1
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Hoque SZ, Sen AK. Dynamics of a two-layer immiscible fluid system exposed to ultrasound. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 155:1655-1666. [PMID: 38426837 DOI: 10.1121/10.0025023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The relocation dynamics of a two-layer immiscible fluid system exposed to bulk acoustic waves using simulations and experiments are reported. A theoretical formulation of the acoustic radiation pressure (ARP) acting on the interface reveals that ARP is a nonlinear function of the impedance contrast. It has been shown that the force acting on the interface is the simple sum of the ARP and the interfacial tension, which is dependent on the angle of the interface. It was discovered that although the acoustic radiation force is directed from high-impedance fluid (HIF) to low-impedance fluid (LIF), the final steady-state configuration depends on the wall-fluid contact angle (CA). Our study reveals that the HIF and LIF would relocate to the channel center for CA>110°, and CA<70°, respectively, while complete flipping of the fluids is observed for intermediate angles. The forces relocate the fluids in the channel, generally, by a clockwise or anticlockwise rotation. Here, it is demonstrated that the direction of this twist can be determined by the relative densities and wettabilities of the two fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Z Hoque
- Micro Nano Bio Fluidics Unit, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - A K Sen
- Micro Nano Bio Fluidics Unit, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
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2
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Li S, Yuan S, Zhang Y, Guo H, Liu S, Wang D, Wang Y. Molecular Dynamics Study on the Demulsification Mechanism of Water-In-Oil Emulsion with SDS Surfactant under a DC Electric Field. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:12717-12730. [PMID: 36197725 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Application of an electric field is an effective demulsification method for water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions. For the W/O emulsions stabilized by anionic surfactants, the microscopic demulsification mechanism is still not very clear. In this work, the coalescence behavior of two droplets stabilized by the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the oil phase under a DC electric field is investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The effects of electric field strength and oil type on the electrocoalescence of two water droplets are mainly considered. The trajectory snapshots and center of mass of the two water droplets suggest that there is almost no migratory coalescence. The movement of sodium ions and SDS, which is a combined effect of the electric field force and the resistance from the oil phase, is crucial for the deformation and connection of two water droplets. The results of mean square displacement, radial distribution function, hydration number, and interaction energies of Na+-H2O and SDS-H2O indicate that the sodium ion has a stronger ability to carry water molecules for movement than SDS. The stronger electric field strength will result in more severe deformation and shorter coalescence time. Under the higher electric field strength, the two droplets will be elongated into a slender water ribbon. By applying a pulsed DC electric field with suitable amplitude, frequency, and duty ratio, it is possible to achieve full coalescence for the ionic surfactant-stabilized W/O emulsions. The oil phase also plays an important role for the deformation of droplets and the migration of emulsion components. For the different oil phases, a longer time or stronger electric field strength would be needed for the electrocoalescence of droplets in the oil phase with higher density and viscosity. Our results are expected to be helpful for practical application in the petroleum industry and chemical engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyan Li
- College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao266580, China
| | - Shundong Yuan
- College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao266580, China
| | - Yuanwu Zhang
- College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao266580, China
| | - Huiying Guo
- Research Institute of Experiment and Detection, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Karamay834000, China
| | - Sai Liu
- Research Institute of Experiment and Detection, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Karamay834000, China
| | - Diansheng Wang
- College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao266580, China
| | - Yudou Wang
- College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao266580, China
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3
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Synthesis of modified natural polysaccharides for demulsification and corrosion inhibition. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.130045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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4
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Lokanathan M, Wimalarathne S, Bahadur V. Influence of surfactant on electrowetting-induced surface electrocoalescence of water droplets in hydrocarbon media. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.128325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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5
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New Amphiphilic Ionic Liquids for the Demulsification of Water-in-Heavy Crude Oil Emulsion. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27103238. [PMID: 35630715 PMCID: PMC9143342 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27103238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This work aimed to use abietic acid (AA), as a widely available natural product, as a precursor for the synthesis of two new amphiphilic ionic liquids (AILs) and apply them as effective demulsifiers for water-in-crude oil (W/O) emulsions. AA was esterified using tetraethylene glycol (TEG) in the presence of p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA) as a catalyst obtaining the corresponding ester (AATG). AATG was reacted with 1-vinylimidazole (VIM) throughout the Diels–Alder reaction, forming the corresponding adduct (ATI). Following this, ATI was quaternized using alkyl iodides, ethyl iodide (EI), and hexyl iodide (HI) to obtain the corresponding AILs, ATEI-IL, and ATHI-IL, respectively. The chemical structure, surface activity, thermal stability, and relative solubility number (RSN) were investigated using different techniques. The efficiency of ATEI-IL and ATHI-IL to demulsify W/O emulsions in different crude oil: brine volumetric ratios were evaluated. ATEI-IL and ATHI-IL achieved promising results as demulsifiers. Their demulsification efficiency increased as the brine ratios decreased where their efficiency reached 100% at the crude oil: brine ratio (90:10), even at low concentrations.
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6
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Zhao Y, Gu Y, Gao G. Piezoelectricity induced by pulsed hydraulic pressure enables in situ membrane demulsification and oil/water separation. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 215:118245. [PMID: 35290871 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Recovering oil from oily wastewater is not only for economic gains but also for mitigating environmental pollution. However, demulsification of oil droplets stabilized with surfactants is challenging because of their low surface energy. Although the widely used oil/water separation membrane technologies based on size screening have attracted considerable attention in the past few decades, they are incapable of demulsification of stabilized oil emulsions and the membrane concentrates often require post-processing. Herein, the piezoelectric ceramic membrane (PCM), which can respond to the inherent transmembrane pressure in the pressure-driven membrane processes, was employed to transform hydraulic pressure pulses into electroactive responses to in situ demulsification. The pulsed transmembrane pressure on the PCM results in the generation of considerable rapid voltage oscillations over 3.2 V and a locally high electric field intensity of 7.2 × 107 V/m, which is capable of electrocoalescence with no additional stimuli or high voltage devices. Negative dielectrophoresis (DEP) force occurred in this membrane process and repelled the large size of oil after demulsification away from the PCM surface, ensuring continuous membrane demulsification and oil/water separation. Overall, PCM provides a further opportunity to develop an environmentally friendly and energy-saving electroresponsive membrane technology for practical applications in wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yuna Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Guandao Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; Research Center for Environmental Nanotechnology (ReCENT), Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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7
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Sjöblom J, Mhatre S, Simon S, Skartlien R, Sørland G. Emulsions in external electric fields. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 294:102455. [PMID: 34102389 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2021.102455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Water is co-produced with crude oils, generally in the form of water-in-crude oil emulsions. The oil and water phases need to be separated before export. Separation is performed in gravity separators with the addition of chemical demulsifiers and, sometimes, with the application of an electric field by using an electrocoalescer. The present article reviews several aspects of electrocoalescence by considering the effect of the electric field from the molecular to a macroscopic scale: the oil-water interface, single drop effects, two drop interactions, and finally emulsions at laboratory scales. Experimental results together with Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) simulation results are presented. The review begins with water-oil interface under an electric field and followed by single drop electrohydrodynamics. The electric field is shown to influence the adsorption of crude oil indigenous surface-active components (asphaltenes) due to the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flows. The interactions between two droplets in the presence of electric field and the factors governing the drop-drop coalescence are discussed in detail. DPD simulations help to elucidate thin film breakup during (electro)-coalescence of two water droplets, where the oil film has drained out to nanometer thickness. The film is comprised of surfactant and demulsifier molecules, and the simulations capture the pores formation in the film when a DC field is applied. The results demonstrate influence of the molecular structure of the surfactant and demulsifier, and their interactions. The subsequent section describes experimental techniques to assess the resolution of crude oil emulsions at the laboratory scale. The focus is on low-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF-NMR) which allows a determination of various emulsion features such as the droplet size distribution (DSD) and the brine profile (variation of the concentration of water with the height of the emulsion sample) and their evolution with time. Application of the technique in emulsion treatment involving chemical demulsifiers and electric field is presented. The review concludes with description of commercial industrial electrocoalecers such as the Vessel Internal Electrostatic Coalescer (VIEC) and the Compact Electrostatic Coalescer (CEC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Sjöblom
- Ugelstad Laboratory, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sameer Mhatre
- Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Sébastien Simon
- Ugelstad Laboratory, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Roar Skartlien
- Ugelstad Laboratory, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), P.O. Box 40, N-2027 Kjeller, Norway
| | - Geir Sørland
- Ugelstad Laboratory, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Anvendt Teknologi AS, Munkvollvegen 56, 7022 Trondheim, Norway
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8
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Enhancing oil-in-water emulsion separation performance of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel nanofibrous membrane by squeezing coalescence demulsification. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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9
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Synthesis and application of geminal dicationic ionic liquids and poly (ionic liquids) combined imidazolium and pyridinium cations as demulsifiers for petroleum crude oil saline water emulsions. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.115264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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10
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Sudeepthi A, Nath A, Yeo LY, Sen AK. Coalescence of Droplets in a Microwell Driven by Surface Acoustic Waves. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:1578-1587. [PMID: 33478219 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c03292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microwell arrays are amongst the most commonly used platforms for biochemical assays. However, the coalescence of droplets that constitute the dispersed phase of suspensions housed within microwells has not received much attention to date. Herein, we study the coalescence of droplets in a two-phase system in a microwell driven by surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The microwell structure, together with symmetric exposure to SAW irradiation, coupled from beneath the microwell via a piezoelectric substrate, gives rise to the formation of a pair of counter-rotating vortices that enable droplet transport, trapping, and coalescence. We elucidate the physics of the coalescence phenomenon using a scaling analysis of the relevant forces, namely, the acoustic streaming-induced drag force, the capillary and viscous forces associated with the drainage of the thin continuous phase film between the droplets and the van der Waals attraction force. We confirm that droplet-droplet interface contact is established through the formation of a liquid bridge, whose neck radius grows linearly in time in the preceding viscous regime and proportionally with the square root of time in the subsequent inertial regime. Further, we investigate the influence of the input SAW power and droplet size on the film drainage time and demarcate the coalescence and non-coalescence regimes to derive a criterion for the onset of coalescence. The distinct deformation patterns observed for a pair of contacting droplets in both the regimes are elucidated and the possibility for driving concurrent coalescence of multiple droplets is demonstrated. We expect the study will find relevance in the demulsification of immiscible phases and the mixing of samples/reagents within microwells for a variety of biochemical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Sudeepthi
- Micro Nano Bio -Fluidics Unit, Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - A Nath
- Micro Nano Bio -Fluidics Unit, Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - L Y Yeo
- Micro/Nanophysics Research Laboratory, School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - A K Sen
- Micro Nano Bio -Fluidics Unit, Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
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11
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Gaikwad R, Sen AK. An optomicrofluidic device for the detection and isolation of drop-encapsulated target cells in single-cell format. Analyst 2021; 146:95-108. [PMID: 33107500 DOI: 10.1039/d0an00160k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Single-cell analysis has emerged as a powerful method for genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics characterisation at the individual cell level. Here, we demonstrate a technique for the detection and selective isolation of target cells encapsulated in microdroplets in single-cell format. A sample containing a mixed population of cells with fluorescently labelled target cells can be focused using a sheath fluid to direct cells in single file toward a droplet junction, wherein the cells are encapsulated inside droplets. The droplets containing the cells migrate toward the centre of the channel owing to non-inertial lift force. The cells present in the droplets are studied and characterised based on forward scatter (FSC), side scatter (SSC), and fluorescence (FL) signals. The FL signals from the target cells can be used to activate a selective isolation module based on electro-coalescence, using suitable electronics and a program to sort droplets containing the target cells in single-cell format from droplets containing background cells. We demonstrated the detection and isolation of target cells (cancer cells: HeLa and DU145) from mixed populations of cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) + cervical cancer cells (HeLa) and PBMC + human prostate cancer cells (DU145), at a concentration range of 104-106 ml-1 at 300 cells per s. The performance of the device is characterised in terms of sorting efficiency (>97%), enrichment (>1800×), purity (>98%), and recovery (>95%). The sorted target cells were found to be viable (>95% viability) and showed good proliferation when cultured, showing the potential of the proposed sorting technique for downstream analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Gaikwad
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600036, India.
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12
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Hu J, Chen J, Zhang X, Xiao J, An S, Luan Z, Liu F, Zhang B. Dynamic demulsification of oil-in-water emulsions with electrocoalescence: Diameter distribution of oil droplets. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2020.117631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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13
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Huang X, He L, Luo X, Xu K, Lü Y, Yang D. Charge-Transfer-Induced Noncoalescence and Chain Formation of Free Droplets under a Pulsed DC Electric Field. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:14255-14267. [PMID: 33206532 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Electrocoalescence technology is an important method for the demulsification of crude oil emulsion, but its development is restricted by the short circuit caused by droplet chain formation. To reveal the formation mechanism of droplet chains, the electrocoalescence behaviors of two droplets and droplet clusters under pulsed direct current (DC) electric fields are experimentally studied. The two droplets usually successively undergo complete coalescence, partial coalescence, and noncoalescence as the electric field strength increases. The critical electric field strengths for complete coalescence under pulsed DC electric fields with different frequencies are obtained. The effects of the electric field waveform and frequency on the noncoalescence characteristics of two droplets and the stability of droplet chains are explored. The droplet chains under a high-frequency electric field are more stable and longer than those under a low-frequency electric field due to the reduction of the movement distance and the generation of daughter droplets from tip streaming. The reversal of the composition of electric forces due to charge transfer is the fundamental mechanism of noncoalescence of two droplets and chain formation in the emulsion under a pulsed DC electric field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Huang
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Limin He
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
- Surface Engineering Pilot Test Center, China National Petroleum Corporation, Daqing 163000, China
| | - Xiaoming Luo
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
- Surface Engineering Pilot Test Center, China National Petroleum Corporation, Daqing 163000, China
| | - Ke Xu
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Yuling Lü
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
- Surface Engineering Pilot Test Center, China National Petroleum Corporation, Daqing 163000, China
| | - Donghai Yang
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
- Surface Engineering Pilot Test Center, China National Petroleum Corporation, Daqing 163000, China
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14
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Jain SK, Banerjee U, Sen AK. Trapping and Coalescence of Diamagnetic Aqueous Droplets Using Negative Magnetophoresis. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:5960-5966. [PMID: 32388985 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c00846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The manipulation of aqueous droplets has a profound significance in biochemical assays. Magnetic field-driven droplet manipulation, offering unique advantages, is consequently gaining attention. However, the phenomenon relating to diamagnetic droplets is not well understood. Here, we report the understanding of trapping and coalescence of flowing diamagnetic aqueous droplets in a paramagnetic (oil-based ferrofluid) medium using negative magnetophoresis. Our study revealed that the trapping phenomenon is underpinned by the interplay of magnetic energy (Em) and frictional (viscous) energy (Ef), in terms of magnetophoretic stability number, Sm = (Em/Ef). The trapping and nontrapping regimes are characterized based on the peak value of magnetophoretic stability number, Smp, and droplet size, D*. The study of coalescence of a trapped droplet with a follower droplet (and a train of droplets) revealed that the film-drainage Reynolds number (Refd) representing the coalescence time depends on the magnetic Bond number, Bom. The coalesced droplet continues to remain trapped or gets self-released obeying the Smp and D* criterion. Our study offers an understanding of the magnetic manipulation of diamagnetic aqueous droplets that can potentially be used for biochemical assays in microfluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- S K Jain
- Micro Nano Bio-Fluidics Unit, Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - U Banerjee
- Micro Nano Bio-Fluidics Unit, Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - A K Sen
- Micro Nano Bio-Fluidics Unit, Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
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15
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Frey C, Göpfrich K, Pashapour S, Platzman I, Spatz JP. Electrocoalescence of Water-in-Oil Droplets with a Continuous Aqueous Phase: Implementation of Controlled Content Release. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:7529-7536. [PMID: 32280896 PMCID: PMC7144163 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Droplet-based microfluidics have emerged as an important tool for diverse biomedical and biological applications including, but not limited to, drug screening, cellular analysis, and bottom-up synthetic biology. Each microfluidic water-in-oil droplet contains a well-defined biocontent that, following its manipulation/maturation, has to be released into a physiological environment toward possible end-user investigations. Despite the progress made in recent years, considerable challenges still loom at achieving a precise control over the content release with sufficient speed and sensitivity. Here, we present a quantitative study in which we compare the effectiveness and biocompatibility of chemical and physical microfluidic release methods. We show the advantages of electrocoalescence of water-in-oil droplets in terms of high-throughput release applications. Moreover, we apply programmable DNA nanotechnology to achieve a segregation of the biochemical content within the droplets for the controlled filtration of the encapsulated materials. We envision that the developed bifunctional microfluidic approach, capable of content segregation and selective release, will expand the microfluidic toolbox for cell biology, synthetic biology, and biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Frey
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Biophysical Chemistry, University of
Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer
Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Göpfrich
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Biophysical Chemistry, University of
Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer
Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Biophysical
Engineering of Life Group, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sadaf Pashapour
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Biophysical Chemistry, University of
Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer
Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ilia Platzman
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Biophysical Chemistry, University of
Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer
Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joachim P. Spatz
- Department
of Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Biophysical Chemistry, University of
Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer
Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Max
Planck School Matter to Life, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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16
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Fan C, Ma R, Wang Y, Luo J. Demulsification of Oil-in-Water Emulsions in a Novel Rotating Microchannel. Ind Eng Chem Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.0c00843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chunxin Fan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, People’s Republic of China
| | - Rui Ma
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yubin Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianhong Luo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, People’s Republic of China
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17
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Ma Z, Pu Y, Hamiti D, Wei M, Chen X. Elaboration of the Demulsification Process of W/O Emulsion with Three-Dimensional Electric Spiral Plate-Type Microchannel. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:E751. [PMID: 31683899 PMCID: PMC6915629 DOI: 10.3390/mi10110751] [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: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Rapid and efficient demulsification (destabilizing of an emulsion) processes of a water in oil (W/O) emulsion were carried out in a three-dimensional electric spiral plate-type microchannel (3D-ESPM). In this experiment, the demulsifying efficiency of emulsions by 3D-ESPM was compared with that by gravity settling, the factors influencing demulsifying efficiency were investigated, and the induction period, cut size and residence time in the demulsification process were studied. The results showed that in contrast to the gravity settling method, 3D-ESPM can directly separate the disperse phase (water) instead of the continuous phase (oil). The maximum demulsifying efficiency of W/O emulsion in a single pass through the 3D-ESPM reached 90.3%, with a microchannel height of 200 μm, electric field intensity of 250 V /cm, microchannel angle of 180°, microchannel with 18 plates and a flow rate of 2 mL /min. An induction period of 0.6 s during the demulsification process was simulated with experimental data fitting. When the residence time of emulsion in 3D-ESPM was longer than the induction period, its demulsifying efficiency increased as the increase of the flow velocity due to the droplet coalescence effects of Dean vortices in the spiral microchannel. For this device a cut size of droplets of 4.5 μm was deduced. Our results showed that the demulsification process of W/O emulsion was intensified by 3D-ESPM based on the coupling effect between electric field-induced droplets migration and microfluidic hydrodynamic trapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengdong Ma
- Lab of Microfluidic Synthesis & Separation, College of Chemistry & Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China.
| | - Yadong Pu
- Lab of Microfluidic Synthesis & Separation, College of Chemistry & Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China.
| | - Diliyaer Hamiti
- Lab of Microfluidic Synthesis & Separation, College of Chemistry & Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China.
| | - Meixiu Wei
- Lab of Microfluidic Synthesis & Separation, College of Chemistry & Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China.
| | - Xiao Chen
- Lab of Microfluidic Synthesis & Separation, College of Chemistry & Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China.
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
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Mandal C, Banerjee U, Sen AK. Transport of a Sessile Aqueous Droplet over Spikes of Oil Based Ferrofluid in the Presence of a Magnetic Field. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:8238-8245. [PMID: 31141667 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b00631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Droplets can be used as carrier vehicles for the transportation of biological and chemical reagents. Manipulation of water- and oil-based ferromagnetic droplets in the presence of a magnetic field has been well-studied. Here, we elucidate the transport of a sessile aqueous (diamagnetic) droplet placed over spikes of oil-based ferrofluid (FF) in the presence of a nonuniform magnetic field. An oil-based FF droplet, dispensed over a rigid oleophilic surface, interacts with a magnetic field to get transformed into an array of spikes which then act as a carrier for the transportation of the aqueous droplet. Our study reveals that transportation phenomena is governed by the interplay of three different forces: magnetic force Fm, frictional force Ff, and interfacial tension force Fi, which is expressed in terms of the magnetic Laplace number ( Lam) and magnetic Bond number ( Bom) as Lam?1 = ( Ff1/ Fm, x) and Bom Lam?1 = ( Ff2/ Fi). Based on the values of the dimensionless numbers, three different regimes, steady droplet transport, spike extraction, and magnet disengagement, are identified. It is found that steady droplet transport is observed for Lam?1 ? 1 and Bom Lam?1 ? 1, whereas extraction of spikes is observed for Lam?1 ? 1 and Bom Lam?1 > 1 and magnet disengagement is observed for Lam?1 > 1. In the steady droplet transport regime, velocity of the aqueous droplet Uds was found to be dependent on the volumes of the aqueous droplet Vw and FF droplet VFF following Uds ? Vw?0.19 VFF0.36. A simple model is presented that accurately predicts the aqueous droplet velocity Uds within 5% of the corresponding experimental data. In the spike extraction regime, the spike extraction distance Lse was found to vary with Vw, VFF, and the magnet velocity Ums following Lse ? Vw?1.75 VFF0.75 Ums?1.56.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Mandal
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , Indian Institute of Technology Madras , Chennai - 600036 , India
| | - U Banerjee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , Indian Institute of Technology Madras , Chennai - 600036 , India
| | - A K Sen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , Indian Institute of Technology Madras , Chennai - 600036 , India
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