Effect of flow conditions on the swimming efficiency of Dunaliella Salina in microfluidic contraction devices

The economic and ecological importance of microorganisms and their fundamental functions in different contexts is well-documented. They constitute the major part of the world's biomass, represent the lowest level of the food chain [1] and are utilised in a wide range of applications that encompass food and beverage preparation, genetic engineering and renewable energy. [2, 3] Some microorganisms can swim and propel themselves and are termed as microswimmers; the definition includes bacteria, spermatozoa, unicellular, colonial algae and protozoans. [1] This work focuses on the fluid dynamic behaviour of Dunaliella Salina (DS) (a type of halophile green micro-algae found in hypersaline environments) in microfluidic contraction-expansion geometries for varying flow conditions, in order to engineer the motion of the cells and enhance the efficiency of their applications.