Flow Measurement in Fluid Channel using Unilateral and Bilateral
RMS Cilia Array
In this study, to observe the fluid flow and particle behavior caused by
the motion of the RMS cilia array, unilateral cilia array (UCA) and
bilateral cilia array (BCA) channels were constructed, and the fluid
flow was measured by applying two types of magnetic fields (strike and
rotating magnetic fields). First, the same acrylic channel was used to
measure the RMS cilia array motion, and both ends of the channel were
opened (Figure. 1B(vii)). The channel was placed in the center of a 300
mm × 16 mm × 50 mm acrylic tank so that the channel was not affected by
the tank wall as much as possible, and the channel was filled with 70 %
glycerol solution (Figure. 2D).
First, in the UCA channel, a magnetized RMS cilia array was attached to
one side of the channel and the channel was fixed in an acrylic tank.
The 8-coil EMA system was used to apply the magnetic field for
manipulation, and a CCD camera was used to observe the motion of the RMS
cilia array and the resultant fluid flow. In particular, to observe the
fluid flow, blue fluorescent polystyrene particles of size 5 μm were
mixed with 70 % glycerol in a 1:4 volume ratio and 0.1 mL of this
mixture was injected into the inlet of the channel. Subsequently, two
types of magnetic fields (strike and rotating magnetic fields) were
applied, and the fluid flow was observed by conducting four experiments
for 100 s.
Second, BCA channels (symmetric and asymmetric) were prepared using the
two types of RMS cilia arrays (Figure. 2A). A symmetric BCA channel was
fabricated, in which two RMS cilia arrays magnetized in the same
direction were symmetrically attached to the channel. The asymmetric BCA
channel was fabricated by attaching two RMS cilia arrays magnetized in
opposite directions to the channel. The BCA channel experiment was
performed using the same method as that for the previously described UCA
channel. Additionally, we applied a strike magnetic field with a
frequency of 1–5 Hz and a rotating magnetic field with a frequency of
1–10 Hz.