Electrowetting devices

Control of Micro-fluidics, Fig. 5 The EWOD system manipulates fluids by charging a dielectric layer underneath the liquid that effectively changes the local surface tension properties of the liquid/gas interface creating liquid motion. Existing (move, split, join, and mix) capabilities of electrowetting devices are shown schematically above alongside the new particle steering capability discussed in this entry. The view is from the top of the... 

Heikenfeld J, Steckl AJ (2005) Intense switchable fluorescence in light wave coupled electrowetting devices. Appl Phys Lett 86 011105... 

Virtual Electrowetting Channels, Fig. 1 Cross-section of a pressure-driven electrowetting device. 

Electrowetting, Applications, Figure 7 Experimental setup of the microchannel-like flow type electrowetting device of Satoh et al. [19]. Panels (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the electrode and flow channel geometry, and, panel (c) shows the architecture of the device (from [19])... 

A powerful tool to synthesize easily minute amounts of organic compounds on demand by using both ionic liquids droplets as microreactors and electrowetting as a fluidic motor has been described. These droplets can be moved, divided and combined on an open digital microfluidic lab-on-a-chip system [60]. This has been demonstrated with BTS ILs used as reaction media and supports, properly functionalized to perform the Grieco s multicomponent synthesis of tetrahydroquinolines (Fig. 5.5-3). It is assumed that this original concept should impact many areas, notably combinatorial chemistry, parallel synthesis, optimization of protocols, synthesis of dangerous products and embedded chemistry in a portable device. 

T-junction and flow-focusing design/device (FFD) are the two main and traditional methods of droplet formation in microfluidic applications. Other emerging methods include dielectrophoresis and electrowetting on dielectric [42]. 

Droplet-Based Lab-on-Chip Devices, Fig. 1 Layout of electrowetting chip with droplet translation onto actuated electrodes... 

Droplet Microreactor, Fig. 1 Droplet microreactor based on actuation by electrowetting, (a) Device concept, (b) The liquid is pulled in by activating the two electrodes on the right. When the middle electrode is turned off, surface tension breaks up the droplet, allowing precise... 

The abUity to control the wettability of a liquid, ideally without mechanically moving parts, is paramount in the handling and actuation of fluids in microfluidic devices. This has prompted a recent resurgence in electrowetting studies, which allows a rapid, reversible, and precise... 

Electrowetting, Applications, Fig. 2 Schematic depiction of a typical static electrowetting setup for drop actuation in a microfluidic device... 

Fig. 5 Electrowetting-based integrated microfluidic device for glucose assays (From Ref. [15])...

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