Flow Sensor Driven Nanodispensing: The Path to More Reliable Liquid Handling Operations

in the submicroliter range, also referred to as nanodispensing and nanopipetting, have become an important feature of liquid-handling robotic instruments. Instrumental solutions for a number of dispensing techniques are commercially available and are applied routinely in various applications. Common dispensing principles are syringe-based (liquid or air) positive displacement, solenoid valve driven, piezoelectric, and acoustic droplet ejection. The majority of liquid volume transfer demands are currently in the low microto midnanoliter range; the preparation of low-density microarrays typically requires picoliter quantities.