Applications of Nanofluids in Microfluidic Devices

This paper aims to introduce some applications of nanofluids in microfluidic devices. First of all, the fabrication processes of gold nanoparticles in water solution and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in both diesel oil and water solution are described. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in diesel oil and water are called oil ferro-nanofluid and water ferro-nanofluid in this study, respectively. Some special designs of microchannels are presented to perform specific functions, such as the generation of segmented fluid slugs or droplets, and the sieving of nanoparticles in different particle’s size. Measured results show that the mixing performance between a water solution and water ferro-nanofluid in a Y-type microchannel can be enhanced with help of an external magnetic field. In addition, the nanoparticles in different sizes can be easily separated by passing the serpentiform microchannels.