Computational Microfluidics

 

Microfluidics encompasses the science and technologies that deal with moving fluids at the submillimiter scale in order to perform multiple functions in chemistry, physics, engineering, and the life sciences. While turbulence is never present at such small scales, modelling microfluidic flows presents multiple challenges, such as simulating particle-particle interaction, particle-wall interaction, open quasi-2D flows, free surface capillary flows, electrokinetic and electroacoustic effects in fluids, and inertial laminar effects. Energy and mass transport, coupled with microfluidics, often generate multiscale advection-diffusion problems with diffusion boundary layers, chaotic or oscillatory behaviors. Understanding cellular and tissue response to fluid flow in tissue and in biological processes in general also constitute a major issue to improve chip functionalities. The goal of this mini-symposium is to discuss recent advances in simulation-based modeling of microfluidics, with a focus on providing engineers and technological end-users with fundamental understanding of lab-on-a-chip technologies, device design and operation criteria.