Metamaterial Hydrodynamic Flow Concentrator

Metamaterials are microor nanostructured materials designed by transformation physics, which can manipulate energy flow in an unprecedented manner. Here, for the first time, we introduce a metamaterial hydrodynamic flow concentrator that can significantly focus fluid flow into a target area. The flow fields with the concentrator are numerically simulated with a viscosity tensor calculated from the coordinate-transformation of the Stokes equations. Based on the modeling, a metamaterial microstructure for the hydrodynamic flow concentrator is designed and fabricated as a microfluidic device and its function is experimentally validated showing the increased flow rate inside the metamaterial. We envisage that the concept of hydrodynamic flow concentrator can be applied to improve the harvesting efficiency of hydrodynamic energy. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.