Microfluidic Monodispersed Microbubble Generation for Production of Cavitation Nuclei

Microbubbles, acting as cavitation nuclei, undergo cycles of expansion, contraction, and collapse. This collapse generates shockwaves, alters local shear forces, and increases local temperature. Cavitation causes severe changes in pressure and temperature, resulting in surface erosion. Shockwaves st...

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Main Authors: Renjie Ning, Blake Acree, Mengren Wu, Yuan Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Micromachines
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/12/1531
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author Renjie Ning
Blake Acree
Mengren Wu
Yuan Gao
author_facet Renjie Ning
Blake Acree
Mengren Wu
Yuan Gao
author_sort Renjie Ning
collection DOAJ
description Microbubbles, acting as cavitation nuclei, undergo cycles of expansion, contraction, and collapse. This collapse generates shockwaves, alters local shear forces, and increases local temperature. Cavitation causes severe changes in pressure and temperature, resulting in surface erosion. Shockwaves strip material from surfaces, forming pits and cracks. Prolonged cavitation reduces the mechanical strength and fatigue life of materials, potentially leading to failure. Controlling bubble size and generating monodispersed bubbles is crucial for accurately modeling cavitation phenomena. In this work, we generate monodispersed microbubbles with controllable size using a novel and low-cost microfluidic method. We created an innovative T-junction structure that controls the two-phase flow for tiny, monodispersed bubble generation. Monodisperse microbubbles with diameters below one-fifth of the channel width (W = 100 µm) are produced due to the controlled pressure gradient. This microstructure, fabricated by a CNC milling technique, produces 20 μm bubbles without requiring high-resolution equipment and cleanroom environments. Bubble size is controlled with gas and liquid pressure ratio and microgeometry. This microbubble generation method provides a controllable and reproducible way for cavitation research.
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spelling doaj-art-e498bd1c8ab243f9baaca13946468bbc2024-12-27T14:40:58ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2024-12-011512153110.3390/mi15121531Microfluidic Monodispersed Microbubble Generation for Production of Cavitation NucleiRenjie Ning0Blake Acree1Mengren Wu2Yuan Gao3Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USAMicrobubbles, acting as cavitation nuclei, undergo cycles of expansion, contraction, and collapse. This collapse generates shockwaves, alters local shear forces, and increases local temperature. Cavitation causes severe changes in pressure and temperature, resulting in surface erosion. Shockwaves strip material from surfaces, forming pits and cracks. Prolonged cavitation reduces the mechanical strength and fatigue life of materials, potentially leading to failure. Controlling bubble size and generating monodispersed bubbles is crucial for accurately modeling cavitation phenomena. In this work, we generate monodispersed microbubbles with controllable size using a novel and low-cost microfluidic method. We created an innovative T-junction structure that controls the two-phase flow for tiny, monodispersed bubble generation. Monodisperse microbubbles with diameters below one-fifth of the channel width (W = 100 µm) are produced due to the controlled pressure gradient. This microstructure, fabricated by a CNC milling technique, produces 20 μm bubbles without requiring high-resolution equipment and cleanroom environments. Bubble size is controlled with gas and liquid pressure ratio and microgeometry. This microbubble generation method provides a controllable and reproducible way for cavitation research.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/12/1531microfluidicsmicrobubble generationbubble size controlcavitation nuclei
spellingShingle Renjie Ning
Blake Acree
Mengren Wu
Yuan Gao
Microfluidic Monodispersed Microbubble Generation for Production of Cavitation Nuclei
Micromachines
microfluidics
microbubble generation
bubble size control
cavitation nuclei
title Microfluidic Monodispersed Microbubble Generation for Production of Cavitation Nuclei
title_full Microfluidic Monodispersed Microbubble Generation for Production of Cavitation Nuclei
title_fullStr Microfluidic Monodispersed Microbubble Generation for Production of Cavitation Nuclei
title_full_unstemmed Microfluidic Monodispersed Microbubble Generation for Production of Cavitation Nuclei
title_short Microfluidic Monodispersed Microbubble Generation for Production of Cavitation Nuclei
title_sort microfluidic monodispersed microbubble generation for production of cavitation nuclei
topic microfluidics
microbubble generation
bubble size control
cavitation nuclei
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/12/1531
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AT blakeacree microfluidicmonodispersedmicrobubblegenerationforproductionofcavitationnuclei
AT mengrenwu microfluidicmonodispersedmicrobubblegenerationforproductionofcavitationnuclei
AT yuangao microfluidicmonodispersedmicrobubblegenerationforproductionofcavitationnuclei