Synchronized reinjection and coalescence of droplets in microfluidics.

Electro-Coalescence of an Aqueous Droplet at an Oil–Water Interface with an Investigation of Secondary Droplets Formation

Thermally induced collision of droplets in an immiscible outer fluid

Micro-total analysis systems (μTAS) have attracted wide attention and are identified as a promising solution for sample transport, filtration, chemical reactions, separation and detection. Despite their popularity, the selection of an appropriate mechanism for droplet transport and coalescence has always been a challenge. This paper investigates the use of Marangoni flow as a mechanism for levi...

Mixing and internal dynamics of droplets impacting and coalescing on a solid surface.

The coalescence and mixing of a sessile and an impacting liquid droplet on a solid surface are studied experimentally and numerically in terms of lateral separation and droplet speed. Two droplet generators are used to produce differently colored droplets. Two high-speed imaging systems are used to investigate the impact and coalescence of the droplets in color from a side view with a simultane...

Coalescence and splitting of confined droplets at microfluidic junctions.

The ability to merge two droplets is an important component of droplet-based lab-on-a-chip devices, yet flow-induced coalescence is difficult to achieve due to long film drainage times compared with relatively short residence times. We examine droplet collisions at a simple microfluidic T-junction and characterize the response for a wide range of droplet sizes and speeds. We find that three pri...

Biophysical characterization of organelle-based RNA/protein liquid phases using microfluidics.

Living cells contain numerous membrane-less RNA/protein (RNP) bodies that assemble by intracellular liquid-liquid phase separation. The properties of these condensed phase droplets are increasingly recognized as important in their physiological function within living cells, and also through the link to protein aggregation pathologies. However, techniques such as droplet coalescence analysis or ...