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Science 23 July 2004:
Vol. 305. no. 5683, pp. 485 - 486
DOI: 10.1126/science.1099343
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Perspectives

APPLIED PHYSICS:
Designing Optimal Micromixers

Julio M. Ottino and Stephen Wiggins

Microfluidic devices are becoming more common and essential to a range of technologies. In their Perspective, Ottino and Wiggins discuss recent results in an important aspect of this field: micromixing. In contrast to everyday fluids, fluids flowing in small structures are dominated by viscous effects. This in turn makes mixing difficult. One approach for designing optimal mixing devices comes from the world of pure mathematics. In particular, a tool called a "linked twist map" offers the possibility of predicting which structures and designs make the best mixers.

J. M. Ottino is in the Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. E-mail: jm-ottino{at}northwestern.edu S. Wiggins is in the School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK. E-mail: s.wiggins{at}bristol.ac.uk

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