Dynamics of Capillary-Driven Flow in 3D Printed Open Microchannels

Robert K. Lade; Erik J. Hippchen; Christopher W. Macosko; Lorraine F. Francis

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b04506

Dynamics of Capillary-Driven Flow in 3D Printed Open Microchannels

Robert K. Lade, Erik J. Hippchen, Christopher W. Macosko, Lorraine F. Francis

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36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Microchannels have applications in microfluidic devices, patterns for micromolding, and even flexible electronic devices. Three-dimensional (3D) printing presents a promising alternative manufacturing route for these microchannels due to the technology's relative speed and the design freedom it affords its users. However, the roughness of 3D printed surfaces can significantly influence flow dynamics inside of a microchannel. In this work, open microchannels are fabricated using four different 3D printing techniques: fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering, and multi jet modeling. Microchannels printed with each technology are evaluated with respect to their surface roughness, morphology, and how conducive they are to spontaneous capillary filling. Based on this initial assessment, microchannels printed with FDM and SLA are chosen as models to study spontaneous, capillary-driven flow dynamics in 3D printed microchannels. Flow dynamics are investigated over short (∼10^-3 s), intermediate (∼1 s), and long (∼10² s) time scales. Surface roughness causes a start-stop motion down the channel due to contact line pinning, while the cross-sectional shape imparted onto the channels during the printing process is shown to reduce the expected filling velocity. A significant delay in the onset of Lucas-Washburn dynamics (a long-time equilibrium state where meniscus position advances proportionally to the square root of time) is also observed. Flow dynamics are assessed as a function of printing technology, print orientation, channel dimensions, and liquid properties. This study provides the first in-depth investigation of the effect of 3D printing on microchannel flow dynamics as well as a set of rules on how to account for these effects in practice. The extension of these effects to closed microchannels and microchannels fabricated with other 3D printing technologies is also discussed.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	2949-2964
Number of pages	16
Journal	Langmuir
Volume	33
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b04506
State	Published - Mar 28 2017

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the industrial supporters of the Coating Process Fundamentals Program (CPFP) of the Industrial Partnership for Research in Interfacial and Materials Engineering (IPRIME) for supporting this research. This work was also supported by funding through MnDRIVE at the University of Minnesota. The authors also extend their gratitude to Wieslaw Suszynski for high speed video assistance, Yan Wu for some SEM imaging, Satish Kumar for helpful discussions, and Luke Rodgers and Brian Sabart at Stratasys for printing microchannels with multi jet modeling. Parts of this work were carried out in the Characterization Facility, University of Minnesota, which receives partial support from the NSF through the MRSEC program, and the Minnesota Nano Center, which receives partial support from the NSF through the NNCI program.

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© 2017 American Chemical Society.

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Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

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abstract = "Microchannels have applications in microfluidic devices, patterns for micromolding, and even flexible electronic devices. Three-dimensional (3D) printing presents a promising alternative manufacturing route for these microchannels due to the technology's relative speed and the design freedom it affords its users. However, the roughness of 3D printed surfaces can significantly influence flow dynamics inside of a microchannel. In this work, open microchannels are fabricated using four different 3D printing techniques: fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering, and multi jet modeling. Microchannels printed with each technology are evaluated with respect to their surface roughness, morphology, and how conducive they are to spontaneous capillary filling. Based on this initial assessment, microchannels printed with FDM and SLA are chosen as models to study spontaneous, capillary-driven flow dynamics in 3D printed microchannels. Flow dynamics are investigated over short (∼10-3 s), intermediate (∼1 s), and long (∼102 s) time scales. Surface roughness causes a start-stop motion down the channel due to contact line pinning, while the cross-sectional shape imparted onto the channels during the printing process is shown to reduce the expected filling velocity. A significant delay in the onset of Lucas-Washburn dynamics (a long-time equilibrium state where meniscus position advances proportionally to the square root of time) is also observed. Flow dynamics are assessed as a function of printing technology, print orientation, channel dimensions, and liquid properties. This study provides the first in-depth investigation of the effect of 3D printing on microchannel flow dynamics as well as a set of rules on how to account for these effects in practice. The extension of these effects to closed microchannels and microchannels fabricated with other 3D printing technologies is also discussed.",

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Dynamics of Capillary-Driven Flow in 3D Printed Open Microchannels

Abstract

Bibliographical note

How much support was provided by MRSEC?

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MRSEC IRG-2: Sustainable Nanocrystal Materials

University of Minnesota MRSEC (DMR-1420013)

Cite this

Dynamics of Capillary-Driven Flow in 3D Printed Open Microchannels

Abstract

Bibliographical note

How much support was provided by MRSEC?

Reporting period for MRSEC

PubMed: MeSH publication types

UN SDGs

Access

OpenUrl availability

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

MRSEC IRG-2: Sustainable Nanocrystal Materials

University of Minnesota MRSEC (DMR-1420013)

Cite this