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Shin H, Hong L, Park W, Shin J, Park JB. Frequency dependence of nanorod self-alignment using microfluidic methods. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 35:305603. [PMID: 38636472 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad403d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Dielectrophoresis is a potential candidate for aligning nanorods on electrodes, in which the interplay between electric fields and microfluidics is critically associated with its yield. Despite much of previous work on dielectrophoresis, the impact of frequency modulation on dielectrophoresis-driven nanorod self-assembly is insufficiently understood. In this work, we systematically explore the frequency dependence of the self-alignment of silicon nanorod using a microfluidic channel. We vary the frequency from 1kHz to 1000 kHz and analyze the resulting alignments in conjunction with numerical analysis. Our experiment reveals an optimal alignment yield at approximately 100 kHz, followed by a decrease in alignment efficiency. The nanorod self-alignments are influenced by multiple consequences, including the trapping effect, induced electrical double layer, electrohydrodynamic flow, and particle detachment. This study provides insights into the impact of frequency modulation of electric fields on the alignment of silicon nanorods using dielectrophoresis, broadening its use in various future nanotechnology applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hosan Shin
- Department of Applied Physics, Korea University, Sejong, 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Lia Hong
- Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, 04310, Republic of Korea
| | - Woosung Park
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeeyoung Shin
- Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, 04310, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Advanced Materials and Systems, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, 04310, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Byung Park
- Department of Applied Physics, Korea University, Sejong, 30019, Republic of Korea
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2
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Ghadamgahi SME, Shahmardan MM, Nazari M, Mansouri H, Hashemi NN. Numerical and experimental investigation of the deviation of microparticles inside the microchannel using the vortices caused by the ICEK phenomenon. Electrophoresis 2024; 45:720-734. [PMID: 38111364 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202300151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
One field of study in microfluidics is the control, trapping, and separation of microparticles suspended in fluid. Some of its applications are related to cell handling, virus detection, and so on. One of the new methods in this field is using ICEK phenomena and dielectrophoresis forces. In the present study, considering the ICEK phenomena, the microparticles inside the fluid are deviated in the desired ratio using a novel ICEK microchip. The deviation is such that after the microparticles reach the floating electrode, they are trapped in the ICEK flow vortex and deviated through a secondary channel that was placed crosswise and noncoplanar above the main channel. For simulation verification, an experimental test is done. The method used for making two noncoplanar channels and separating the particles in the desired ratio with a simple ICEK microchip is an innovation of the present study. Moreover, the adjustment of the percentage of separation of microparticles by adjusting the parameters of the applied voltage and fluid inlet velocity is one of the other innovations of the present experimental study. We observed that for input velocities of 150-1200 µm/s with applied voltages of 10-33 V, 100% of the particles can be directed toward the secondary-channel.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mohsen Nazari
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran
| | - Hamed Mansouri
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran
| | - Nicole N Hashemi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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3
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Manshadi MKD, Saadat M, Mohammadi M, Sanati Nezhad A. A Novel Electrokinetic-Based Technique for the Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:2062. [PMID: 38004919 PMCID: PMC10672846 DOI: 10.3390/mi14112062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
The separation of rare cells from complex biofluids has attracted attention in biological research and clinical applications, especially for cancer detection and treatment. In particular, various technologies and methods have been developed for the isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood. Among them, the induced-charge electrokinetic (ICEK) flow method has shown its high efficacy for cell manipulation where micro-vortices (MVs), generated as a result of induced charges on a polarizable surface, can effectively manipulate particles and cells in complex fluids. While the majority of MVs have been induced by AC electric fields, these vortices have also been observed under a DC electric field generated around a polarizable hurdle. In the present numerical work, the capability of MVs for the manipulation of CTCs and their entrapment in the DC electric field is investigated. First, the numerical results are verified against the available data in the literature. Then, various hurdle geometries are employed to find the most effective geometry for MV-based particle entrapment. The effects of electric field strength (EFS), wall zeta potential magnitude, and the particles' diameter on the trapping efficacy are further investigated. The results demonstrated that the MVs generated around only the rectangular hurdle are capable of trapping particles as large as the size of CTCs. An EFS of about 75 V/cm was shown to be effective for the entrapment of above 90% of CTCs in the MVs. In addition, an EFS of 85 V/cm demonstrated a capability for isolating particles larger than 8 µm from a suspension of particles/cells 1-25 µm in diameter, useful for the enrichment of cancer cells and potentially for the real-time and non-invasive monitoring of drug effectiveness on circulating cancer cells in blood circulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mahsa Saadat
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA;
| | - Mehdi Mohammadi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
| | - Amir Sanati Nezhad
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
- BioMEMS and Bioinspired Microfluidic Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
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Tao Y, Liu W, Song C, Ge Z, Li Z, Li Y, Ren Y. Numerical investigation of field‐effect control on hybrid electrokinetics for continuous and position‐tunable nanoparticle concentration in microfluidics. Electrophoresis 2022; 43:2074-2092. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.202200146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ye Tao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering Harbin Institute of Technology Harbin P. R. China
| | - Weiyu Liu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering Chang'an University Xi'an P. R. China
| | - Chunlei Song
- School of Mechatronics Engineering Harbin Institute of Technology Harbin P. R. China
| | - Zhenyou Ge
- School of Mechatronics Engineering Harbin Institute of Technology Harbin P. R. China
| | - Zhaokai Li
- School of Automotive Studies Chang'an University Xi'an P. R. China
| | - Yanbo Li
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering Chang'an University Xi'an P. R. China
| | - Yukun Ren
- School of Mechatronics Engineering Harbin Institute of Technology Harbin P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System Harbin Institute of Technology Harbin P. R. China
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Abdelghany A, Yamasaki K, Ichikawa Y, Motosuke M. Efficient nanoparticle focusing utilizing cascade AC electroosmotic flow. Electrophoresis 2022; 43:1755-1764. [PMID: 35736538 PMCID: PMC9545728 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202200054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
This study presents on‐chip continuous accumulation and concentration of nanoscale samples using a cascade alternating current electroosmosis (cACEO) flow. ACEO can generate flow motion caused by ion movement due to interactions between the AC electric field and the induced charge layer on the electrode surface, with the potential to accumulate particles, especially in low‐conductive liquid. However, the intrinsic particle diffusive motion, which is sensitive to particle size, is an essential element influencing accumulation efficiency. In this study, an electrode combining chevron and double‐gap geometry embedded in a microfluidic channel was developed to perform efficient three‐dimensional (3D) nanoparticle focusing using ACEO. The chevron electrode pattern was introduced upstream of the focusing zone to overcome particle accumulation in scattering zones near the channel sidewall. To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed device for particle accumulation, three nanoparticle types were used: latex, metal, and biomaterial. Continuous 3D concentration of 50‐nm polystyrene particles was confirmed. The concentration factor, determined based on image processing, became quite high when 50‐nm gold nanoparticles were used. Moreover, nanoparticles with a 20‐nm diameter were accumulated using cACEO. Finally, we used the concentrator chip to accumulate 50‐nm liposome particles, confirming that the device could also successfully concentrate biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Abdelghany
- Department of Mechanical Engineering Tokyo University of Science Tokyo Japan
| | - Keiichi Yamasaki
- Department of Mechanical Engineering Tokyo University of Science Tokyo Japan
| | - Yoshiyasu Ichikawa
- Department of Mechanical Engineering Tokyo University of Science Tokyo Japan
- Water Frontier Research Center Research Institute for Science and Technology Tokyo University of Science Tokyo Japan
| | - Masahiro Motosuke
- Department of Mechanical Engineering Tokyo University of Science Tokyo Japan
- Water Frontier Research Center Research Institute for Science and Technology Tokyo University of Science Tokyo Japan
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Xuan X. Review of nonlinear electrokinetic flows in insulator-based dielectrophoresis: From induced charge to Joule heating effects. Electrophoresis 2021; 43:167-189. [PMID: 33991344 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202100090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) has been increasingly used for particle manipulation in various microfluidic applications. It exploits insulating structures to constrict and/or curve electric field lines to generate field gradients for particle dielectrophoresis. However, the presence of these insulators, especially those with sharp edges, causes two nonlinear electrokinetic flows, which, if sufficiently strong, may disturb the otherwise linear electrokinetic motion of particles and affect the iDEP performance. One is induced charge electroosmotic (ICEO) flow because of the polarization of the insulators, and the other is electrothermal flow because of the amplified Joule heating in the fluid around the insulators. Both flows vary nonlinearly with the applied electric field (either DC or AC) and exhibit in the form of fluid vortices, which have been utilized to promote some applications while being suppressed in others. The effectiveness of iDEP benefits from a comprehensive understanding of the nonlinear electrokinetic flows, which is complicated by the involvement of the entire iDEP device into electric polarization and thermal diffusion. This article is aimed to review the works on both the fundamentals and applications of ICEO and electrothermal flows in iDEP microdevices. A personal perspective of some future research directions in the field is also given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangchun Xuan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
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Liu W, Tao Y, Xue R, Song C, Wu Q, Ren Y. Continuous-Flow Nanoparticle Trapping Driven by Hybrid Electrokinetics in Microfluidics. Electrophoresis 2021; 42:939-949. [PMID: 32705697 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202000110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
We introduce herein an efficient microfluidic approach for continuous transport and localized collection of nanoparticles via hybrid electrokinetics, which delicately combines linear and nonlinear electrokinetics driven by a composite DC-biased AC voltage signal. The proposed technique utilizes a simple geometrical structure, in which one or a series of metal strips serving as floating electrode (FE) are attached to the substrate surface and arranged in parallel between a pair of coplanar driving electrodes (DE) in a straight microchannel. On application of a DC-biased AC electric field across the channel, nanoparticles can be transported continuously by DC bulk electroosmotic flow, and then trapped selectively onto the metal strips due to AC-field induced-charge electrokinetic (ICEK) phenomenon, which behaves as counter-rotating micro-vortices around the ideally polarizable surfaces of FE. Finite-element simulation is carried out by coupling the dual-frequency electric field, flow field and sample mass transfer in sequence, for guiding a practical design of the microfluidic nanoparticle concentrator. With the optimal device geometry, the actual performance of the technique is investigated with respect to DC bias, AC voltage amplitude, and field frequency by using both latex nanospheres (∼500 nm) and BSA molecules (∼10 nm). Our experimental observation indicates nanoparticles are always enriched into a narrow bright band on the surface of each FE, and a horizontal concentration gradient even emerges in the presence of multiple metal strips, which therefore permits localized analyte enrichment. The proposed trapping method is supposed to guide an elaborate design of flexible electrokinetic frameworks embedding FE for continuous-flow analyte manipulation in modern microfluidic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyu Liu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an, 710064, P. R. China
| | - Ye Tao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China
| | - Rui Xue
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China
| | - Chunlei Song
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China
| | - Qisheng Wu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an, 710064, P. R. China
| | - Yukun Ren
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China.,State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-Zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001, P. R. China
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8
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Recent advancement in induced-charge electrokinetic phenomena and their micro- and nano-fluidic applications. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 280:102159. [PMID: 32344205 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2020.102159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Revised: 04/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Induced-charge electrokinetics (ICEK) remains a hot topic due to its promising applications in micro- and nano-fluidics. Over the past decade, researchers have made a great advancement in both fundamental studies and application developments. They captured (I) a flow reversal in induced-charge electroosmosis (ICEO) and attributed it to the phase delay effect of ions, (II) a chaotic ICEO and attributed it to the concentration polarization in the bulk solution, (III) a non-quadratic correlation for ICEO of non-Newtonian fluids and attributed it to the power-law viscosity, (IV) an induced-charge electrophoretic (ICEP) rotation of Janus doublets, etc. Furthermore, various ICEK-based micro- and nano-fluidic devices have been developed, namely, micropumps, particle focusers, trappers, sorters, and nanopore ion diodes. The present article provides a comprehensive review on the recent advancement of ICEK. Firstly, the fundamental studies of ICEK are introduced; then the micro- and nano-fluidic applications based on ICEK are presented; lastly, promising future directions for both fundamental and applications are discussed. This review presents the basic framework of ICEK, and can facilitate the development of ICEK-based applications.
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9
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Multifrequency Induced-Charge Electroosmosis. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10070447. [PMID: 31277290 PMCID: PMC6680487 DOI: 10.3390/mi10070447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
We present herein a unique concept of multifrequency induced-charge electroosmosis (MICEO) actuated directly on driving electrode arrays, for highly-efficient simultaneous transport and convective mixing of fluidic samples in microscale ducts. MICEO delicately combines transversal AC electroosmotic vortex flow, and axial traveling-wave electroosmotic pump motion under external dual-Fourier-mode AC electric fields. The synthetic flow field associated with MICEO is mathematically analyzed under thin layer limit, and the particle tracing experiment with a special powering technique validates the effectiveness of this physical phenomenon. Meanwhile, the simulation results with a full-scale 3D computation model demonstrate its robust dual-functionality in inducing fully-automated analyte transport and chaotic stirring in a straight fluidic channel embedding double-sided quarter-phase discrete electrode arrays. Our physical demonstration with multifrequency signal control on nonlinear electroosmosis provides invaluable references for innovative designs of multifunctional on-chip analytical platforms in modern microfluidic systems.
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10
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Xuan X. Recent advances in direct current electrokinetic manipulation of particles for microfluidic applications. Electrophoresis 2019; 40:2484-2513. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201900048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiangchun Xuan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering; Clemson University; Clemson SC USA
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Ren Y, Song C, Liu W, Jiang T, Song J, Wu Q, Jiang H. On hybrid electroosmotic kinetics for field-effect-reconfigurable nanoparticle trapping in a four-terminal spiral microelectrode array. Electrophoresis 2018; 40:979-992. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201800325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yukun Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
- The State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM); Institute of Mechanics; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing P. R. China
| | - Chunlei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
| | - Weiyu Liu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, and School of Highway; Chang'an University; Xi'an Shaanxi P. R. China
| | - Tianyi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
| | - Jingni Song
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, and School of Highway; Chang'an University; Xi'an Shaanxi P. R. China
| | - Qisheng Wu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, and School of Highway; Chang'an University; Xi'an Shaanxi P. R. China
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
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Du K, Liu W, Ren Y, Jiang T, Song J, Wu Q, Tao Y. A High-Throughput Electrokinetic Micromixer via AC Field-Effect Nonlinear Electroosmosis Control in 3D Electrode Configurations. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:E432. [PMID: 30424365 PMCID: PMC6187382 DOI: 10.3390/mi9090432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we make use of the AC field-effect flow control on induced-charge electroosmosis (ICEO), to develop an electrokinetic micromixer with 3D electrode layouts, greatly enhancing the device performance compared to its 2D counterpart of coplanar metal strips. A biased AC voltage wave applied to the central gate terminal, i.e., AC field-effect control, endows flow field-effect-transistor of ICEO the capability to produce arbitrary symmetry breaking in the transverse electrokinetic vortex flow pattern, which makes it fascinating for microfluidic mixing. Using the Debye-Huckel approximation, a mathematical model is established to test the feasibility of the new device design in stirring nanoparticle samples carried by co-flowing laminar streams. The effect of various experimental parameters on constructing a viable micromixer is investigated, and an integrated microdevice with a series of gate electrode bars disposed along the centerline of the channel bottom surface is proposed for realizing high-flux mixing. Our physical demonstration on field-effect nonlinear electroosmosis control in 3D electrode configurations provides useful guidelines for electroconvective manipulation of nanoscale objects in modern microfluidic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Du
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, and School of Highway, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an 710064, China.
| | - Weiyu Liu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, and School of Highway, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an 710064, China.
| | - Yukun Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, China.
| | - Tianyi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, China.
| | - Jingni Song
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, and School of Highway, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an 710064, China.
| | - Qian Wu
- Science and Technology on Reactor System Design Technology Laboratory, Nuclear Power Institute of China, Chengdu 610213, China.
| | - Ye Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, China.
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Hu Q, Guo J, Cao Z, Jiang H. Asymmetrical Induced Charge Electroosmotic Flow on a Herringbone Floating Electrode and Its Application in a Micromixer. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:E391. [PMID: 30424324 PMCID: PMC6187465 DOI: 10.3390/mi9080391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Enhancing mixing is of significant importance in microfluidic devices characterized by laminar flows and low Reynolds numbers. An asymmetrical induced charge electroosmotic (ICEO) vortex pair generated on the herringbone floating electrode can disturb the interface of two-phase fluids and deliver the fluid transversely, which could be exploited to accomplish fluid mixing between two neighbouring fluids in a microscale system. Herein we present a micromixer based on an asymmetrical ICEO flow induced above the herringbone floating electrode array surface. We investigate the average transverse ICEO slip velocity on the Ridge/Vee/herringbone floating electrode and find that the microvortex generated on the herringbone electrode surface has good potential for mixing the miscible liquids in microfluidic systems. In addition, we explore the effect of applied frequencies and bulk conductivity on the slip velocity above the herringbone floating electrode surface. The high dependence of mixing performance on the floating electrode pair numbers is analysed simultaneously. Finally, we investigate systematically voltage intensity, applied frequencies, inlet fluid velocity and liquid conductivity on the mixing performance of the proposed device. The microfluidic micromixer put forward herein offers great opportunity for fluid mixing in the field of micro total analysis systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingming Hu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Qiqihar University, Wenhua Street 42, Qiqihar 161006, China.
| | - Jianhua Guo
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Qiqihar University, Wenhua Street 42, Qiqihar 161006, China.
| | - Zhongliang Cao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Qiqihar University, Wenhua Street 42, Qiqihar 161006, China.
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, China.
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14
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Ren Y, Liu W, Tao Y, Hui M, Wu Q. On AC-Field-Induced Nonlinear Electroosmosis next to the Sharp Corner-Field-Singularity of Leaky Dielectric Blocks and Its Application in on-Chip Micro-Mixing. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:E102. [PMID: 30424036 PMCID: PMC6187378 DOI: 10.3390/mi9030102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 02/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Induced-charge electroosmosis has attracted lots of attention from the microfluidic community over the past decade. Most previous researches on this subject focused on induced-charge electroosmosis (ICEO) vortex streaming actuated on ideally polarizable surfaces immersed in electrolyte solutions. Starting from this point, we conduct herein a linear asymptotic analysis on nonlinear electroosmotic flow next to leaky dielectric blocks of arbitrary electrical conductivity and dielectric permittivity in harmonic AC electric fields, and theoretically demonstrate that observable ICEO fluid motion can be generated at high field frequencies in the vicinity of nearly insulating semiconductors, a very low electrical conductivity, of which can evidently increase the double-layer relaxation frequency (inversely proportional to the solid permittivity) to be much higher than the typical reciprocal RC time constant for induced double-layer charging on ideally polarizable surfaces. A computational model is developed to study the feasibility of this high-frequency vortex flow field of ICEO for sample mixing in microfluidics, in which the usage of AC voltage signal at high field frequencies may be beneficial to suppress electrochemical reactions to some extent. The influence of various parameters for developing an efficient mixer is investigated, and an integrated arrangement of semiconductor block array is suggested for achieving a reliable mixing performance at relatively high sample fluxes. Our physical demonstration with high-frequency ICEO next to leaky dielectric blocks using a simple channel structure offers valuable insights into the design of high-throughput micromixers for a variety of lab-on-a-chip applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukun Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, China.
| | - Weiyu Liu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an 710064, China.
| | - Ye Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, China.
| | - Meng Hui
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an 710064, China.
| | - Qisheng Wu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an 710064, China.
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Ren Y, Liu X, Liu W, Tao Y, Jia Y, Hou L, Li W, Jiang H. Flexible particle flow-focusing in microchannel driven by droplet-directed induced-charge electroosmosis. Electrophoresis 2017; 39:597-607. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201700305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yukun Ren
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
| | - Xianyu Liu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
| | - Weiyu Liu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering; Chang'an University; Xi'an Shaanxi P. R. China
| | - Ye Tao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
| | - Yankai Jia
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
| | - Likai Hou
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
| | - Wenying Li
- Center for Applied Solid State Chemistry Research; Ningbo University; Ningbo P. R. China
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin Heilongjiang P. R. China
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16
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Electrode Cooling Effect on Out-Of-Phase Electrothermal Streaming in Rotating Electric Fields. MICROMACHINES 2017; 8:mi8110327. [PMID: 30400517 PMCID: PMC6190253 DOI: 10.3390/mi8110327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2017] [Revised: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In this work, we focus on investigating electrothermal flow in rotating electric fields (ROT-ETF), with primary attention paid to the horizontal traveling-wave electrothermal (TWET) vortex induced at the center of the electric field. The frequency-dependent flow profiles in the microdevice are analyzed using different heat transfer models. Accordingly, we address in particular the importance of electrode cooling in ROT-ETF as metal electrodes of high thermal conductivity, while substrate material of low heat dissipation capability is employed to develop such microfluidic chips. Under this circumstance, cooling of electrode array due to external natural convection on millimeter-scale electrode pads for external wire connection occurs and makes the internal temperature maxima shift from the electrode plane to a bit of distance right above the cross-shaped interelectrode gaps, giving rise to reversal of flow rotation from a typical repulsion-type to attraction-type induction vortex, which is in good accordance with our experimental observations of co-field TWET streaming at frequencies in the order of reciprocal charge relaxation time of the bulk fluid. These results point out a way to make a correct interpretation of out-of-phase electrothermal streaming behavior, which holds great potential for handing high-conductivity analytes in modern microfluidic systems.
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17
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Liu W, Ren Y, Tao Y, Yao B, Li Y. Simulation analysis of rectifying microfluidic mixing with field-effect-tunable electrothermal induced flow. Electrophoresis 2017; 39:779-793. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201700234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 08/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Weiyu Liu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering; Chang'an University; Xi'an P. R. China
| | - Yukun Ren
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin P. R. China
| | - Ye Tao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering; Harbin Institute of Technology; Harbin P. R. China
| | - Bobin Yao
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering; Chang'an University; Xi'an P. R. China
| | - You Li
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering; Chang'an University; Xi'an P. R. China
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18
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Chen X, Ren Y, Liu W, Feng X, Jia Y, Tao Y, Jiang H. A Simplified Microfluidic Device for Particle Separation with Two Consecutive Steps: Induced Charge Electro-osmotic Prefocusing and Dielectrophoretic Separation. Anal Chem 2017; 89:9583-9592. [PMID: 28783330 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b02892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Continuous dielectrophoretic separation is recognized as a powerful technique for a large number of applications including early stage cancer diagnosis, water quality analysis, and stem-cell-based therapy. Generally, the prefocusing of a particle mixture into a stream is an essential process to ensure all particles are subjected to the same electric field geometry in the separation region. However, accomplishing this focusing process either requires hydrodynamic squeezing, which requires an encumbering peripheral system and a complicated operation to drive and control the fluid motion, or depends on dielectrophoretic forces, which are highly sensitive to the dielectric characterization of particles. An alternative focusing technique, induced charge electro-osmosis (ICEO), has been demonstrated to be effective in focusing an incoming mixture into a particle stream as well as nonselective regarding the particles of interest. Encouraged by these aspects, we propose a hybrid method for microparticle separation based on a delicate combination of ICEO focusing and dielectrophoretic deflection. This method involves two steps: focusing the mixture into a thin particle stream via ICEO vortex flow and separating the particles of differing dielectic properties through dielectrophoresis. To demonstrate the feasibility of the method proposed, we designed and fabricated a microfluidic chip and separated a mixture consisting of yeast cells and silica particles with an efficiency exceeding 96%. This method has good potential for flexible integration into other microfluidic chips in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoming Chen
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yukun Ren
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Weiyu Liu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangsong Feng
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yankai Jia
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Ye Tao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
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19
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Hu Q, Ren Y, Liu W, Tao Y, Jiang H. Simulation Analysis of Improving Microfluidic Heterogeneous Immunoassay Using Induced Charge Electroosmosis on a Floating Gate. MICROMACHINES 2017; 8:E212. [PMID: 30400403 PMCID: PMC6190211 DOI: 10.3390/mi8070212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Revised: 07/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
On-chip immuno-sensors are a hot topic in the microfluidic community, which is usually limited by slow diffusion-dominated transport of analytes in confined microchannels. Specifically, the antigen-antibody binding reaction at a functionalized area cannot be provided with enough antigen source near the reaction surface, since a small diffusion flux cannot match with the quick rate of surface reaction, which influences the response time and sensitivity of on-chip heterogeneous immunoassay. In this work, we propose a method to enhance the transportation of biomolecules to the surface of an antibody-immobilized electrode with induce charge electroosmotic (ICEO) convection in a low concentration suspension, so as to improve the binding efficiency of microfluidic heterogeneous immunoassays. The circular stirring fluid motion of ICEO on the surface of a floating gate electrode at the channel bottom accelerates the transport of freely suspended antigen towards the wall-immobilized antibodies. We investigate the dependence of binding efficiency on voltage magnitude and field frequency of the applied alternate current (AC) electrical field. The binding rate yields a factor of 5.4 higher binding for an applied voltage of 4 V at 10 Hz when the Damkohler number is 1000. The proposed microfluidic immuno-sensor technology of a simple electrode structure using ICEO convective fluid flow around floating conductors could offer exciting opportunities for diffusion-limited on-chip bio-microfluidic sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingming Hu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, China.
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Qiqihar University, Wenhua Street 42, Qiqihar 161006, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Yukun Ren
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Weiyu Liu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, China.
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang'an University, Middle-section of Nan'erHuan Road, Xi'an 710064, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Ye Tao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, China.
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20
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Wu Y, Ren Y, Tao Y, Hou L, Hu Q, Jiang H. A novel micromixer based on the alternating current-flow field effect transistor. LAB ON A CHIP 2016; 17:186-197. [PMID: 27934980 DOI: 10.1039/c6lc01346e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Induced-charge electroosmosis (ICEO) phenomena have been attracting considerable attention as a means for pumping and mixing in microfluidic systems with the advantage of simple structures and low-energy consumption. We propose the first effort to exploit a fixed-potential ICEO flow around a floating electrode for microfluidic mixing. In analogy with the field effect transistor (FET) in microelectronics, the floating electrode act as a "gate" electrode for generating asymmetric ICEO flow and thus the device is called an AC-flow FET (AC-FFET). We take advantage of a tandem electrode configuration containing two biased center metal strips arranged in sequence at the bottom of the channel to generate asymmetric vortexes. The current device is manufactured on low-cost glass substrates via an easy and reliable process. Mixing experiments were conducted in the proposed device and the comparison between simulation and experimental results was also carried out, which indicates that the micromixer permits an efficient mixing effect. The mixing performance can be further enhanced by the application of a suitable phase difference between the driving electrode and the gate electrode or a square wave signal. Finally, we performed a critical analysis of the proposed micromixer in comparison with different mixer designs using a comparative mixing index (CMI). The novel methods put forward here offer a simple solution to mixing issues in microfluidic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yupan Wu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001 PR China.
| | - Yukun Ren
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001 PR China. and State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001 PR China
| | - Ye Tao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001 PR China.
| | - Likai Hou
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001 PR China.
| | - Qingming Hu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001 PR China.
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001 PR China. and State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001 PR China
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21
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Bashirzadeh Y, Maruthamuthu V, Qian S. Electrokinetic Phenomena in Pencil Lead-Based Microfluidics. MICROMACHINES 2016; 7:E235. [PMID: 30404407 PMCID: PMC6190385 DOI: 10.3390/mi7120235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Fabrication of microchannels and associated electrodes to generate electrokinetic phenomena often involves costly materials and considerable effort. In this study, we used graphite pencil-leads as low cost, disposable 3D electrodes to investigate various electrokinetic phenomena in straight cylindrical microchannels, which were themselves fabricated by using a graphite rod as the microchannel mold. Individual pencil-leads were employed as the micro-electrodes arranged along the side walls of the microchannel. Efficient electrokinetic phenomena provided by the 3D electrodes, including alternating current electroosmosis (ACEO), induced-charge electroosmosis (ICEO), and dielectrophoresis (DEP), were demonstrated by the introduced pencil-lead based microfluidic devices. The electrokinetic phenomena were characterized by micro-particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) measurements and microscopy imaging. Highly efficient electrokinetic phenomena using 3D pencil-lead electrodes showed the affordability and ease of this technique to fabricate microfluidic devices embedded with electrodes for electrokinetic fluid and particle manipulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yashar Bashirzadeh
- Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
| | - Venkat Maruthamuthu
- Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
| | - Shizhi Qian
- Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
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