AGS-PRF: Building a Microfluidic Platform to Study Atmospheric Aerosol

微流体学是一项多学科技术，在几个科学和工程学科中得到应用，产生可处理小体积(微升或更少)流体的系统的实用设计。通常，气泡或液滴可以在微域中移动、混合、分离或以其他方式处理，并且以批量处理根本无法实现的方式进行。[常见的例子是喷墨打印机，或‘芯片实验室’分析系统]。微流控方法可以很好地应用于单个或群体气溶胶颗粒或液滴的物理和化学研究。微流控技术可以精确控制液滴的大小和形状。将选择产生的液滴的化学成分，以复制周围大气中的气溶胶颗粒。当被困在流体动力捕捉器(一种保持装置)中时，这些气溶胶模拟物将通过连接高速摄像机的显微镜进一步检查。改变流体流速的实验，从而改变液滴上的拉伸应变率以及温度，将改变液滴所经历的环境条件。直接的教育好处包括在一个多学科研究小组中指导研究生和本科生。该项目有可能加强学术界和产业界之间的伙伴关系，因为该项目使用的方法具有普遍适用性。

Microfluidics is a multidisciplinary technique with applications in several science and engineering disciplines that yields practical design of systems in which small volumes (microliters or less) of fluids can be handled. Typically, gas bubbles or liquid droplets can be moved, mixed, separated or otherwise processed at a micro domain, and in ways that bulk processing simply cannot attain. [Common examples are ink-jet printers, or 'lab-on-chip' analysis systems]. There are several applications to the study of the physics and chemistry of individual, or group aerosol particles or droplets to which microfluidic approaches may be well tasked. Microfluidics allows precise control over droplet size and shape. The chemical composition of generated droplets will be chosen in order to replicate ambient atmospheric aerosol particles. When trapped in a hydrodynamic trap, a holding device, these aerosol mimics will be further examined by microscopy with an attached high-speed camera. Experiments with changing fluid flow rates, and, thus, extensional strain rate on the droplets, along with temperature, will change the environmental conditions experienced by the droplets. Direct educational benefits include the mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students in a multi-disciplinary research group. The project has the potential to foster increased partnerships between academia and industry because the methods used in this project have general applicability.