Disclosed is an apparatus and method for the mixing of two microfluidic
channels wherein several wells are oriented diagonally across the width of a mixing
channel. The device effectively mixes the confluent streams with electrokinetic
flow, and to a lesser degree, with pressure driven flow. The device and method
may be further adapted to split a pair of confluent streams into two or more streams
of equal or non-equal concentrations of reactants. Further, under electrokinetic
flow, the surfaces of said wells may be specially coated so that the differing
electroosmotic mobility between the surfaces of the wells and the surfaces of the
channel may increase the mixing efficiency. The device and method are applicable
to the steady state mixing as well as the dynamic application of mixing a plug
of reagent with a confluent stream.
