Thermophoretic control of particle transport in a microfluidic channel

Thermophoresis is a transport phenomenon of particles driven by a temperature gradient of a medium. In this paper, we discuss the thermophoresis of particles in microfluidic channels. In a non-fluidic, stagnant channel, the thermophoretic transport of micro-particles was found to be larger in proportion to the voltage applied to the platinum wire heat source installed in the channel. The variation of the temperature around the platinum wire depending on the voltage was estimated, by using the Callendar-van Dusen equation. The thermophoretic behavior of nano-particles in the same system was observed, which is similar to that of the microparticles. Finally, we fabricated a Y-shaped microfluidic channel with a platinum wire heat source installed in the channel, to realize the thermophoretic phenomenon of the particles in the suspension flowing through the channel. It is shown that the flow of the suspension can be controlled based on the thermophoretic principle.