Characteristics of optimization algorithms applied to the electrode design of a magnetohydrodynamic micromixer

To reduce the time needed for the analysis and diagnosis in a lab-on-a-chip, the sample and reagent inside a micromixer should be efficiently blended within a short time. In this paper, we propose an efficient mixing method based on the magnetohydrodynamic effect, which is driven by Lorentz force. In our development of the proposed mixing system, we optimize the dimensions of five electrodes located at the bottom of the batch-type micromixer in order to shorten the mixing time of the sample and reagent. The optimization algorithms are thus verified as useful tools, enabling a rapid mixing in the micromixer.