Abstract:
Disclosed is a continuous method of size-sorting microbubbles, comprising: providing a polydisperse plurality of microbubbles (70); entraining said microbubbles (70) in a fluid flow (46) flowing in a flow direction (x+) towards a collection location (62); at an insonification location (60) upstream of the collection location (62), subjecting the microbubbles (70) in said fluid flow (46) to an acoustic pressure wave (52) propagating in a wave direction with a non-zero directional component in a microbubble segregation dimension (y) that extends perpendicular to the flow direction (x+), thereby segregating microbubbles of different equilibrium radius (ro) in said microbubble segregation dimension (y) as they pass the insonification location; and at said collection location (62), collecting the microbubbles (70) present within at least two spatial ranges (44a-c) of said microbubble segregation dimension (y). Also disclosed is an apparatus (1) implementing the method.
Abstract:
An apparatus (1) for mass producing monodisperse microbubbles, comprising a microfluidic flow focusing device (2) including a dispersed phase fluid supply channel (110) having an outlet (114) that discharges into a flow focusing junction (140); a continuous phase fluid supply channel (120, 120') having an outlet (124) that discharges into the flow focusing junction; and a bubble formation channel (130) having an inlet (132) disposed at the flow focusing junction. The configuration of the flow focusing junction (140) is such that, in operation, a flow of dispersed phase fluid (12) discharging from the outlet (114) of the dispersed phase fluid supply channel (110) is engageable in co-flow by a focusing flow of continuous phase fluid discharging from the outlet of the at least one continuous phase fluid supply channel under formation of a gradually thinning jet of dispersed phase fluid that extends into the inlet of the bubble formation channel.