A Flexible Kenics Mixer for Applications in Liquid Chromatography

Miniaturization of liquid chromatography could help enhance sensitivity, reduce solvent usage, and detect small quantities of peptides. However, it demands better sample homogenization of the mobile phase. We here developed a mixer design based on the inline Kenics geometry, consisting of a periodic arrangement of twisted blades placed inside a cylindrical capillary that repeatedly cut and stack fluid elements to achieve rapid mixing in laminar flow regimes. The mixer design was optimized with respect to the twist angle and aspect ratio of the mixing units to achieve complete mixing at minimum pressure load cost. Results suggest that for optimal designs, for a mixer volume of similar to 70 mu L, complete mixing is achieved within a distance smaller than 4 cm for a broad set of flow rate conditions ranging from 75 mu L center dot min(-1) to 7.5 mL center dot min(-1). A salient feature that we introduce and test for the first time is the physical flexibility of the cylindrical capillary. The performance of the design remained robust when the mixing section was not rigid and bent in different topologies, as well as when changing the chemical composition of the mobile phase used.

Automated summary

Miniaturization of liquid chromatography has the potential to enhance sensitivity, reduce solvent usage, and detect small quantities of peptides. In this study, a mixer design based on the inline Kenics geometry was developed to achieve rapid mixing in laminar flow regimes. The design was optimized and demonstrated robust performance even when the mixing section was flexible or when the chemical composition of the mobile phase was changed.