Generation of Droplets in Double T-Shaped Microchannels with Necked Structures

Microfluidic droplets are widely applied in various fields such as biomedicine, aerospace, energy utilization, and chemical engineering due to their advantages of large specific surface area, uniform size, stability, and easy control. The double T-shaped microchannel has the characteristics of rapid preparation of microdroplets with controllable size and good uniformity. Through 3D numerical simulation, the influence of the constriction structure of the microchannel on the formation of droplets was studied qualitatively and quantitatively. Compared with ordinary double T-shaped microchannels, the microchannels with a necked structure generate smaller droplets in diameter and faster generation frequency. Among the three structures of rectangular necking, inverted trapezoidal necking, and trapezoidal necking, the microchannel with the latter structure has the best performance, can produce monodisperse droplets of uniform size, and the period is stable.

Automated summary

The influence of the constriction structure of microchannels on droplet formation was studied through 3D numerical simulation. Microchannels with necked structures can generate smaller droplets with faster frequency. Among the three structures, the trapezoidal necking microchannel performs the best, producing monodisperse droplets of uniform size with stable period.