Experimental Investigations of Capillary Flow in Three-Dimensional-Printed Microchannels
In recent years, the application of microfluidic devices has increased, and three-dimensional (3D) printers for fabricating microdevices could be considered a suitable technique but, in some cases, may confront some issues. The main issues include channel roughness values, print orientation due to t...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Fluids |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/10/4/91 |
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| author | Behrouz Pirouz Seyed Navid Naghib Diamante Chirillo Hana Javadi Nejad Patrizia Piro |
| author_facet | Behrouz Pirouz Seyed Navid Naghib Diamante Chirillo Hana Javadi Nejad Patrizia Piro |
| author_sort | Behrouz Pirouz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years, the application of microfluidic devices has increased, and three-dimensional (3D) printers for fabricating microdevices could be considered a suitable technique but, in some cases, may confront some issues. The main issues include channel roughness values, print orientation due to the 3D printer’s setup, filament materials, nozzle specifications, and condition. This study aims to analyze the capillary-driven flow in microdevices produced by 3D printers. Therefore, four 3D printer-based microchannels were investigated, and the capillary-driven flow of five liquids with different viscosities and contact angles was evaluated experimentally. The experimental results were compared with theoretical calculations using the Lucas−Washburn equation, and the impact of the width, length, and closed and open microchannel on flow behaviors was explored. The experimental results showed that the peak velocity for open and closed microchannels decreases with the length. Moreover, there were differences in flow behavior between open and closed microchannels. For the former, the maximum average velocity appeared in the microchannel with a width of 400 μm, while for the latter, it was for a width of 1000 μm. In addition, the flow velocity decreased when the viscosity increased, regardless of microchannel width. The decrease was more pronounced for the lower-viscosity liquids (ethanol and water) and smaller for the higher-viscosity ones (coffee and olive oil). Finally, the advantages and challenges of 3D printer-based microdevices are presented. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ac8bbf9a165d48a18731ec0c14e8b3ec |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2311-5521 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fluids |
| spelling | doaj-art-ac8bbf9a165d48a18731ec0c14e8b3ec2025-08-20T03:13:47ZengMDPI AGFluids2311-55212025-04-011049110.3390/fluids10040091Experimental Investigations of Capillary Flow in Three-Dimensional-Printed MicrochannelsBehrouz Pirouz0Seyed Navid Naghib1Diamante Chirillo2Hana Javadi Nejad3Patrizia Piro4Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyFaculty of Medicine and Surgery, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyIn recent years, the application of microfluidic devices has increased, and three-dimensional (3D) printers for fabricating microdevices could be considered a suitable technique but, in some cases, may confront some issues. The main issues include channel roughness values, print orientation due to the 3D printer’s setup, filament materials, nozzle specifications, and condition. This study aims to analyze the capillary-driven flow in microdevices produced by 3D printers. Therefore, four 3D printer-based microchannels were investigated, and the capillary-driven flow of five liquids with different viscosities and contact angles was evaluated experimentally. The experimental results were compared with theoretical calculations using the Lucas−Washburn equation, and the impact of the width, length, and closed and open microchannel on flow behaviors was explored. The experimental results showed that the peak velocity for open and closed microchannels decreases with the length. Moreover, there were differences in flow behavior between open and closed microchannels. For the former, the maximum average velocity appeared in the microchannel with a width of 400 μm, while for the latter, it was for a width of 1000 μm. In addition, the flow velocity decreased when the viscosity increased, regardless of microchannel width. The decrease was more pronounced for the lower-viscosity liquids (ethanol and water) and smaller for the higher-viscosity ones (coffee and olive oil). Finally, the advantages and challenges of 3D printer-based microdevices are presented.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/10/4/91microfluidviscositycapillary flowmicrochannel3D printer |
| spellingShingle | Behrouz Pirouz Seyed Navid Naghib Diamante Chirillo Hana Javadi Nejad Patrizia Piro Experimental Investigations of Capillary Flow in Three-Dimensional-Printed Microchannels Fluids microfluid viscosity capillary flow microchannel 3D printer |
| title | Experimental Investigations of Capillary Flow in Three-Dimensional-Printed Microchannels |
| title_full | Experimental Investigations of Capillary Flow in Three-Dimensional-Printed Microchannels |
| title_fullStr | Experimental Investigations of Capillary Flow in Three-Dimensional-Printed Microchannels |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental Investigations of Capillary Flow in Three-Dimensional-Printed Microchannels |
| title_short | Experimental Investigations of Capillary Flow in Three-Dimensional-Printed Microchannels |
| title_sort | experimental investigations of capillary flow in three dimensional printed microchannels |
| topic | microfluid viscosity capillary flow microchannel 3D printer |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/10/4/91 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT behrouzpirouz experimentalinvestigationsofcapillaryflowinthreedimensionalprintedmicrochannels AT seyednavidnaghib experimentalinvestigationsofcapillaryflowinthreedimensionalprintedmicrochannels AT diamantechirillo experimentalinvestigationsofcapillaryflowinthreedimensionalprintedmicrochannels AT hanajavadinejad experimentalinvestigationsofcapillaryflowinthreedimensionalprintedmicrochannels AT patriziapiro experimentalinvestigationsofcapillaryflowinthreedimensionalprintedmicrochannels |