BioMicroFluidics Lab

The focus of the Bio-Microfluidics Laboratory is to conduct fundamental and applied research in micro-and nano-scale mass, momentum, and energy transport phenomena.

The experimental programs, supported by the micro-fabrication and characterization facilities, focus on:

1. The colloidal microfluidic systems are actuated by the electric field with applications spanning from capture and concentration of pathogens and bacterial spores from drinking water, milk, and juices to the measurement of electromagnetic properties of colloidal microfluidic circuits in order to actively control the radar signature of smart surfaces and to build variable frequency antennas;
2. Interfacial interactions in complex fluids using optical and atomic force microscopy techniques;
3. Patterning and preparation of thin films using various techniques including self-organization, electrokinetics, and magneto-hydrodynamics; and
4. Point-of-care microfluidic devices.

The numerical modeling research focuses on a wide range of areas spanning from the modeling of particulate flows under external fields to modeling of the interface thermal resistance at the liquid/solid interface; heat transfer in nano-scale confined liquid flows and investigation of momentum transport in nano-scale confined gas flows. Our computational expertise includes the finite element and spectral element methods; the direct simulation Monte Carlo method for rarefied gas flows; molecular dynamics; and the lattice Boltzmann method. Most of the software is developed within our laboratory.