Novel Micro System for Accelerated Determination of Diffusion Coefficient

Abstract

Diffusion plays a paramount role in many scientific areas. In the scientific field, the term diffusion coefficient, D, is generally used as the parameter for quantifying the diffusion phenomena. At present, diaphragm cell, chromatography or optical based methods are commonly employed to determine the D value of various solutions. However, these methods have major disadvantages; they use bulky equipment and require a lengthy experimental time. In the past, to overcome these disadvantages, many research groups have tried to reduce the size of the instrument, as well as decrease the performance time, by using microfluidic-based devices. This study will address the problem of achieving quick quantification of diffusion coefficients by using a novel micro system fluidic device. The major advantages of this device include minimum sample and device size, short experimental testing time, and user-friendly programming allowing for acceleration of determining a diffusion coefficient.