A parametric study of the thermo-pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms: A finite element analysis
The optimization of thermo-pneumatic microvalves (TPMs) remains a significant challenge in microfluidic device development, primarily due to the complex interactions between various design parameters. This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation of TPM performance through advanced flu...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Results in Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123024020784 |
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| author | Alireza Mohseni Mohammad Amin Ebrahimzadeh Amirsaman Bahramian Esmail Pishbin |
| author_facet | Alireza Mohseni Mohammad Amin Ebrahimzadeh Amirsaman Bahramian Esmail Pishbin |
| author_sort | Alireza Mohseni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The optimization of thermo-pneumatic microvalves (TPMs) remains a significant challenge in microfluidic device development, primarily due to the complex interactions between various design parameters. This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation of TPM performance through advanced fluid-structure interaction modeling. We systematically analyzed four critical design parameters: heating chamber geometry, gas composition, working fluid properties, and membrane materials. Our results reveal that an inward-angle heating chamber configuration substantially improves membrane deflection, generating a maximum applied pressure of 2702 N/m²—more than twice that of conventional straight-wall designs (1216 N/m²). We identified an optimal heating chamber aspect ratio of approximately 10, maximizing membrane deflection while maintaining structural integrity. Notably, the introduction of auxetic materials for membrane construction demonstrated a two-fold increase in deflection compared to traditional polyimide membranes. Analysis of working fluid properties showed that viscosity, rather than density, predominantly influences valve performance, with a three-order-of-magnitude increase in viscosity reducing deflection by 30 %. Furthermore, the molecular weight of the heating chamber gas emerged as a crucial factor, as evidenced by CO₂ producing eight times greater deflection than H₂. These findings provide valuable quantitative guidelines for optimizing TPM design in microfluidic applications, particularly for lab-on-a-chip devices and biomedical systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b453e421074c45d3832fee74c1ed64cc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2590-1230 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Results in Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-b453e421074c45d3832fee74c1ed64cc2025-01-05T04:28:34ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-03-0125103835A parametric study of the thermo-pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms: A finite element analysisAlireza Mohseni0Mohammad Amin Ebrahimzadeh1Amirsaman Bahramian2Esmail Pishbin3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11155-9567, IranDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11155-9567, IranDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11155-9567, IranBio-Microfluidics Lab, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran; Corresponding author.The optimization of thermo-pneumatic microvalves (TPMs) remains a significant challenge in microfluidic device development, primarily due to the complex interactions between various design parameters. This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation of TPM performance through advanced fluid-structure interaction modeling. We systematically analyzed four critical design parameters: heating chamber geometry, gas composition, working fluid properties, and membrane materials. Our results reveal that an inward-angle heating chamber configuration substantially improves membrane deflection, generating a maximum applied pressure of 2702 N/m²—more than twice that of conventional straight-wall designs (1216 N/m²). We identified an optimal heating chamber aspect ratio of approximately 10, maximizing membrane deflection while maintaining structural integrity. Notably, the introduction of auxetic materials for membrane construction demonstrated a two-fold increase in deflection compared to traditional polyimide membranes. Analysis of working fluid properties showed that viscosity, rather than density, predominantly influences valve performance, with a three-order-of-magnitude increase in viscosity reducing deflection by 30 %. Furthermore, the molecular weight of the heating chamber gas emerged as a crucial factor, as evidenced by CO₂ producing eight times greater deflection than H₂. These findings provide valuable quantitative guidelines for optimizing TPM design in microfluidic applications, particularly for lab-on-a-chip devices and biomedical systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123024020784MicrovalvesThermo-pneumatic microvalveMicro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)Microfluidic device |
| spellingShingle | Alireza Mohseni Mohammad Amin Ebrahimzadeh Amirsaman Bahramian Esmail Pishbin A parametric study of the thermo-pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms: A finite element analysis Results in Engineering Microvalves Thermo-pneumatic microvalve Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) Microfluidic device |
| title | A parametric study of the thermo-pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms: A finite element analysis |
| title_full | A parametric study of the thermo-pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms: A finite element analysis |
| title_fullStr | A parametric study of the thermo-pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms: A finite element analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | A parametric study of the thermo-pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms: A finite element analysis |
| title_short | A parametric study of the thermo-pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms: A finite element analysis |
| title_sort | parametric study of the thermo pneumatic microvalve performance for microfluidic platforms a finite element analysis |
| topic | Microvalves Thermo-pneumatic microvalve Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) Microfluidic device |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123024020784 |
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