Issue |
EPL
Volume 121, Number 2, January 2018
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 24002 | |
Number of page(s) | 7 | |
Section | Electromagnetism, Optics, Acoustics, Heat Transfer, Classical Mechanics, and Fluid Dynamics | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/121/24002 | |
Published online | 19 March 2018 |
Microfluidic flow actuation using magnetoactive suspensions
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
(a) dstn@ucsd.edu
Received: 11 January 2018
Accepted: 27 February 2018
The rheological behavior of magnetotactic bacterial suspensions is analyzed using a continuum kinetic theory. In both unbounded and confined geometries, the response of these suspensions under simple external flows can be controlled by applying a magnetic field and hinges in a subtle way on the interplay of magnetic alignment, rotation under shear, and wall-induced accumulation under confinement. By tuning magnetic field strength and direction, the apparent viscosity can either be enhanced or reduced, and the mechanisms for these trends are elucidated. In the absence of any applied flow, we further demonstrate the ability of magnetoactive suspensions to internally drive steady unidirectional flows upon application of a magnetic field, thus suggesting novel avenues for the design of microfluidic pumps and flow actuation devices.
PACS: 47.57.Qk – Rheological aspects / 47.63.Gd – Swimming microorganisms / 47.65.Cb – Magnetic fluids and ferrofluids
© EPLA, 2018
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