Microfluidics as the "Lab-on-a-Chip" Revolution
Microfluidics as the "Lab-on-a-Chip" Revolution
1. Process Intensification: The Physics of Scale
In traditional chemical reactors, mixing and heat transfer are limited by bulk volume. In microfluidics, the high surface-area-to-volume ratio changes the rules of the game.
Laminar Flow Control: At the micro-scale, the Reynolds number (Re) is typically low (Re < 2000), meaning flow is strictly laminar. This allows for precise control of interface reactions without the unpredictability of turbulence.
Enhanced Heat Transfer: The surface area per unit volume in a microchannel can be as high as 10,000 to 50,000 m^2/m^3, compared to 100 m^2/m^3 in a standard stirred-tank reactor. This makes it ideal for highly exothermic reactions that are otherwise dangerous at scale.
2. Core Applications in Chemical Engineering
A. Flow Chemistry & Continuous Manufacturing
Microfluidics shifts the paradigm from batch processing to continuous flow.
- Rapid Screening: Test 100 different reaction conditions (temperature, concentration, residence time) in a single afternoon using microliters of reagents.
- Safety: Safely handle unstable intermediates (like azides or peroxides) because the "hold-up" volume is so small that a runaway reaction poses no threat to the facility.
B. Droplet-Based Microfluidics (Digital Microfluidics)
Generating monodisperse droplets allows each droplet to act as a discrete "micro-reactor."
- Emulsion Science: Create perfectly uniform double emulsions for drug delivery or food science.
- Nanoparticle Synthesis: Control the nucleation and growth phases of nanoparticles (like gold or silica) to achieve a standard deviation in size of less than 3%.
C. High-Resolution Phase Analysis
Chemical engineers use microfluidics to study phase behavior in porous media (like oil reservoirs) or to map ternary phase diagrams with minimal material.
- PVT Analysis: Visualizing phase changes of fluids at high pressures.
- Solubility Mapping: Observing the exact point of precipitation or crystallization in real-time under a microscope.
3. Why Glass is the Professional’s Choice
While "soft lithography" (PDMS) is common in biology, Chemical Departments require Glass due to:
Chemical Inertness: PDMS swells in organic solvents like Chloroform or DCM; glass remains stable.
Pressure Tolerance: Glass micro-reactors can withstand higher internal pressures required for supercritical fluid applications.
Optical Clarity: Essential for high-speed imaging and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) measurements
Core Capabilities
High-Precision Machining: Capable of achieving feature sizes down to 50 microns and high aspect ratios of 10:1 in glass thicknesses up to 4mm.
Sustainability: Replaces hazardous Hydrofluoric (HF) acid etching with an electrochemical process, significantly reducing toxic waste and improving lab safety.
Rapid Prototyping: Bridges the gap between complex CAD designs and functional glass hardware, enabling faster iterations for researchers and engineers.
Key Focus Areas
Microfluidics & Flow Chemistry: Providing chemically inert glass chips for pharmaceutical research, diagnostics, and continuous flow manufacturing.
Energy & Petroleum: Developing "micromodels" for the petroleum industry (e.g., for organizations like HPCL) to simulate fluid flow in porous media for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).
Custom Fabrication: Offering bespoke glass components for high-speed imaging and specialized chemical engineering applications
