Design, Implementation, and Optimization of a Novel Chaotic Micromixer

The mixing efficiency of a micromixer directly determines the performance of the microfluidic device. In this article, micromixers based on arrow-shaped obstacles are designed and fabricated by applying 3D printing and demolding techniques. A CFD fluid model of the proposed micromixer was established using the finite volume method, and the mechanism of the arrow-shaped obstacle for the fluid perturbation was analyzed. The effects of the key parameters of the triangular pyramid obstacle on the mixing efficiency, velocity vector, and pressure drop were studied using orthogonal experiments, range analysis, and variance analysis methods, and further design optimization of related parameters was carried out. The results show that the bottom length has the most significant effect on the micromixing index at a Reynolds number of 0.1–10 with more than 90% mixing efficiency at a mixing length of 16 mm.