Applications of electrohydrodynamics and Joule heating effects in microfluidic chips:A review

This review article presents an overview on the application of electrohydrodynamics and Joule heating effects in microfluidic chips.A brief introduction of microfluidic chips and a classification of electrohydrodynamics as well as the applications in microfluidic devices are first given.Then basic theories and governing equations of classical electromagnetics are summarized and electroviscous effects in pressure driven flows in a microchannel are presented.Principles and applications of DC electrokinetics,including DC electroosmotic flow,DC electrophoresis,as well as principles of AC electrokinetics,including AC electroosmotic flow and dielectrophoresis are also reviewed.Finally,Joule heating effects in both DC and AC electrokinetics,especially the newly discovered electrothermal flow,are summaried.

Experimental Study on Convective Heat Transfer in Tube-Side of Water Jacket-Tube Heat Exchanger by Electrohydrodynamics Effect

The electrohydrodynamics （EHD） enhancement of convection heat transfer of water in a jacket tube heat exchanger was studied through an experimental method in this paper. In the experiment,a DC high voltage electrode was set in the central tube-side of the heat exchanger,and the high voltage electrode in the tube-side was adjustable in the range of 0-40 kV. Five differ-ent combinations of heat transfer enhancement experiments were conducted under the different voltage and rate of flow. The results indicate that the maximal enhancement coefficient θ is 1.224 when the flow rate of tube-side inlet is 0.1 m3/h. It is proved that,for the work medium of water,the convective heat transfer can be enhanced by applying high electric field. The performance of EHD-enhanced is sensitive to the variation of flow rate,and in the same flow rate,there exist an optimized voltage in the EHD-enhanced process ra-ther than the monotonic positive-correlation relationship.

Coaxial electrohydrodynamic printing of core–shell microfibrous scaffolds with layer-specific growth factors release for enthesis regeneration

The rotator cuff tear has emerged as a significant global health concern.However,existing therapies fail to fully restore the intricate bone-to-tendon gradients,resulting in compromised biomechanical functionalities of the reconstructed enthesis tissues.Herein,a tri-layered core–shell microfibrous scaffold with layer-specific growth factors(GFs)release is developed using coaxial electrohydrodynamic(EHD)printing for in situ cell recruitment and differentiation to facilitate gradient enthesis tissue repair.Stromal cell-derived factor-1(SDF-1)is loaded in the shell,while basic fibroblast GF,transforming GF-beta,and bone morphogenetic protein-2 are loaded in the core of the EHD-printed microfibrous scaffolds in a layer-specific manner.Correspondingly,the tri-layered microfibrous scaffolds have a core–shell fiber size of(25.7±5.1)μm,with a pore size sequentially increasing from(81.5±4.6)μm to(173.3±6.9)μm,and to(388.9±6.9μm)for the tenogenic,chondrogenic,and osteogenic instructive layers.A rapid release of embedded GFs is observed within the first 2 d,followed by a faster release of SDF-1 and a slightly slower release of differentiation GFs for approximately four weeks.The coaxial EHD-printed microfibrous scaffolds significantly promote stem cell recruitment and direct their differentiation toward tenocyte,chondrocyte,and osteocyte phenotypes in vitro.When implanted in vivo,the tri-layered core–shell microfibrous scaffolds rapidly restored the biomechanical functions and promoted enthesis tissue regeneration with native-like bone-to-tendon gradients.Our findings suggest that the microfibrous scaffolds with layer-specific GFs release may offer a promising clinical solution for enthesis regeneration.

Biomimetic 3D printing of composite structures with decreased cracking

The development of tissue engineering and regeneration research has created new platforms for bone transplantation.However,the preparation of scaffolds with good fiber integrity is challenging,because scaffolds prepared by traditional printing methods are prone to fiber cracking during solvent evaporation.Human skin has an excellent natural heat-management system,which helps to maintain a constant body temperature through perspiration or blood-vessel constriction.In this work,an electrohydrodynamic-jet 3D-printing method inspired by the thermal-management system of skin was developed.In this system,the evaporation of solvent in the printed fibers can be adjusted using the temperature-change rate of the substrate to prepare 3D structures with good structural integrity.To investigate the solvent evaporation and the interlayer bonding of the fibers,finite-element analysis simulations of a three-layer microscale structure were carried out.The results show that the solvent-evaporation path is from bottom to top,and the strain in the printed structure becomes smaller with a smaller temperaturechange rate.Experimental results verified the accuracy of these simulation results,and a variety of complex 3D structures with high aspect ratios were printed.Microscale cracks were reduced to the nanoscale by adjusting the temperature-change rate from 2.5 to 0.5℃s-1.Optimized process parameters were selected to prepare a tissue engineering scaffold with high integrity.It was confirmed that this printed scaffold had good biocompatibility and could be used for bone-tissue regeneration.This simple and flexible 3D-printing method can also help with the preparation of a wide range of micro-and nanostructured sensors and actuators.

Functionalized alginate-based bioinks for microscale electrohydrodynamic bioprinting of living tissue constructs with improved cellular spreading and alignment

Bioprinting has been widely investigated for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.However,it is still difficult to reconstruct the complex native cell arrangement due to the limited printing resolution of conventional bioprinting techniques such as extrusion-and inkjet-based printing.Recently,an electrohydrodynamic(EHD)bioprinting strategy was reported for the precise deposition of well-organized cell-laden constructs with microscale filament size,whereas few studies have been devoted to developing bioinks that can be applied for EHD bioprinting and simultaneously support cell spreading.This study describes functionalized alginate-based bioinks for microscale EHD bioprinting using peptide grafting and fibrin incorporation,which leads to high cell viability(>90%)and cell spreading.The printed filaments can be further refined to as small as 30μm by incorporating polyoxyethylene and remained stable over one week when exposed to an aqueous environment.By utilizing the presented alginate-based bioinks,layer-specific cell alignment along the printing struts could be observed inside the EHD-printed microscale filaments,which allows fabricating living constructs with cell-scale filament resolution for guided cellular orientation.

Experimental and numerical analyses of electrohydrodynamic force according to air pressure

Electrohydrodynamic(EHD) force produced by corona discharge is considered as a new thrust for solar-powered aircraft and stratosphere balloons in near space. However, its performance at low air pressures remains to be clarified.An experiment of measuring the EHD force at 0.02 atm–1.0 atm(1 atm = 1.01325×10^(5)Pa) is carried out with the wireto-cylinder geometric structure. The ion distribution is analyzed by using the drift-diffusion model with two-dimensional numerical simulation. The experimental result shows that the EHD force is not linearly related to the corona discharge current at low air pressures. Numerical simulation finds that the proportion of ions in the counter-direction electric field increases from approximately 0.36% to 30% when the pressure drops from 1.0 atm to 0.2 atm. As a result, the EHD force with a constant power supply drops faster than the previous theoretical prediction in the ground experiment, suggesting that the consideration of counter-direction EHD force is necessary to improve the ionic wind propulsion efficiency in near-space applications.

Electrohydromechanical analysis based on conductivity gradient in microchannel

Fluid manipulation is very important in any lab-on-a-chip system. This paper analyses phenomena which use the alternating current （AC） electric field to deflect and manipulate coflowing streams of two different electrolytes （with conductivity gradient） within a microfluidic channel. The basic theory of the electrohydrodynamics and simulation of the analytical model are used to explain the phenomena. The velocity induced for different voltages and conductivity gradient are computed. The results show that when the AC electrical signal is applied on the electrodes, the fluid with higher conductivity occupies a larger region of the channel and the interface of the two fluids is deflected. It will provide some basic reference for people who want to do more study in the control of different fluids with conductivity gradient in a microfluidic channel.

Design of a Prototype EHD Air Pump for Electronic Chip Cooling Applications

This paper presents the design,optimization and fabrication of an EHD air pump intended for high-power electronic chip cooling applications.Suitable high-voltage electrode configurations were selected and studied,in terms of the characteristics of the generated electric field,which play an important role in ionic wind flow.For this purpose,dedicated software is used to implement finite element analysis.Critical design parameters,such as the electric field intensity,wind velocity,current flow and power consumption are investigated.Two different laboratory prototypes are fabricated and their performances experimentally assessed.This procedure leads to the fabrication of a final prototype,which is then tested as a replacement of a typical fan for cooling a high power density electronic chip.To assist towards that end,an experimental thermal testing setup is designed and constructed to simulate the size of a personal computer’s CPU core of variable power.The parametric study leads to the fabrication of experimental single-stage EHD pumps,the optimal design of which is capable of delivering an air flow of 51 CFM with an operating voltage of 10.5 kV.Finally,the theoretical and experimental results are evaluated and potential applications are proposed.

Critical condition for the transformation from Taylor cone to cone-jet

An energy method is proposed to investigate the critical transformation condition from a Taylor cone to a cone-jet. Based on the kinetic theorem, the system power allocation and the electrohydrodynamics stability are discussed. The numerical results indicate that the energy of the liquid cone tip experiences a maximum value during the transformation. With the proposed jetting energy, we give the critical transformation condition under which the derivative of jetting energy with respect to the surface area is greater than or equal to the energy required to form a unit of new liquid surface.

等离子体EHD蠕动加速作用影响因素实验研究

利用粒子成像测速(Particle Image Velocimetry,PIV)系统,在静止空气中定量测量了对称布局激励器在蠕动加速作用下的诱导速度场。分析了激励参数等因素对等离子体EHD激励蠕动加速作用的影响。通过实验发现:在激励频率固定的情况下,蠕动加速作用下的诱导气流速度随激励电压的升高而增大,上表面电极间距和相邻通道相位差也能显著影响蠕动加速作用。

COMPUTER SIMULATION FOR ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN MOTION OF FLUID

In this paper,an equation system of electrohydrodynamics(EHD)based onthe fluid motion equations is discussed.Emphasis is put on the effects of electrical forceand surface tension upon the fluid motion.The Marker and Cell method is used to set up acomputational simulation program of electrically driven motion of fluid.With the help ofthe program,a cylindrical fluid under the influences of electrical field and surface tensionhas been calculated.The result is in good agreement with the experimental observation.

Study of Surface Instability of Kelvin-Helmholtz Type in a Fluid Layer Bounded above by a Porous Layer and below by a Rigid Surface

The surface instability of Kelvin-Helmholtz type bounded above by a porous layer and below by a rigid surface is investigated using linear stability analysis. Here we adopt the theory based on electrohydrodynamic as well as Stokes and lubrication approximations. We replace the effect of boundary layer with Beavers and Joseph slip condition. Here we have studied the combined effect of electric and magnetic fields on Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) in a fluid layer bounded above by a porous layer and below by a rigid surface. The dispersion relation is obtained using suitable boundary and surface conditions and results are depicted graphically. Also the ratio Gm is numerically computed for different values of We and M given in the Table 1. From this it is clear that the combined effect of electric and magnetic fields with porous layer are more effective than the effect of compressibility in reducing the growth rate of RTI. Also, these results shows that with a proper choice of magnetic field it is possible to control the growth rate of Electrohydrody-namic KHI (EKHI) and hence can be restored the symmetry of IFE target.

Dynamic Behavior and Its Consideration of EHD Liquid Extraction Phenomenon Causing under DC or Low-Frequency AC Voltage

This paper describes an experimental and theoretical study on an extraction phenomenon of liquids occurring at an air gap between the liquid surface and the electrode by applying a direct current (DC) or low-frequency alternating current (AC) voltage. Three liquids with a different physical property;2,3-dihydrodecafluoropenten, palm fatty acid ester oil and crude rapeseed oil are used as working liquids. The electrode configuration is the sphere or plane (high voltage electrode) to grounded plane electrode. The grounded plane electrode is fixed to the bottom of the test vessel with working liquid and the high voltage electrode is installed in an air above the liquid surface against the grounded plane electrode. The liquid surface swells towards the high voltage electrode by the increase of voltage and the liquid is extracted in a short time, thereafter the air gap between the liquid surface and the high voltage electrode is bridged at a thick liquid column. Such the liquid behavior displays unique features with voltage polarity effect for each working liquid. The relationship between the applied voltage, current variation, height of swollen liquid, force pulling liquid and dynamic feature of liquid is examined experimentally. The liquid behavior is considered theoretically based on experimental observations.

Single Bubble Behavior in Direct Current Electric Field

The investigation on bubble behavior in electric field helps to analyze the mechanism of electric enhancement of boiling heat transfer. Experiments were performed to investigate the bubble deformation in direct current （DC） electric field with bubbles attached to the orifice. The air bubbles were slowly generated in the transformer oil pool at different orifices, so that the effect of flow on bubble shape was eliminated. The results showed that the bubbles were elongated and the departure volume decreased when the electric field was intensified. The major and minor axes, aspect ratio and departure volume increased with increasing the orifice diameter. Both the electric field and orifice size have great influence on bubble behavior. The bubble deformation was also simulated to compare with the experimental results. The numerical and experimental data qualitatively agree with each other.

Design and characterization of clindamycin-loaded nanofiber patches composed of polyvinyl alcohol and tamarind seed gum and fabricated by electrohydrodynamic atomization

In this study, we developed a polymeric nanofiber patch(PNP) for topical disease treatment using electrohydrodynamic atomization(EHDA). The nanofibers were prepared using various concentrations of polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) and tamarind seed gum and loaded with clindamycin HCl as a model drug. The precursor polymer solutions were sprayed using the EHDA technique; the EHDA processing parameters were optimized to obtain blank and drug-loaded PNPs. The skin adherence, translucence, and ventilation properties of the prepared PNPs indicated that they are appropriate for topical application. The conductivity of the polymer solution increased with increasing PVA and clindamycin concentrations, and increasing the PVA concentration enhanced the solution viscosity. Based on scanning electron microscopy analysis, the PVA concentration had a pronounced effect on the morphology of the sprayed product. Nanofibers were fabricated successfully when the solution PVA concentration was 10%, 13%, or 15%(w/v). The applied voltage significantly affected the diameters of the prepared nanofibers, and the minimum nanofiber diameter was 163.86 nm. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the modeldrug was dispersed in PVA in an amorphous form. The PNP prepared with a PVA:gum ratio of 9:1 absorbed water better than the PVA-only PNP and the PNP with a PVA:gum ratio of 9.5:0.5. Moreover, the PNPs loaded with clindamycin at concentrations of 1%–3% prohibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus more effectively than clindamycin gel, a commercially available product.

Electroosmotic oscillatory flow of micropolar fluid in microchannels:application to dynamics of blood flow in microfluidic devices

The electroosmotic flow of a micropolar fluid in a microchannel bounded by two parallel porous plates undergoing periodic vibration is studied. The equations for conservation of linear and angular momentums and Gauss＇s law of charge distribution are solved within the framework of the Debye-Hückel approximation. The fluid velocity and microrotation are assumed to depend linearly on the Reynolds number. The study shows that the amplitude of microrotation is highly sensitive to the changes in the magnitude of the suction velocity and the width of the microchannel. An increase in the micropolar parameter gives rise to a decrease in the amplitude of microrotation. Numerical estimates reveal that the microrotation of the suspended microelements in blood also plays an important role in controlling the electro-osmotically actuated flow dynamics in microbio-fluidic devices.

Experimental Study on the Velocity and Efficiency Characteristics of a Serial Staged Needle Array-Mesh Type EHD Gas Pump

The ionic wind has good application prospects in the fields of air flow control and heat transfer enhancement. The key for successful applications is how to improve the velocity and how to increase the active area of the ionic wind. This paper designed a needle array-mesh type electrohydrodynamic （EHD） gas pump. The use of needle array electrode where corona discharge started simultaneously could enlarge the active area. The velocity of the ionic wind could increase by placing several single-stage ionic wind generators in series appropriately, called as serial staged generator. The maximum average flow velocity of 16.1 m/s and volumetric flow of 303.5 L/min were achieved at the outlet of a 25-stage gas pump and the conversion efficiency was approximately 2.2%.

CHARACTERIZATION OF NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS BY ANALYTICAL ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

The analytical electron microscopy has been used to characterize the morphology,structure and composition of the nanostructured material of Sn- Bi alloy prepared by a modified electrohydrodynamic technique. The electron diffraction pattern and the corresponding contrast image for the discrete particles with a diameter smaller than 4 nm have been obtained.It is shown that the nanocrystalline Sn-Bi alloy particles comprise a single crystal of Bi-containing β-Sn solid solution or of Sn-containing Bi solid solution. A direct preparation procedure of the samples during the electrohydrodynamic rapid solidification process has been developed for electron microscopic observation.

Electrohydrodynamic direct-writing of conductor–insulator–conductor multi-layer interconnection

A multi-layer interconnection structure is a basic component of electronic devices, and printing of the multi-layer interconnection structure is the key process in printed electronics. In this work, electrohydrodynamic direct-writing （EDW） is utilized to print the conductor-insulator--conductor multi-layer ~nterconne^ction structure. Silver ink is chosen to print the conductor pattern, and a polyvinylpyrrolidone （PVP） solution is util^zed to f^bricate the insulator layer between the bottom and top conductor patterns. The influences of EDW process parameters on the line width of the printed conductor and insulator patterns are studied systematically. The obtained ~es^l~s show that the line width of the printed structure increases with the increase of the flow rate, but decreases with the increase of applied voltage and PVP content in the solution. The average resistivity values of the bottom and top silver conductor tracks are determined to be 1.34 × 10-7 Ω.m and 1.39×10-7 Ω.m, respectively. The printed PVP layer between the two conductor tracks is well insulated, which can meet the insulation requirement of the electronic devices. This study offers an alternative, fast, and cost-effective method of fabricating conductor-insulator-conductor multi-layer interconnections in the electronic industry.

Thin liquid film morphology driven by electro-static field

The development of stationary patterns on a thin polymer surface subject to an electric field is studied by means of the hexagonal-planform weakly nonlinear stability analysis and numerical simulations. The time evolution of the interface between the air and the polymer film on the unbounded spatial domain is described by a thin film equation, incorporating the electric driving force and the surface diffusion.The nonlinear interfacial growth includes the amplitude equations and superposition of one-dimensional structures at regular orientations. The pattern selection is driven by the subcritical instability mechanism in which the relative thickness of the polymer film plays a critical role.