Structured Surfaces with Fluid-Support Structures for Flow Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The flow resistance of a liquid on structured surfaces varies significantly with pressure changes, leading to instability and increased resistance due to fluid penetration and air bubble formation, which impedes fluid flow in applications like microfluidic channels and vessel movement.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a substrate with fluid-support-structures and wells that allow communication between the structures and the well, maintaining a stable medium-fluid interface by accommodating pressure changes and diffusing air, thereby controlling flow resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If structured surfaces with nanometer- or micron-sized raised features are used to reduce flow resistance, then flow resistance is reduced, but pressure stability deteriorates causing dramatic variation in flow resistance with pressure changes
Solution Approach 1:
The structured surface is segmented into discrete raised features (posts, pillars, or cones) with specific geometric parameters. These segmented structures create controlled interfaces that maintain stable fluid support across pressure variations, resolving the contradiction between flow resistance reduction and pressure stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes critical parameters of the structured surface, specifically controlling the height, spacing, and geometry of raised features to maintain a stable medium-fluid interface. By optimizing these parameters, the surface achieves both low flow resistance and pressure stability, preventing dramatic variations in flow resistance.
2Stress or pressure
If liquid pressure increases on structured surface, then liquid penetrates deeper into the structured surface, but flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The structured surface is pre-configured with raised features of optimized dimensions and spacing before fluid exposure. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when liquid pressure increases, the fluid interface remains stable on the structured surface without deep penetration, maintaining low flow resistance across pressure variations.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If air diffusion out of liquid forms air bubbles on structured surface, then air bubbles form on interior walls, but fluid flow is impeded
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts or removes air bubbles from the fluid flow path by designing the structured surface to prevent bubble nucleation and growth on the interior walls. The optimized raised feature geometry and spacing extract harmful air bubbles from the system, maintaining unimpeded fluid flow while allowing air diffusion to occur without bubble formation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration provides improved pressure stability and controlled flow resistance, reducing fluid penetration into the structured surface and preventing air bubble formation, ensuring consistent fluid flow across varying pressures and conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Flow resistance can also increase when the diffusion of air out of the liquid is sufficient to form air bubbles on the structured surface
Implementation Method 2
If the surface tension between the fluid and the medium becomes unable to keep the fluid-medium interface in place at the top of the structured surface, then the fluid can penetrate the structured surface
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprising a substrate having a surface configured to accommodate a fluid thereover. A plurality of fluid-support-structures are on the surface. Each of the fluid-support-structures has at least one dimension of less than one millimeter. A well in the substrate has an opening on the surface. A medium is locatable between the plurality of fluid-support-structures and in the well. The medium located between the fluid-support-structures is in communication with the medium in the well.