USE OF FREEZE-THAW FLOW MANAGEMENT FOR CONTROLLING AND SWITCHING FLUID-FLOW IN CAPILLARY TUBES

We report an improved demonstration of a new method for managing now i n capillaries or narrow channels. By freezing and thawing the contents of a small section of the tube, it is possible to make the fluid act as its own shut-off valve. By so directing now to a second capillary, we have shown that this approach can be employed to form the basis of an innovative now switching technique. No moving parts are required, a nd the switch element contributes no effective void volume.