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Izaguirre M, Parsa S. Emergence of preferential flow paths and intermittent dynamics in emulsion transport in porous media. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:3585-3592. [PMID: 38440894 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01465g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
We investigate the dynamics of emulsions within a two-dimensional porous medium using an integrated experimental approach that combines pore-level dynamics of single emulsions and bulk transport properties of the medium. Using an on-chip microfluidic drop-maker, we precisely control the concentration and sizes of emulsions injected into the medium. The dynamics of emulsion droplets are highly intermittent despite a small average velocity over the trajectory of an individual emulsion. At low concentrations, emulsions predominantly flow through pores with higher local velocities including pores smaller than the size of emulsion droplets, leading to trapping of emulsions and a decrease in medium porosity. Preferential pathways for the emulsions emerge within the medium once the porosity of the medium decreases significantly, from 55% to 36%. At constant injection flow rates and low concentrations of monodisperse emulsions, these pathways remain the only paths of transport of emulsions within the medium. Introducing a slight polydispersity in emulsion sizes unveiled additional transport pathways. Our pore-level measurements reveal that the average velocity of emulsions scales with the inverse residence time of an emulsion, and this scaling separates the emulsions into distinct groups along the emergent preferential pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Izaguirre
- Center for Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Shima Parsa
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA.
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Silva DPF, Coelho RCV, Pagonabarraga I, Succi S, Telo da Gama MM, Araújo NAM. Lattice Boltzmann simulation of deformable fluid-filled bodies: progress and perspectives. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:2419-2441. [PMID: 38420837 PMCID: PMC10933750 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01648j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
With the rapid development of studies involving droplet microfluidics, drug delivery, cell detection, and microparticle synthesis, among others, many scientists have invested significant efforts to model the flow of these fluid-filled bodies. Motivated by the intricate coupling between hydrodynamics and the interactions of fluid-filled bodies, several methods have been developed. The objective of this review is to present a compact foundation of the methods used in the literature in the context of lattice Boltzmann methods. For hydrodynamics, we focus on the lattice Boltzmann method due to its specific ability to treat time- and spatial-dependent boundary conditions and to incorporate new physical models in a computationally efficient way. We split the existing methods into two groups with regard to the interfacial boundary: fluid-structure and fluid-fluid methods. The fluid-structure methods are characterised by the coupling between fluid dynamics and mechanics of the flowing body, often used in applications involving membranes and similar flexible solid boundaries. We further divide fluid-structure-based methods into two subcategories, those which treat the fluid-structure boundary as a continuum medium and those that treat it as a discrete collection of individual springs and particles. Next, we discuss the fluid-fluid methods, particularly useful for the simulations of fluid-fluid interfaces. We focus on models for immiscible droplets and their interaction in a suspending fluid and describe benchmark tests to validate the models for fluid-filled bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo P F Silva
- Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo C V Coelho
- Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ignacio Pagonabarraga
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer de Martí Franqués 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sauro Succi
- Center for Life Nano Science at La Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 295 Viale Regina Elena, I/00161 Roma, Italy
- Harvard Institute for Applied Computational Science, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Margarida M Telo da Gama
- Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Nuno A M Araújo
- Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
- Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
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Lu X, Wang M. High-Performance Nanogel-in-Oils as Emulsion Evolution Controller for Displacement Enhancement in Porous Media. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:49554-49566. [PMID: 37843042 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c05576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
We designed and synthesized high-performance nanogel-in-oils with intermediate properties between solid particles and liquid droplets for multiphase flow control in porous media. The ultrasmall polymeric nanogels prepared via inverse emulsion polymerization were efficiently encapsulated in micrometer-sized oil droplets with the aid of surfactants during transfer from the oil phase to the aqueous phase. The composite colloidal system exhibited high loading capacity, unimodal size distribution, and long-term kinetic stability in suspension. The colloidal behaviors of nanogel-in-oils and the corresponding interfacial evolution during displacement in porous media were investigated via microfluidic experiments. In situ emulsification was observed with a state contrary to that of static characterizations. The spontaneous and sustainable formation of foam-like water-in-oil macroemulsions originated from aqueous phase breakup and oil film development, both enhanced by nanogel-in-oils. Sweeping efficiency enhancement by invasion events and residual oil transport in macroemulsion phases yielded exceptional displacement performances. Flow field fluctuations and emulsion state variations can be manipulated by adjusting nanogel-in-oil concentrations. The nanogel-in-oil suspension was found to exhibit optimal performance among the tested dispersed systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xukang Lu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Moran Wang
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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Lei W, Lu X, Wang M. Multiphase displacement manipulated by micro/nanoparticle suspensions in porous media via microfluidic experiments: From interface science to multiphase flow patterns. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 311:102826. [PMID: 36528919 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Multiphase displacement in porous media can be adjusted by micro/nanoparticle suspensions, which is widespread in many scientific and industrial contexts. Direct visualization of suspension flow dynamics and corresponding multiphase patterns is crucial to understanding displacement mechanisms and eventually optimizing these processes in geological, biological, chemical, and other engineering systems. However, suspension flow inside the opaque realistic porous media makes direct observation challenging. The advances in microfluidic experiments have provided us with alternative methods to observe suspension influence on the interface and multiphase flow behaviors at high temporal and spatial resolutions. Macroscale processes are controlled by microscale interfacial behaviors, which are affected by multiple physical factors, such as particle adsorption, capillarity, and hydrodynamics. These properties exerted on the suspension flow in porous media may lead to interesting interfacial phenomena and new displacement consequences. As an underpinning science, understanding and controlling the suspension transport process from interface to flow patterns in porous media is critical for a lower operating cost to improve resource production while reducing harmful emissions and other environmental impacts. This review summarizes the basic properties of different micro/nanoparticle suspensions and the state-of-the-art microfluidic techniques for displacement research activities in porous media. Various suspension transport behaviors and displacement mechanisms explored by microfluidic experiments are comprehensively reviewed. This review is expected to boost both experimental and theoretical understanding of suspension transport and interfacial interaction processes in porous media. It also brings forward the challenges and opportunities for future research in controlling complex fluid flow in porous media for diverse applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhai Lei
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xukang Lu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Moran Wang
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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Xu Y, Zhu H, Denduluri A, Ou Y, Erkamp NA, Qi R, Shen Y, Knowles TPJ. Recent Advances in Microgels: From Biomolecules to Functionality. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2200180. [PMID: 35790106 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202200180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The emerging applications of hydrogel materials at different length scales, in areas ranging from sustainability to health, have driven the progress in the design and manufacturing of microgels. Microgels can provide miniaturized, monodisperse, and regulatable compartments, which can be spatially separated or interconnected. These microscopic materials provide novel opportunities for generating biomimetic cell culture environments and are thus key to the advances of modern biomedical research. The evolution of the physical and chemical properties has, furthermore, highlighted the potentials of microgels in the context of materials science and bioengineering. This review describes the recent research progress in the fabrication, characterization, and applications of microgels generated from biomolecular building blocks. A key enabling technology allowing the tailoring of the properties of microgels is their synthesis through microfluidic technologies, and this paper highlights recent advances in these areas and their impact on expanding the physicochemical parameter space accessible using microgels. This review finally discusses the emerging roles that microgels play in liquid-liquid phase separation, micromechanics, biosensors, and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufan Xu
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Hongjia Zhu
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Akhila Denduluri
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yangteng Ou
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Nadia A Erkamp
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Runzhang Qi
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yi Shen
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
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Lei W, Lu X, Wu T, Yang H, Wang M. High-performance displacement by microgel-in-oil suspension in heterogeneous porous media: Microscale visualization and quantification. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 627:848-861. [PMID: 35901564 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.07.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Preferential flow in porous media is commonly encountered and decreases the multiphase displacement efficiency. Here, we synthesized microgel-in-oil in suspension and demonstrated that microgel-in-oil as a novel additive could present self-adaptive transport behavior and introduce a novel multiphase displacement mode for improving displacement efficiency in heterogeneous porous media. EXPERIMENTS We investigated the microgel-in-oil formation process and characterized their morphology with fluorescence microscopy and Cryo-SEM. The suspension displacement performance in heterogeneous porous media was evaluated using a microfluidic chip containing a preferential flow pathway (PFP) and a parallel matrix region. The displacement results of microgel-in-oil were compared to plain microgel particles and analyzed from pore-scale particle transport behavior to macroscopic multiphase flow patterns. FINDINGS The results show that suspension with moderate microgel-in-oil yields the optimal displacement efficiency. Fewer microgel-in-oil cannot alter the flow direction, while too many microgel-in-oil would block the PFP region. The topological analysis identified that suspensions with moderate microgel-in-oil content could achieve the strongest sweeping and carrying abilities that contribute to the highest displacement efficiency. The synergistic transport of microgel-in-oil and plain microgel particles would result in local pressure fluctuations to divert displacing fluid from PFP into the matrix region, which explains the above flow behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhai Lei
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xukang Lu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Tianjiang Wu
- Changqing Oilfield, PetroChina, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710018, China
| | - Haien Yang
- Changqing Oilfield, PetroChina, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710018, China
| | - Moran Wang
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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Bielinski C, Aouane O, Harting J, Kaoui B. Squeezing multiple soft particles into a constriction: Transition to clogging. Phys Rev E 2022; 104:065101. [PMID: 35030949 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.065101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We study numerically how multiple deformable capsules squeeze into a constriction. This situation is largely encountered in microfluidic chips designed to manipulate living cells, which are soft entities. We use fully three-dimensional simulations based on the lattice Boltzmann method to compute the flow of the suspending fluid and on the immersed boundary method to achieve the two-way fluid-structure interaction. The mechanics of the capsule membrane elasticity is computed with the finite-element method. We obtain two main states: continuous passage of the particles and their blockage that leads to clogging the constriction. The transition from one state to another is dictated by the ratio between the size of the capsules and the constriction width and by the capsule membrane deformability. The latter is found to enhance particle passage through narrower constrictions, where rigid particles with similar diameter are blocked and lead to clogging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Bielinski
- Biomechanics and Bioengineering Laboratory, CNRS, Université de Technologie de Compiègne, 60200 Compiègne, France
| | - Othmane Aouane
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jens Harting
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.,Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Badr Kaoui
- Biomechanics and Bioengineering Laboratory, CNRS, Université de Technologie de Compiègne, 60200 Compiègne, France
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Liang W, Yang X, Wang J, Wang Y, Yang W, Liu L. Determination of Dielectric Properties of Cells using AC Electrokinetic-based Microfluidic Platform: A Review of Recent Advances. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E513. [PMID: 32438680 PMCID: PMC7281274 DOI: 10.3390/mi11050513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cell dielectric properties, a type of intrinsic property of cells, can be used as electrophysiological biomarkers that offer a label-free way to characterize cell phenotypes and states, purify clinical samples, and identify target cancer cells. Here, we present a review of the determination of cell dielectric properties using alternating current (AC) electrokinetic-based microfluidic mechanisms, including electro-rotation (ROT) and dielectrophoresis (DEP). The review covers theoretically how ROT and DEP work to extract cell dielectric properties. We also dive into the details of differently structured ROT chips, followed by a discussion on the determination of cell dielectric properties and the use of these properties in bio-related applications. Additionally, the review offers a look at the future challenges facing the AC electrokinetic-based microfluidic platform in terms of acquiring cell dielectric parameters. Our conclusion is that this platform will bring biomedical and bioengineering sciences to the next level and ultimately achieve the shift from lab-oriented research to real-world applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfeng Liang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110168, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.)
| | - Xieliu Yang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110168, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.)
| | - Junhai Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110168, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.)
| | - Yuechao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China;
| | - Wenguang Yang
- School of Electromechanical and Automotive Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China;
| | - Lianqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China;
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