In the tiny realm of microfluidics, flows are, in general, completely laminar. That makes mixing a challenge. But it turns out that pumping water steadily into multiple inlets can spontaneously Keep reading
Tag: microfluidics
Waltzing Defects
Liquid crystals are a peculiar state of matter with both liquid and crystalline properties. In this video, a microfluidic device breaks water into droplets surrounded by a shell of liquid Keep reading
Fast-Switching Multi-Material 3D Printer
For 3D printers to reach their potential, they need to handle more than one material and be able to swap quickly and seamlessly between them. That’s a tall order given how different Keep reading
Turning a Corner in Microfluidics
Over the past couple decades, microfluidic devices have become a staple of medical and biological diagnostics and analysis. Tests that once required large and specialized equipment can now be completed closer to Keep reading
Escaping the Limits of Viscosity
For large creatures, it’s not hard to feel the evidence of someone else swimming nearby. But to tiny swimmers water is incredibly viscous and hard to move. These creatures have Keep reading
Testing Vesicles
In biology, vesicles contain a liquid surrounded by a lipid membrane. The characteristics of that membrane – like its stiffness – can change over time in ways that indicate other changes. For Keep reading
Catching Fire
Citrus fruits like oranges house tiny pockets of oil in their peels. When squeezed, the oils jet out in tiny micro-jets that are about the width of a human hair. Keep reading
Transporting Droplets
Transporting droplets easily and reliably is important in many microfluidic applications. While this can be done using electric fields, those fields can impact biological characteristics researchers are trying to measure. As an Keep reading
Artificial Microswimmers
In a 1959 lecture entitled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”, Richard Feynman challenged scientists to create a tiny motor capable of propelling itself. Although artificial microswimmers took several Keep reading
Plant Week: Citrus Jets
Bartenders and citrus lovers the world over are familiar with the mist of oil that bursts from a bent citrus peel. These microjets are about the width of a human Keep reading