Research on liquid flow behavior in deformed microfluidic channels made of PDMS material

Abstract

Abstract In order to improve the application performances of current microfluidic systems, the liquid flow behavior in deformed microfluidic channels made of PDMS material is deeply researched in this study. During the flowing process, liquid pressure features in inelastic and elastic channels are tested and compared respectively, serious channel deformation in elastic PDMS channels is found, and the key influencing factors are summarized and provided, including channel aspect ratio α, top membrane thickness th and channel width w, etc. This study reveals the liquid flow behavior in microfluidic systems made of PDMS material, and provides theoretical and experimental basis for further structural optimization of the systems.