Engineering of a Microfluidic Platform for Investigation of Immersion Freezing in the Atmosphere
| dc.contributor.author | Bithi, Swastika | |
| dc.contributor.author | Das, Pronab | |
| dc.contributor.author | Aria, Saman | |
| dc.contributor.author | Devadoss, Timothy | |
| dc.contributor.author | Bhattacharia, Sanjoy | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hiranuma, Naruki | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-03-11T20:05:01Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-03-11T20:05:01Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-03-07 | |
| dc.description | The West Texas A&M University Microfluidic Static Droplet Array (WT-MFSDA) platform was developed for studying atmospheric ice nucleation, specifically immersion freezing. It combines a microfluidic device with interconnected droplet parking traps and a unique hand pipetting method to create an array of nanoliter-sized droplets containing ice-nucleating particles (INPs). A commercialized cooling unit facilitates the visualization and characterization of freezing events in individual droplets. Each droplet is carefully isolated and covered with a thin mineral oil film, enhancing measurement reliability by eliminating artifacts due to surface contact, mass transfer, and evaporation. The WT-MFSDA platform allows simulation and investigation of immersion freezing in water and INP-involved suspensions at temperatures below -35 °C, with cooling rates relevant to atmospheric cloud updraft velocities. Temperature uncertainty is controlled within ± 0.3 °C. Platform performance is verified using well-known bulk powder INP surrogates, such as illite NX, Snomax, and microcrystalline cellulose. The results from nanoliter freezing assays in WT-MFSDA are compared and validated against other freezing assays and published data. A calorimetry analysis of single droplet freezing is conducted to understand thermodynamics, kinetics, and exothermic energy release during the liquid-to-solid phase transition. Future plans include testing freezing properties of high-latitude soil dust samples from the North Slope of Alaska region using WT-MFSDA and integrating research and teaching activities by training students, and expanding laboratory exercises to classrooms. The advanced ice nucleation capabilities of WT-MFSDA enable enhanced science teaching in atmospheric ice nucleation research. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The West Texas A&M University Microfluidic Static Droplet Array (WT-MFSDA) platform was developed for studying atmospheric ice nucleation, specifically immersion freezing. It combines a microfluidic device with interconnected droplet parking traps and a unique hand pipetting method to create an array of nanoliter-sized droplets containing ice-nucleating particles (INPs). A commercialized cooling unit facilitates the visualization and characterization of freezing events in individual droplets. Each droplet is carefully isolated and covered with a thin mineral oil film, enhancing measurement reliability by eliminating artifacts due to surface contact, mass transfer, and evaporation. The WT-MFSDA platform allows simulation and investigation of immersion freezing in water and INP-involved suspensions at temperatures below -35 °C, with cooling rates relevant to atmospheric cloud updraft velocities. Temperature uncertainty is controlled within ± 0.3 °C. Platform performance is verified using well-known bulk powder INP surrogates, such as illite NX, Snomax, and microcrystalline cellulose. The results from nanoliter freezing assays in WT-MFSDA are compared and validated against other freezing assays and published data. A calorimetry analysis of single droplet freezing is conducted to understand thermodynamics, kinetics, and exothermic energy release during the liquid-to-solid phase transition. Future plans include testing freezing properties of high-latitude soil dust samples from the North Slope of Alaska region using WT-MFSDA and integrating research and teaching activities by training students, and expanding laboratory exercises to classrooms. The advanced ice nucleation capabilities of WT-MFSDA enable enhanced science teaching in atmospheric ice nucleation research. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/11310/6162 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.subject | 2024 Faculty and Student Research Poster Session and Research Fair | en_US |
| dc.subject | West Texas A&M University | en_US |
| dc.subject | College of Engineering | en_US |
| dc.subject | Poster | en_US |
| dc.subject | Ice-nucleating particles | en_US |
| dc.subject | West Texas A&M University Microfluidic Static Droplet Array | en_US |
| dc.title | Engineering of a Microfluidic Platform for Investigation of Immersion Freezing in the Atmosphere | |
| dc.type | Presentation |