The Design and Development of the Optimal Passive Micromixer to Accommodate a Wide Range of Flow Rates
DOI: 10.14416/j.ind.tech.2026.04.013
Keywords:
Microfluidic devices, Micromixer, Design and experimentsAbstract
This research focuses on the design and development of a passive micromixer to enhance fluid mixing efficiency at microliter and nanoliter scales. The study aims to optimize the microchannel structure to accommodate a wide range of flow rates without compromising mixing performance. A serpentine microchannel design with grooves was fabricated using experimental design methodologies to identify the optimal parameters for achieving high-resolution patterns on photoresist. Key factors affecting pattern clarity were investigated, including UV dose, stage Z height, and development time. Results revealed that stage Z height had the most significant impact, with data reliability reaching 99.82%. The performance of the developed micromixer was then evaluated through physical experiments and compared with conventional designs at flow rates up to 50 µL/min. Experimental results demonstrated that the new micromixer achieved Maximum mixing efficiency of 99.80% at the lowest flow rate (1 µL/min). Consistently high efficiency (>80%) across higher flow rates (10, 25 and 50 µL/min), though with a slight decline compared to lower flow rates. These findings confirm the device’s versatility across a broad flow rate range while maintaining robust mixing performance. The study highlights the potential for applications in chemical analysis and lab-on-a-chip systems requiring rapid and precise fluid mixing.
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