Chirality enhanced shear-free mixing of highly viscous fluids in an origami reactor

Mixing high-viscosity fluids is essential in chemical production, but it is challenging since the Reynolds number is small in such a system. As a result, dead zones with insufficient mixing usually exist. Introducing chaotic convection in fluids is a critical way to improve mixing efficiency. Based on the art of origami, a foldable reactor capable of generating chiral shear-free chaotic convection is designed in this study. Finite element analysis and image analysis were used to evaluate the mixing perfor-mance of the reactor. The chiral structure increases the freedom of movement of the reactor, which drives high-viscosity fluids inside to generate complex vortices. In addition, the vertical eddying movements significantly enhance the mixing process. Therefore, highly viscous fluids, such as glycerol and toothpaste, are well mixed in a short time without any dead zone. The chiral origami structure shows great potential for fabricating functional chemical engineering systems.

Automated summary

In this study, a foldable reactor based on the art of origami is designed to generate chiral shear-free chaotic convection, which greatly improves the mixing efficiency of high-viscosity fluids. Finite element analysis and image analysis were conducted to evaluate the mixing performance of the reactor. The chiral structure increases the freedom of movement of the reactor, driving the generation of complex vortices in high-viscosity fluids, and the vertical eddying movements significantly enhance the mixing process. Therefore, highly viscous fluids can be well mixed in a short time without any dead zone using the chiral origami structure, which shows great potential for fabricating functional chemical engineering systems.