Direct measurement of the differential pressure during drop formation in a co-flow microfluidic device

Abstract

In this study, we developed a new method for the direct measurement of differential pressures in a co-flow junction microfluidic device using a Capillary Laplace Gauge (CLG). The CLG – used inside the microchannel device – was designed using a tapered glass-capillary set up in co-flow junction architecture with a three-phase liquid–liquid–gas system with two flowing liquid phases and an entrained gas phase. By taking advantage of the Laplace equation, basic geometric relations and an integrated image analysis program, the movement of the entrained gas phase with the flow of the liquid-phases is tracked and monitored, allowing the gauge to function as an ultra-sensitive, integrated, differential pressure sensor measuring fluctuations in the liquid-dispersed phase channel pressure as small as tens of Pascals caused by droplet formation. The gauge was used to monitor the drop formation and breakup process in a co-flow junction microfluidic device under different flow conditions across a large range (1 × 10⁻³ to 2.0 × 10⁻¹) of capillary numbers. In addition to being able to monitor short and long term dispersed phase pressure fluctuation trends for both single drop and large droplet populations, the gauge was also used to clearly identify a transition between the dripping and jetting flow regimes. Overall, the combination of a unique, integrated image analysis program with this new type of sensor serves as a powerful tool with great potential for a variety of different research and industrial applications requiring sensitive microchannel pressure measurements.