Droplet-based microfluidic technique

By droplet-based microfluidic techniques, spherical microparticles can be produced. In this process, a polymer solution or a two-component system is separated by an inert nonmiscible fluid to obtain droplets in the 10-200 om range. In most cases, spherical particles are obtained however, also rods or ellipsoids have been realized [108]. For droplet miCTofluidics, either glass capillary devices can be used or devices made by lithography techniques, commonly consisting of PDMS. Figure 3.69 shows a flow scheme for the... 

Droplet microfluidics is a science and technology of controlled formation of droplets and bubbles in microfluidic channels. The first demonstration of formation of monodisperse aqueous droplets on chip - in a microfluidic T-junction [1] - was reported in 2001. Since then, a number of studies extended the range of techniques, from the T-junction [2-5], to flow-focusing [6-10] and other geometries [11], and the capabilities in the range of diameters of droplets and their architectures [12-16]. These techniques opened attractive vistas to applications in preparatory techniques [17-19], and - what is the focus of this lecture - analytical techniques based on performing reactions inside micro-droplets. 

Chen, H., Fang, Q., Yin, X.-F. and Fang, Z.-L., Microfluidic chip-based liquid-liquid extraction and preconcentration using a subnanoliter-droplet trapping technique. Lab Chip, 5, 719, 2005. 

Digital microfluidics (DMF) is a technique in which droplets are moved on a substrate with patterned electrodes by means of electrowetting and/or dielectrophoretic forces [Digital Microfluidics, Applications Based on Electro wetting]. DMF has the capability to process several analytes at the same time and has been used to characterize proteomic samples and form arrays of spots for analysis by MALDI-MS. In particular. Moon et al. [14] used DMF to perform in situ sample cleanup on an open substrate, after which, samples were interrogated by... 

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