A comprehensive review on the fundamental principles, innovative designs, and multidisciplinary applications of micromixers

Abstract

This paper comprehensively reviews the fundamental principles, innovative designs, and multidisciplinary applications of micromixers. First, it introduces the fundamental principles of fluid mixing in micromixers, including passive and active mixing mechanisms, and the flow characteristics of fluids at the microscale. Subsequently, it focuses on the innovative design of passive micromixers, covering a variety of designs, such as obstacle structures, curved serpentine structures, groove structures, separation and recombination structures, topology optimization structures, and baffle structures, and analyzes the effects of different structures on mixing efficiency and pressure drop. In addition, it also studies the innovative design of active micromixers, including magnetic field assistance, electric field assistance, surface acoustic wave assistance, and thermal effect assistance, and analyzes the effects of different driving modes on mixing efficiency. Finally, it outlines the multidisciplinary applications of micromixers in the fields of biomedicine, chemical analysis, environmental monitoring and control, and new energy. This review aims to provide a comprehensive reference for the research and application of micromixers and promote their application in more fields.