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Optical Techniques Control Fluid Flow
Optical Techniques Control Fluid Flow
Physicists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated a new optical technique for controlling the flow of very small volumes of fluids over solid surfaces. The technique, which relies on changes in surface tension prompted by optically-generated thermal gradients, could provide the foundation for a new generation of dynamically reprogrammable microfluidic devices.
This research was supported by National Science Foundation CTS 02-01610. (Date of Image: August 2003)
Credit: Nicholas Garnier, Roman Grigoriev and Michael F. Schatz, Georgia Institute of Technology
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