scalable-stamp-printing-and-fabrication-of-hemiwicking-surfaces

Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

Hemiwicking is a process where a fluid wets a patterned surface beyond its normal wetting length due to a combination of capillary action and imbibition. ...

University of Central Florida

Experimental and numerical investigations of water microdroplet evaporation on heated, laser patterned polymer substrates are reported. The study is focused on both (i) controlling a droplet's contact line dynamics during evaporation to identifying how the contact line influences evaporative heat transfer and (ii) validating numerical simulations with experimental data. Droplets are formed on the polymer surface using a bottom-up methodology, where a computer-controlled syringe pump feeds water through a 200 μm diameter fluid channel within the heated polymer substrate. This methodology facilitates precise control of the droplet's growth rate, size, and inlet temperature. In addition to this microchannel supply line, the substrate surfaces are laser patterned with a moatlike trench around the fluid-channel outlet, adding additional control of the droplet's contact line motion, area, and contact angle. In comparison to evaporation on a nonpatterned polymer surface, the laser patterned trench increases contact line pinning time by ∼60% of the droplet's lifetime. Numerical simulations of diffusion controlled evaporation are compared the experimental data with a pinned contact line. These diffusion based simulations consistently over predict the droplet's evaporation rate. In efforts to improve this model, a temperature distribution along the droplet's liquid-vapor interface is imposed to account for the concentration distribution of saturated vapor along the interface, which yields improved predictions within 2-4% of the experimental data throughout the droplet's lifetime on heated substrates. 

Microdroplet evaporation with a forced pinned contact line.

A clinically relevant magneto-optical technique (fd-FRS, frequency-domain Faraday rotation spectroscopy) for characterizing proteins using antibody-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is demonstrated. This technique distinguishes between the Faraday rotation of the solvent, iron oxide core, and functionalization layers of polyethylene glycol polymers (spacer) and model antibody-antigen complexes (anti-BSA/BSA, bovine serum albumin). A detection sensitivity of ≈10 pg mL and broad detection range of 10 pg mL ≲ c ≲ 100 µg mL are observed. Combining this technique with predictive analyte binding models quantifies (within an order of magnitude) the number of active binding sites on functionalized MNPs. Comparative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) studies are conducted, reproducing the manufacturer advertised BSA ELISA detection limits from 1 ng mL ≲ c ≲ 500 ng mL . In addition to the increased sensitivity, broader detection range, and similar specificity, fd-FRS can be conducted in less than ≈30 min, compared to ≈4 h with ELISA. Thus, fd-FRS is shown to be a sensitive optical technique with potential to become an efficient diagnostic in the chemical and biomolecular sciences.

Shawn A. Putnam

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University of Central Florida

Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

Shawn A. Putnam

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University of Central Florida

Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering