Soft hydraulics: from Newtonian to complex fluid flows through compliant conduits

Short and long-range cyclic patterns in flows of DNA solutions in microfluidic obstacle arrays

We observe regular patterns emerging across multiple length scales with high-concentration DNA solutions in microfluidic pillar arrays at low Reynolds numbers and high Deborah numbers. Interacting vortices between pillars lead to long-range order in the form of large travelling waves consisting of DNA at high concentration and extension. Waves are formed in quadratic arrays of pillars, while randomizing the position of the pillar in each unit cell of a quadratic array leads to suppression of the long-range patterns. We find that concentrations exceeding the overlap concentration of the DNA enables the waves, and exploring the behavior of the waves as a function of flow rate, buffer composition, concentration and molecular length, we identify elastic effects as central to the origin of the waves. Our work may not only help increase the low throughput that often limits sample processing in microfluidics, it may also provide a platform for further studies of the underlying viscoelastic mechanisms.

Elastohydrodynamic Relaxation of Soft and Deformable Microchannels

Hydrodynamic flows in compliant channels are of great interest in physiology and microfluidics. In these situations, elastohydrodynamic coupling leads to (i) a nonlinear pressure-vs-flow-rate relation, strongly affecting the hydraulic resistance; and (ii), because of the compliance-enabled volume storage, a finite relaxation time under a stepwise change in pressure. This latter effect remains relatively unexplored, even while the timescale can vary over a decade in typical situations. In this study we provide time-resolved measurements of the relaxation dynamics for thin and soft, rectangular microfluidic channels. We describe our data using a perturbative lubrication approximation of the Stokes equation coupled to linear elasticity, while taking into account the effect of compliance and resistance of the entrance. The modeling allows us to completely describe all of the experimental results. Our Letter is relevant for any microfluidic scenario wherein a time-dependent driving is applied and provides a first step in the dynamical description of compliant channel networks.

Numerical and Thermal Investigation of Magneto-Hydrodynamic Hybrid Nanoparticles (SWCNT-Ag) under Rosseland Radiation: A Prescribed Wall Temperature Case

Thermal heat generation and enhancement have been examined extensively over the past two decades, and nanofluid technology has been explored to address this issue. In the present study, we discuss the thermal heat coefficient under the influence of a rotating magneto-hydrodynamic hybrid nanofluid over an axially spinning cone for a prescribed wall temperature (PWT) case. The governing equations of the formulated problem are derived by utilizing the Rivlin–Ericksen tensor and boundary layer approximation (BLA). We introduce our suppositions to transform the highly non-linear partial differential equations into ordinary differential equations. The numerical outcomes of the problem are drafted in MATLAB with the of help the boundary value problem algorithm. The influences of several study parameters are obtained to demonstrate and analyze the magneto-hydrodynamic flow characteristics. The heat and mass transfer coefficients increase and high Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are obtained with reduced skin coefficients for the analyzed composite nanoparticles. The analyzed hybrid nanofluid (SWCNT-Ag–kerosene oil) produces reduced drag and lift coefficients and high thermal heat rates when compared with a recent study for SWCNT-MWCNT–kerosene oil hybrid nanofluid. Maximum Nusselt (Nu) and Sherwood (Sh) numbers are observed under a high rotational flow ratio and pressure gradient. Based on the results of this study, we recommend more frequent use of the examined hybrid nanofluid.