3D droplet displacement in microfluidic systems by electrostatic actuation

MEM Analog Tunable Gratings by Electrostatic Actuation

All-terrain droplet actuation.

Digital microfluidics has become a popular tool for biochemical and biomedical applications. However, its current format is restricted to actuation of droplets on a single plane. Here, we introduce a new method for fluid handling on flexible devices, which we have termed all-terrain droplet actuation (ATDA). We show that ATDA can be used to manipulate droplets across a wide range of geometries,...

Selective droplet coalescence using microfluidic systems.

We report a microfluidic approach, which allows selective and controlled 1 : 1, 2 : 1 or 3 : 1 droplet fusion. A surfactant-stabilized droplet with an interfacial surfactant coverage, Γ, of >98% will fuse spontaneously with a second droplet when Γ of the latter droplet is <16%. However, when Γ of the second droplet is ~66%, the two droplets will not fuse, unless they have previously been brough...

Rapid droplet mixers for digital microfluidic systems.

The mixing of analytes and reagents for a biological or chemical lab-on-a-chip is an important, yet difficult, microfluidic operation. As volumes approach the sub-nanoliter regime, the mixing of liquids is hindered by laminar flow conditions. An electrowetting-based linear-array droplet mixer has previously been reported. However, fixed geometric parameters and the presence of flow reversibilit...

Monodispersed microfluidic droplet generation by shear focusing microfluidic device

A microfluidic device designed to generate monodispersed picoliter to femtoliter sized droplet emulsions at controlled rates is presented. This PDMS microfabricated device utilizes the geometry of the channel junctions in addition to the flow rates to control the droplet sizes. An expanding nozzle is used to control the breakup location of the droplet generation process. The droplet breakup occ...