A polymeric micro-optical system for the spatial monitoring in two-phase microfluidics

作者：Sapuppo Francesca; Schembri Florinda^*; Fortuna Luigi; Llobera Andreu; Bucolo Maide

来源：Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 2012, 12(1-4): 165-174.

DOI：10.1007/s10404-011-0860-z

• Micro-optics
• PDMS
• Lab on a Chip
• Bubble flow detection

This article presents a polymeric micro-optical system that consists of two coupled miniaturized devices for spatially distributed characterization of microfluidic two-phase phenomena exploiting multiwavelength optical signals. The input device implements four optical windows (slits) which are superimposed on the centerline of a microfluidic serpentine channel and illuminate specific locations of the microchannel. The flow-related information is then collected by an ad hoc polymeric micro-optical output device that guides and merges the spatially distributed information into a single output signal, which maintains memory of the spatial coordinates by using the wavelengths as fingerprints of the slits%26apos; position in the microfluidic channel. Both micro-optical devices were designed, simulated, and characterized in static and dynamic conditions. Experiments on two-phase (air and ethanol) flow were carried out by applying constant and periodic flow rate functions. In both cases, the system was proved to be efficient in capturing the spatial-temporal dynamics of flow profiles.

• 出版日期2012-1