Application of electrokinetic instability flow for enhanced micromixing in cross-shaped microchannel

This paper proposes a cross-shaped micromixer featuring a pair barrier within the mixing channel. The proposed device obtains a rapid mixing of two sample fluids by means of the electrokinetic instability-induced shedding effects which are produced when a DC electric field of an appropriate intensity is applied. The proposed device uses a single high-voltage power source to simultaneously drive and mix the sample fluids. The effectiveness of the mixer is characterized experimentally as a function of the applied electric field intensity and the extent to which a pair barrier obstruct the mixing channel. The experimental results indicate that the mixing performance reaches 96% at a cross-section located 1 mm downstream of the cross-junction when an electric field of 300 V/cm is applied. The micromixing method presented in this study provides a simple low-cost solution to mixing problems in lab-on-a-chip systems.