Minimization of Droplet Size Using Baffle in T-Junction

With the advent of lab-on-a-droplet based strategies for various applications, the droplet generation process in miniaturized devices has received notable attention from the research community. For long, researchers have developed varied strategies of tuning the size and frequency of droplets so as to reduce reagent consumption, production of waste and increase controllability and portability for microfluidic usage. Hence, in the interest of minimizing droplet size, a novel technique of incorporating baffle in a microfluidic T-junction for generating monodisperse droplets of smaller size than the conventional T-junction is proposed in this study. Through comprehensive 3-D numerical simulations using the Level-Set method, it has been found that the inclusion of baffle in the T-junction reduces the droplet size by 22.5%, thus meeting demands of minimized size monodispersed droplet generation without encountering fabrication complexity issues.