Abstract

In this talk I will give an overview of our recent activities in the field of microfluidics. It is well-known that at these small length scales the effect of the viscosity of the liquid because more dominant. In addition surfaces, for example channel walls, affect the flow dynamics to a much larger extent compared to flow fluid at larger scales. The presentation is divided into parts: the first part of the talk deals with novel mechanisms to enhance mixing in microfluidic devices using either passive or active mixers. New types of static mixers are presented that are much more suited for biological systems compared to herringbone-based mixers. The second part discusses the dynamics of multi-component systems where interfacial tension is relevant in parallel channel flow. The breakup mechanism for single drops is discussed and in addition the dynamics of an array of drops. In addition, it is shown how surfactant molecules at the interface of the drop influence migration.