聚合物链长调控的电场–弹性微流控颗粒精确操控机制研究

Electro–elasto–microfluidic precisely tuned manipulation of particles regulated by polymer chain length

  • 摘要: 电场–弹性微流控技术结合了电场的可控性与非牛顿流体的黏弹性,是微纳尺度颗粒精准操控的前沿方法。然而,现有研究多聚焦于宏观流变特性和颗粒尺寸效应,聚合物链长等微观流变学参数对颗粒迁移行为的影响,特别是其与滑移速度诱导升力的耦合机制尚不明确。本研究设计了可调黏弹性参数的电场–弹性微流控系统,构建了包含聚合物链尺度参数的调控方案,研究了不同链长与浓度的聚合物溶液对纳米及微米颗粒迁移行为的影响。实验结果显示,聚合物链长显著调控了电场–弹性耦合体系的升力平衡。结合数值模拟进一步表明,聚合物链长对颗粒滑移速度具有显著影响,颗粒滑移速度Us与在颗粒上施加的力和颗粒半径的比Fp/R近似线性关系。随着聚合物链长的增加,同样Fp/R条件下滑移速度Us不断减小。理论分析表明,随着颗粒尺寸减小,流动诱导弹性升力的衰减速度远快于滑移诱导升力,使后者在纳米颗粒操控中占据主导地位。基于此规律,通过合理匹配聚合物链长与浓度,实现了在特定流速下纳米颗粒的高效聚焦以及纳-微米尺度颗粒的高通量连续分离。该研究不仅揭示了微观流变学参数—聚合物链长对颗粒宏观动力学的微观调控机制,也为基于电场–弹性协同驱动的微流控分选技术提供了新的理论基础与设计策略。

     

    Abstract: Electro–elasto–microfluidic technology integrates the high controllability of electric fields with the viscoelasticity of non-Newtonian fluids, representing a frontier approach for precise manipulation of particles at the micro- and nanoscale. However, existing studies have predominantly focused on macroscopic rheological properties and particle size effects, while the influence of microscopic rheological parameters—such as polymer chain length—on particle migration behavior remains insufficiently understood. In particular, the coupling mechanism between the polymer chain length and slip-velocity-induced lift has yet to be elucidated. In this study, an electro–elasto–microfluidic system with tunable viscoelastic parameters was designed, and a control strategy incorporating polymer chain-scale parameters was established to systematically investigate the effects of polymer solutions with different chain lengths and concentrations on the migration of nano- and microparticles. Experimental results demonstrate that the polymer chain length plays a critical role in regulating the lift force balance in electro–elasto–coupled systems. Numerical simulations further reveal that the polymer chain length significantly influences the particle slip velocity. The particle slip velocity Us exhibits an approximately linear dependence on the ratio between the force acting on the particle and its radius, Fp/R. With increasing polymer chain length, the slip velocity Us decreases monotonically under identical Fp/R conditions. Theoretical analysis indicates that, as particle size decreases, the flow-induced elastic lift decays much more rapidly than the slip-induced lift, causing the latter to dominate nanoparticle manipulation. Based on these findings, efficient nanoparticle focusing at prescribed flow velocities, as well as high-throughput continuous separation of particles spanning the nano- to microscale, were achieved by appropriately matching polymer chain length and concentration. This work not only elucidates the microscopic regulatory role of the polymer chain length—a key microrheological parameter—on macroscopic particle dynamics, but also provides a new theoretical foundation and design strategy for electro–elasto–synergistically driven microfluidic sorting technologies.

     

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