Enhanced separation of heterogeneous carbon microspheres for supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

This study focuses on the development and optimization of a microfluidic system for effective separation of carbon microspheres with heterogeneous surface properties. Traditional microparticle separation methods such as, micro-sieving, centrifugal separation, and gravity flotation rely only on size and weight differences. To address this limitation, coated microchannels were employed for the separation process, allowing for separation of microspheres based on surface heterogeneity. The separation efficiency was evaluated by analyzing particle flow rates with ImageJ software, indicating the potential of this approach for precise particle sorting. Additionally, diffusion experiments were conducted within a microfluidic chip to investigate the impact of externally applied electric fields on the diffusion coefficient of nanoparticles with surface functional groups. The results demonstrated that electric fields could effectively manipulate nanoparticle diffusion, facilitating nanoscale particle separation. Further, a computational model was developed using ANSYS Fluent to simulate the diffusion behavior of nanoparticles under varying electric field strengths. The model was validated against experimental data collected under identical conditions confirming the reliability of the simulation. This study highlights the potential of microfluidic systems as versatile platforms for advanced particle separation and nanoscale particle manipulation, offering significant implications for materials science, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.