Fluid mixing in droplet-based microfluidics with a serpentine microchannel

The hydrodynamics and mixing process within droplets travelling along a three dimensional serpentine microchannel are studied using a computational fluid dynamics simulation based on the volume-of-fluid approach. The fluid mixing within the droplet follows symmetric circulations in the straight section, which generates axial mixing. In the winding section, the asymmetric circulations lead to the reorientation of the fluids within the droplet, thus enhancing the mixing efficiency. The mixing performance is controlled by the spatial distribution of the mixing components and the circulation period within the droplet. The best mixing occurs when the droplet size is comparable with the channel width. When the droplet size is less than two times the channel width, the asymmetric circulations make it easy for the fluid to distribute in the axial direction, which leads to a fast mixing process. For larger droplets, the long circulation period becomes more significant, which causes lower mixing efficiency.