Programmable Control of Multiscale Droplets using V-Valves
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Date
2023-04-06
Publication Type
Journal Article
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yes
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Abstract
Contemporary droplet-based microfluidic platforms generate large numbers of sub-nanoliter (<10−9 L) volume droplets on short timescales. The controllable generation of femtoliter (10−15 L) volume droplets is however a far more challenging task. Herein, the design, fabrication, and testing of a valve-based droplet-on-demand generator that enables the robust and controllable production of femtoliter-volume water-in-oil droplets is described, where droplet size is determined by on-chip pressure. This generator enables the sequential supply of femtoliter droplets to much larger “mother” droplets stored on-chip, which in turn allows for high-precision droplet dilution and programmable droplet pairing/merging operations. Such an approach can generate in excess of 700 fL-volume droplets of variable content and with dilution factors of almost three orders of magnitude. Using the same principle, the microfluidic platform can also perform rapid, low-volume consumption titrations. Accordingly, the valve-based droplet-on-demand generator allows for a range of automated and multi-step droplet-based manipulations.
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published
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Journal / series
Volume
8 (7)
Pages / Article No.
2201553
Publisher
Wiley
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Edition / version
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Software
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Date collected
Date created
Subject
microfluidics; droplets; dilution; titration; on-demand
Organisational unit
03914 - deMello, Andrew / deMello, Andrew