VISUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT OF MICROSCOPIC VISCOELASTIC FLUID FLOW

本研究主要关注微通道中产生的粘弹性流体流动这一有趣的微观流动现象。利用共聚焦显微镜和微piv技术，我们成功地可视化了流动中形成的微观流体结构（“胶束”），并测量了复杂的三维流动模式。结果清楚地表明，在微尺度和低雷诺数条件下，两对蠕虫状胶束成对形成，周围的流动也表现出三维行为。本研究提示粘弹性流体可能用于微流控装置的功能流体控制。

This study focuses on the interesting microscopic flow phenomenon of viscoelastic fluid flow, which is generated in a microchannel. By using confocal microscopy and micro-PIV technique, we have successfully visualized the microscopic fluidic structures ("micelles") formed in the flow and measured the complicated three-dimensional flow pattern. The results clearly indicate that a couple of worm-like micelles are formed in pairs and the surrounding flow shows three-dimensional behaviors even in microscale and at low Reynolds number. This study suggests the possibility that the viscoelastic fluid might be available for functional fluid control in microfluidic devices.