Fundamentals, biomedical applications and future potential of micro-scale cavitation-a review

• Thanks to the developments in the area of microfluidics, the cavitation-on-a-chip concept enabled researchers to control and closely monitor the cavitation phenomenon in micro-scale. In contrast to conventional scale, where cavitation bubbles are hard to be steered and manipulated, lab-on-a-chip devices provide suitable platforms to conduct smart experiments and design reliable devices to carefully harness the collapse energy of cavitation bubbles in different bio-related and industrial applications. However, bubble behavior deviates to some extent when confined to micro-scale geometries in comparison to macro-scale. Therefore, fundamentals of micro-scale cavitation deserve in-depth investigations. In this review, first we discussed the physics and fundamentals of cavitation induced by tension-based as well as energy deposition-based methods within microfluidic devices and discussed the similarities and differences in micro and macro-scale cavitation. We then covered and discussed recent developments in bio-related applications of micro-scale cavitation chips. Lastly, current challenges and future research directions towards the implementation of micro-scale cavitation phenomenon to emerging applications are presented. 

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Strömningsmekanik och akustik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Fluid Mechanics and Acoustics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Medical applications

Microfluidics

Biomedical applications

Bubble behavior

Cavitation bubble

Cavitation phenomenon

Energy

Energy depositions

Lab-on-a-chip devices

Macroscales

Micro and macro

Microfluidics devices

Cavitation

acoustics

biomedicine

blood brain barrier

cell membrane

cell membrane permeability

cell selection

chemoluminescence

cytolysis

DNA extraction

drug delivery system

flow kinetics

futurology

geometry

hydrodynamics

luminescence

micro scale cavitation

microbubble

physics

Review

simulation

surface property

tension

vapor

waste water management

water treatment

lab on a chip

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)