OBSERVATION OF THE CLOGGING OF PDMS MICRO-SEPARATORS BY MICROMETRIC PARTICLES (original) (raw)
In this paper, we report experiments where the capture of micron-sized particles is observed in a poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic device. The filtering part of the device consists of an array of parallel micro-channels (width: 20 microns, height: 50 microns). Direct observations of the filtering part by video-microscopy allow to investigate the way the fouling of the microchannels by the particles is taking place. The experimental results underline the important role played by the PDMS "conditioning" on the way particles are captured during filtration. When a filtration experiment is performed after a rinse of the PDMS microsystem with ultrapure water, the particles first form arches at the microchannels entrance, then leading to the growth of a filtration cake. When a filtration experiment is performed after a rinse with a saline solution (water with KCl at 10 -1 M), the particles are captured on the walls between the microchannels, then leading to the progressive formation of dendrites. As the experiments are performed at a constant flow rate, an increase in the pressure drop across the microsystem is observed because of clogging. The formation of dendrites induces a smaller increase in pressure than the formation of a cake. An elution of the PDMS with the saline solution may be the reason why these different fouling behaviors are observed.
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