Abstract
The field of microfluidics is developing rapidly with advances in MEMS and μTAS technologies. In various devices, it is required to control the flow rate of liquid or gas accurately at micro or nano liter volume. In T-shaped micro channel with a rectangular cross section, the liquid-gas two-phase flow was observed. To investigate the interfacial behavior of liquid-gas flow, the T-junction and the outlet were visualized using a high-speed CCD camera attached to a microscope system. From visualization study, the deformation of the interface and period of the breakage were observed. Though the mechanism of breakage was deterministic, the period of breakage was not periodic. This instability is considered to be caused by huge expansion at the outlet. Since the mechanism of breakage is stable, the possibility of the controlling flow rate was suggested.
