Study on the impacting factors of transverse diffusion in the micro-channels of T-sensors.

A diffusion-based microfluidic T-sensor with three inlets in which various species are injected was simulated numerically. The results show that the Reynolds number, the dimension, and shape of the micro-channel of the T-sensor, play an important role in the diffusion of flow. The smaller the channel width is, the wider the species diffuse. The inlet angle larger than 45 degrees will not exert any influence on the diffusion. The serpentine channel is a better structure for transverse diffusion and mixing in the micro-channel. These conclusions are helpful for the design and fabrication of micro-fluidic devices as well as the analysis of data collected from such devices.