Efficient gas–liquid contact using microfluidic membrane devices with staggered herringbone mixers

Abstract

We describe a novel membrane based gas-liquid-contacting device with increased mass transport and reduced pressure loss by combining a membrane with a staggered herringbone static mixer. Herringbone structures are imposed on the microfluidic channel geometry via soft lithography, acting as mixers which introduce secondary flows at the membrane interface. Such flows include Dean vortices and Taylor flows generating effective mixing while improving mass transport and preventing concentration polarization in microfluidic channels. Furthermore, our static herringbone mixer membranes effectively reduce pressure losses leading to devices with enhanced transfer properties for microfluidic gas-liquid contact. We investigate the red blood cell distribution to tailor our devices towards miniaturised extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and improved comfort of patients with lung insufficiencies.

Array-Assisted SERS Microfluidic Chips for Highly Sensitive and Multiplex Gas Sensing

“…Thus, although AgNC@CA@ZIF can partly increase the sensing ability, the sensitivity is still not so high. As reported previously, the laminar flow effect in a microfluidic channel suppresses the reaction between the upper sample and bottom substrates. − Thus, the gasified molecules poorly adsorbed on the surfaces of the SERS probes, limiting the detection sensitivity that can be achieved.…”

Silicon Micropore‐Based Parallel Plate Membrane Oxygenator

“…As part of this work, there are strategies to improve on gas efficiency focused overcoming the effect of the liquid‐side mass transport resistance by disruption of the boundary layer. This can include the use of surface mixers or the use of sound waves to increase the rates of gas transport . While these techniques have the potential to increase gas transport efficiency, they will need to be closely examined for deleterious effects on the hemocompatibility.…”

Porous PVDF Monoliths with Templated Geometry

“…[15,16] Moreover, they could show that the novel TPMS membrane geometries outperformed flat-sheet and HF in heat transport and demonstrated exceptional mass transport for TPMS gas-liquid contactor devices. [6] Membrane oxygenators strongly rely on miniaturization with the following design challenges: a) miniaturization of the blood hold-up volume, b) maximize effective membrane packing density (m 2 m −3 ), c) minimize the membrane resistance, and d) maximum mass transfer at the membrane interface by destabilizing the laminar boundary layers at the membrane/fluid interface. [17] Current 3D-printed membranes do not comply with these prerequisites.…”

“…Lately, the availability of new and advanced manufacturing methods has allowed a more radical rethinking of membranes and membrane geometries, shaping the bloodside channel flow conditions. Some of our work in the field of engineered fluid flow conditions, imposed by engineered channel geometries or membrane geometries, comprise static mixers to prevent rejection-induced colloidal accumulation and subsequent fouling, [1][2][3][4] aerating static mixers to even further improve shear-rate induced fouling prevention, [5] staggered herringbone structures to improve gas transport in G/L mass transfer in microfluidic chips and reactors, [6,7] as well as twisted [8] and sinusoidal hollow fiber shaped membranes. [9,10] First steps towards the direct fabrication of free-form 3D membranes have been taken.…”