for applications involving analysis of rare biosamples (e.g., forensic applications) for which extraction of target molecules from debris must be performed with utmost care. My research aims to increase the efficiency of extraction process by defining optimum design parameters (e.g., electrode geometries) providing high efficiency fluid operations involving particle separation and droplet splitting. In summary the proposed in-depth investigation of fluidic systems has numerous applications in multidisciplinary research and broad industries that are crucial to the economy and quality of life in Canada.