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Tang Q, Song C, Wang Y, Zhang JH, Liu M, Xu Y, Wang C, Cui X. Drop-On-Demand Microdroplet Generation under Charge Injection by Corona Discharge. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:11966-11973. [PMID: 38809418 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
In printing, microreactors, and bioassays, the precise control of micrometer-scale droplet generation is essential but challenging, often restricted by the equipment and nozzles used in traditional methods. We introduce a needle-plate electrode corona discharge technique that injects charges into an oil layer, enabling the precise manipulation of droplet polarization and splitting. This method allows for meticulous adjustment of microdroplet formation regarding location, size, and quantity by modulating the discharge voltage, discharge time, and electrode positioning. It enables the immediate initiation and cessation of droplet production, thereby facilitating on-demand droplet generation. Our study on the voltage-dependent droplet stretch coefficient shows that as the voltage increases, the droplets transition from controlled splitting to regular Taylor cone-like ejections, eventually reaching the Rayleigh limit and fully breaking apart. These advancements significantly improve microfluidic droplet manipulation, offering considerable benefits for applications in targeted drug delivery, rapid disease diagnostics, and precise environmental monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Tang
- Base for Innovative Methods Promotion Application and Demonstration of Anhui Province, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
| | - Chengcheng Song
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
| | - Yan Wang
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
| | - Jia-Han Zhang
- School of Electronic Information Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Manfei Liu
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
| | - Yunshan Xu
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
| | - Chengjun Wang
- Base for Innovative Methods Promotion Application and Demonstration of Anhui Province, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaxia Cui
- Base for Innovative Methods Promotion Application and Demonstration of Anhui Province, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232000, Anhui, China
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2
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Britel A, Tomagra G, Aprà P, Varzi V, Sturari S, Amine NH, Olivero P, Picollo F. 3D printing in microfluidics: experimental optimization of droplet size and generation time through flow focusing, phase, and geometry variation. RSC Adv 2024; 14:7770-7778. [PMID: 38444974 PMCID: PMC10913413 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra00752b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Droplet-based microfluidics systems have become widely used in recent years thanks to their advantages, varying from the possibility of handling small fluid volumes to directly synthesizing and encapsulating various living forms for biological-related applications. The effectiveness of such systems mainly depends on the ability to control some of these systems' parameters, such as produced droplet size and formation time, which represents a challenging task. This work reports an experimental study on tuning droplet size and generation time in a flow-focusing geometry fabricated with stereolithography 3D printing by exploring the interplay of phase and geometrical parameters. We produced droplets at different low flow rates of continuous and dispersed phases to assess the effect of each of these phases on the droplets' size and formation time. We observed that smaller droplets were produced for high viscosity oil and water phase, along with high flow rates. In addition, changing the microfluidics channels' width, and morphology of the orifice has shown a similar effect on droplet size, as shown in the case of high-viscosity solutions. The variation of the bifurcation angle shows a noticeable variation in terms of the achieved droplet size and formation time. We further investigated the impact of modifying the width ratio of the continuous and dispersed phases on droplet formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Britel
- Department of Physics, "NIS" Inter-departmental Centre, University of Torino, National Institute of Nuclear Physics Sect. Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Giulia Tomagra
- Department of Drug and Science Technology, NIS Interdepartmental Centre, University of Torino Corso Raffaello 30 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Pietro Aprà
- Department of Physics, "NIS" Inter-departmental Centre, University of Torino, National Institute of Nuclear Physics Sect. Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Veronica Varzi
- Department of Physics, "NIS" Inter-departmental Centre, University of Torino, National Institute of Nuclear Physics Sect. Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Sofia Sturari
- Department of Physics, "NIS" Inter-departmental Centre, University of Torino, National Institute of Nuclear Physics Sect. Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Nour-Hanne Amine
- Department of Physics, "NIS" Inter-departmental Centre, University of Torino, National Institute of Nuclear Physics Sect. Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Paolo Olivero
- Department of Physics, "NIS" Inter-departmental Centre, University of Torino, National Institute of Nuclear Physics Sect. Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1 10125 Torino Italy
| | - Federico Picollo
- Department of Physics, "NIS" Inter-departmental Centre, University of Torino, National Institute of Nuclear Physics Sect. Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1 10125 Torino Italy
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3
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Zhang C, Zheng K, Li C, Zhang R, Zhu Y, Xia L, Ma Y, Wyss HM, Cheng X, He S. Single-Molecule Protein Analysis by Centrifugal Droplet Immuno-PCR with Magnetic Nanoparticles. Anal Chem 2024; 96:1872-1879. [PMID: 38225884 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Detecting proteins in ultralow concentrations in complex media is important for many applications but often relies on complicated techniques. Herein, a single-molecule protein analyzer with the potential for high-throughput applications is reported. Gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles with DNA-labeled antibodies were used for target recognition and separation. The immunocomplex was loaded into microdroplets generated with centrifugation. Immuno-PCR amplification of the DNA enabled the quantification of proteins at the level of single molecules. As an example, ultrasensitive detection of α-synuclein, a biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases, is achieved. The limit of detection was determined to be ∼50 aM in buffer and ∼170 aM in serum. The method exhibited high specificity and could be used to analyze post-translational modifications such as protein phosphorylation. This study will inspire wider studies on single-molecule protein detection, especially in disease diagnostics, biomarker discovery, and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Kaixin Zheng
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Chi Li
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
- ZJU-TU/e Joint Research Institute of Design, Optoelectronic and Sensing, Hangzhou 310052, China
- Microsystems Research Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600MB, The Netherlands
| | - Ranran Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Yicheng Zhu
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Linxiao Xia
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Yicheng Ma
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Hans M Wyss
- ZJU-TU/e Joint Research Institute of Design, Optoelectronic and Sensing, Hangzhou 310052, China
- Microsystems Research Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600MB, The Netherlands
| | - Xiaoyu Cheng
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
- Ningbo Research Institute, Ningbo 310050, China
- ZJU-TU/e Joint Research Institute of Design, Optoelectronic and Sensing, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Sailing He
- National Engineering Research Center for Optical Instruments, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
- Ningbo Research Institute, Ningbo 310050, China
- ZJU-TU/e Joint Research Institute of Design, Optoelectronic and Sensing, Hangzhou 310052, China
- Department of Electromagnetic Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm S-100 44, Sweden
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4
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Yazdanparast S, Rezai P, Amirfazli A. Microfluidic Droplet-Generation Device with Flexible Walls. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:1770. [PMID: 37763933 PMCID: PMC10536617 DOI: 10.3390/mi14091770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Controlling droplet sizes is one of the most important aspects of droplet generators used in biomedical research, drug discovery, high-throughput screening, and emulsion manufacturing applications. This is usually achieved by using multiple devices that are restricted in their range of generated droplet sizes. In this paper, a co-flow microfluidic droplet-generation device with flexible walls was developed such that the width of the continuous (C)-phase channel around the dispersed (D)-phase droplet-generating needle can be adjusted on demand. This actuation mechanism allowed for the adjustment of the C-phase flow velocity, hence providing modulated viscous forces to manipulate droplet sizes in a single device. Two distinct droplet-generation regimes were observed at low D-phase Weber numbers, i.e., a dripping regime at high- and medium-channel widths and a plug regime at low-channel widths. The effect of channel width on droplet size was investigated in the dripping regime under three modes of constant C-phase flow rate, velocity, and Capillary number. Reducing the channel width at a constant C-phase flow rate had the most pronounced effect on producing smaller droplets. This effect can be attributed to the combined influences of the wall effect and increased C-phase velocity, leading to a greater impact on droplet size due to the intensified viscous force. Droplet sizes in the range of 175-913 µm were generated; this range was ~2.5 times wider than the state of the art, notably using a single microfluidic device. Lastly, an empirical model based on Buckingham's Pi theorem was developed to predict the size of droplets based on channel width and height as well as the C-phase Capillary and Reynolds numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pouya Rezai
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Alidad Amirfazli
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
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5
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Mathekga BSP, Nxumalo Z, Thimiri Govinda Raj DB. Micro and nanofluidics for high throughput drug screening. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2022; 187:93-120. [PMID: 35094783 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2021.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In this book chapter, we elaborate on the state-of-the-art technology developments in high throughput screening, microfluidics and nanofluidics. This book chapter further elaborated on the application of microfluidics and nanofluidics for high throughput drug screening with respect to communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases such as cancer. As a future perspective, there is tremendous potential for microfluidics and nanofluidics to be applied in high throughput drug screening which could be applied for various biotechnology applications such as in cancer precision medicine, point-of-care diagnostics and imaging. With the integration of Fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies with micro and nanofluidics technologies, it envisioned that such integration along with digital health would enable next generation technology development in medical field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zandile Nxumalo
- Synthetic Nanobiotechnology and Biomachines Group, Synthetic Biology and Precision Medicine Centre, CSIR, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Deepak B Thimiri Govinda Raj
- Synthetic Nanobiotechnology and Biomachines Group, Synthetic Biology and Precision Medicine Centre, CSIR, Pretoria, South Africa.
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6
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Deka DK, Pati S, Randive PR. Implications of capillarity-wettability interaction on geometrically mediated droplet splitting mechanism. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.127873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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7
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Deka DK, Boruah MP, Pati S, Randive PR, Mukherjee PP. Tuning the Splitting Behavior of Droplet in a Bifurcating Channel through Wettability-Capillarity Interaction. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:10471-10489. [PMID: 32787019 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c01633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We present a comprehensive computational physics-based study of the influence of surface wettability on the displacement behavior of a droplet in a three-dimensional bifurcating channel. Various surface wettability configurations for the daughter branches are considered to gain insight into the wettability-capillarity interaction. Also, the influence of initial droplet size on the splitting dynamics for different wettability configurations is investigated. Time evolution of the droplet displacement behavior in the bifurcating channel is discussed for different physicochemical parameters including capillary number and wettability. Three distinct flow regimes are identified as the droplet interacts with the bifurcating tip of the channel, namely, splitting, nonsplitting, and oscillating regimes. Furthermore, the occurrence of Rayleigh-Plateau instability in different wettability scenarios is discussed. Additionally, the intricacies associated with the droplet dynamics are elucidated through the temporal evolution of the droplet surface area and mass outflow of the continuous phase. A flow regime map based on the capillary number and wettability contrast of the daughter branches is proposed for a comprehensive description of the droplet dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhrijit Kumar Deka
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Silchar, Silchar 788010, India
| | - Manash Protim Boruah
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Silchar, Silchar 788010, India
| | - Sukumar Pati
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Silchar, Silchar 788010, India
| | - Pitambar R Randive
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Silchar, Silchar 788010, India
| | - Partha P Mukherjee
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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Wu J, Xia H, Wang W, Foo Y, Wang Z, Du H. A droplet platform capable of handling dissimilar liquids and its application for separation of bacteria from blood. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2020; 14:034102. [PMID: 32454926 PMCID: PMC7211087 DOI: 10.1063/5.0006111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
For passive droplet generation, multiple parameters such as the fluid viscosities and flow rates of the continuous and discrete phases correlate to each other, raising relevant control difficulties. In the current study, a droplet platform that is capable of handling dissimilar liquids is proposed. Through combining oscillatory flow and electric charge, synchronized generation and forced coalescence of different droplets can be achieved. Its application for the separation of E. coli from blood is tested, which leads to a high capture efficiency with less sample and within a shorter time than usual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Wu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, People’s Republic of China
| | - Huanming Xia
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wei Wang
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, 73 Nanyang drive, Singapore 637662
| | - Yuhao Foo
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, 73 Nanyang drive, Singapore 637662
| | - Zhiping Wang
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, 73 Nanyang drive, Singapore 637662
| | - Hejun Du
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
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9
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Rahimi M, Yazdanparast S, Rezai P. Parametric study of droplet size in an axisymmetric flow-focusing capillary device. Chin J Chem Eng 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2019.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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10
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Rahimi M, Shams Khorrami A, Rezai P. Effect of device geometry on droplet size in co-axial flow-focusing microfluidic droplet generation devices. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.03.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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11
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Han W, Chen X. New insights into the pressure during the merged droplet formation in the squeezing time. Chem Eng Res Des 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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Alkayyali T, Cameron T, Haltli B, Kerr R, Ahmadi A. Microfluidic and cross-linking methods for encapsulation of living cells and bacteria - A review. Anal Chim Acta 2019; 1053:1-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2018.12.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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13
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Wang M, Kong C, Liang Q, Zhao J, Wen M, Xu Z, Ruan X. Numerical simulations of wall contact angle effects on droplet size during step emulsification. RSC Adv 2018; 8:33042-33047. [PMID: 35548132 PMCID: PMC9086337 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra06837b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrace-based microfluidic devices are currently used to prepare highly monodisperse micro-droplets. Droplets are generated due to the spontaneous pressure drop induced by the Laplace pressure, and so the flow rate of a dispersed phase has little effect on droplet size. As a result, control over the droplet is limited once a step emulsification device has been fabricated. In this work, a terrace model was established to study the effect of the wall contact angle on droplet size based on computational fluid dynamics simulations. The results for contact angles from 140° to 180° show that a lower contact angle induces wall-wetting, increasing the droplet size. The Laplace pressure equations for droplet generation were determined based on combining pressure change curves with theoretical analyses, to provide a theoretical basis for controlling and handling droplets generated through step emulsification. A study on the effects of wall contact angle makes it more flexible to predict and control the size of droplets generated in step emulsification.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Wang
- Institute of Process Equipment
- College of Energy Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Chuang Kong
- Institute of Process Equipment
- College of Energy Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Qisen Liang
- Institute of Process Equipment
- College of Energy Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Jianxiang Zhao
- Institute of Process Equipment
- College of Energy Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Maolin Wen
- Institute of Process Equipment
- College of Energy Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Zhongbin Xu
- Institute of Process Equipment
- College of Energy Engineering
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
| | - Xiaodong Ruan
- The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems
- Zhejiang University
- Hangzhou
- China
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