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journal article·2018-07-01Open access

Creating monodispersed droplets with electrowetting-on-dielectric step emulsification

Binbin He, Xing Huang, Haoyan Xu, Zhongbin Xu, Pengfei Wang, Xiaodong Ruan

AIP Advances· Volume 8· Issue 7
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Source abstract

Abstract

Monodisperse droplets are important in drug screening, and cell-based and biochemical research. However, conventional methods for creating droplets, such as co-flow, T-junction and flow-focusing, have poor monodispersity because of fluctuations in the flow rate. Because step emulsification is based on the principle of Laplace pressure, it is insensitive to the flow rate and yields a constant and high monodispersity. In the present study, we combine electrowetting and step emulsification to reduce the negative influence of flow-rate fluctuations and to prepare highly monodisperse droplets. We demonstrate that the flow rate and voltage applied to the droplets can independently influence the droplet size. This method has great potential in chip-based bioanalysis and cell-based studies where highly monodisperse droplets are needed.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Electrowetting and Microfluidic Technologies · Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation · Microfluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University 1 , Hangzhou 310027, China

John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University 2 , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

Chu Kochen Honors College, Zhejiang University 3 , 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China

School of Engineering, Zhejiang University City College 4 , Hangzhou 310015, China

The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control, Zhejiang University 5 , Hangzhou 310027, China

Funding

National Basic Research Program of China · the zhejiang provincial natural science foundation · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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