A novel microfluidic screening platform for combinatorial droplet screening

Abstract

This paper describes a new microfluidics-based strategy for rapidly tailoring emulsion droplet compositions and properties. A simple and cost-effective screening platform was constructed by interfacing 24 PDMS, segmented flow microfluidic devices with a 96 well plate. The required oils and aqueous solutions are placed in appropriate wells and are drawn through the microfluidic chips into unique wells using a commercial vacuum manifold. The stability of the droplets created using different oil/surfactant combinations can then be rapidly assessed using optical microscopy. Multiple iterations of the screening process can then be run to rapidly identify stable droplet compositions.