Application of micromixers - Micromixers Fundamentals Design and Fabrication - page 338

strong DC electric field and, consequently, a high voltage. Electrokinetic mixing based on an AC
field could have the potential for creating chaotic advection at a much lower electric field and
supply voltage.
In industrial applications, solid and reliable designs for high throughput are required. Pressure-
driven passive mixers made in materials such as ceramics and stainless steel are suitable for this
purpose. For extremely aggressive conditions such as high temperature and high pressure, materials
such as silicon carbide may be needed for the fabrication of the micromixers. However, finding
a suitable micromachining technology for these materials could be a challenge. Furthermore, the
micromixers for chemical production may need to fulfill other requirements such as energy
consumption and fouling resistance. Besides mixing function, microreactors should be able to provide
a controlled environment for the industrial production of chemicals. Additional functions such as
heating and temperature sensing would be needed for controlling the temperature of the reaction. For
a wide adoption of micromixers as platforms for microreactor technology, issues related to intellectual
properties and the cost of the first user should be considered. A high cost for setting up a production
process based on microreactor technology may hinder or delay the transfer of this technology from
academic research to industrial production [64] .
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