Wolfe Daniel B, Conroy Richard S, Garstecki Piotr, Mayers Brian T, Fischbach Michael A, Paul Kateri E, Prentiss Mara, Whitesides George M
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Aug 24;101(34):12434-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0404423101. Epub 2004 Aug 16.
This report describes the manipulation of light in waveguides that comprise a liquid core and a liquid cladding (liq/liq waveguide). These waveguides are dynamic: Their structure and function depend on a continuous, laminar flow of the core and cladding liquids. Because they are dynamic, they can be reconfigured and adapted continuously in ways that are not possible with solid-state waveguides. The liquids are introduced into the channels of a microfluidic network designed to sandwich the flowing core liquid between flowing slabs of the cladding fluid. At low and moderate Reynolds numbers, flow is laminar, and the liq/liq interfaces are optically smooth. Small irregularities in the solid walls of the channels do not propagate into these interfaces, and liq/liq waveguides therefore exhibit low optical loss because of scattering. Manipulating the rate of flow and the composition of the liquids tunes the characteristics of these optical systems.
本报告描述了在由液芯和液包层组成的波导（液/液波导）中对光的操控。这些波导是动态的：它们的结构和功能取决于芯液和包层液的连续层流。由于它们是动态的，所以能够以固态波导无法实现的方式持续进行重新配置和调整。将液体引入微流体网络的通道中，该网络设计用于将流动的芯液夹在流动的包层液平板之间。在低雷诺数和中等雷诺数下，流动是层流，且液/液界面在光学上是平滑的。通道固体壁中的小不规则性不会传播到这些界面中，因此液/液波导由于散射而表现出低光学损耗。通过控制流速和液体成分可以调节这些光学系统的特性。
