3D Printing Manufacturing of Polydimethyl-Siloxane/Zinc Oxide Micro-Optofluidic Device for Two-Phase Flows Control.

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics
• Surface Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Surface wetting behavior is critical for two-phase flow in microfluidic devices.
• Polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) microchannels are widely used but require surface modification for precise fluid control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of tailored zinc oxide (ZnO) surface functionalization on fluid dynamics within micro-optofluidic devices (mofds).
• To develop a method for fine-tuning hydrophobicity and controlling two-phase flow in microchannels.

Main Methods:

• Functionalization of PDMS microchannels with ZnO microstructures.
• Investigation of air-water and air-glycerol/water two-phase flow dynamics.
• Comparison of fluid velocity in bare PDMS and ZnO-functionalized PDMS microchannels.

Main Results:

• Air-glycerol/water flow was generally faster than air-water flow.
• ZnO functionalization decreased the velocity of air-glycerol/water flow compared to air-water flow.
• Glycerol's strong hydrogen bonding with ZnO surfaces influenced fluid dynamics.

Conclusions:

• ZnO surface functionalization offers a method to control microfluidic two-phase flow by leveraging specific liquid-surface chemical interactions.
• This chemical approach is adaptable for various microfluidic devices and applications.
• Understanding H-bond networks is key to predicting and controlling fluid behavior in functionalized microchannels.