Microfluidic cells for the 1–100 MPa pressure range Published
Alcorix has co-authored an article with Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University, reporting on the development of Microfluidic cells capable of operating at pressures of 1–102 MPa. This extends the analysis domain for investigating chemical, biochemical, or physical processes at pressures relevant to chemical synthesis, underwater biochemistry studies, or underground geology. Alcorix explored ways to optimize cell membranes to better resist pressure beyond simply increasing the thickness or decreasing the size of the membranes, using finite element analysis and experimental validation via membrane bulging experiments and failure statistics. Fluid cell prototypes were fabricated using ∼75 nm-thick SiNx membranes, engineered to withstand 4.7 MPa (average value), compared to regular (un-engineered) membranes withstanding only 3.4 MPa (average value).
This article appeared in the July 2025 issue of the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering:
Nicolaie Moldovan, Hongjun Zeng, Nicolas A Alderete, Betmarie Matos-Vazquez, Ralu Divan, and Horacio D Espinosa, “https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6439/ade3e1” J. Micromech. Microeng. 35 (2025) 075007