ePubs

The open archive for STFC research publications

Full Record Details

Persistent URL http://purl.org/net/epubs/work/63821
Record Status Checked
Record Id 63821
Title Recent Advances in Electrowetting Microdroplet Technologies
Contributors
Abstract Electrowetting is potentially one of the most versatile techniques for manipulating submillimetre-sized droplets in microfluidic systems. By applying a voltage between a droplet and an electrode buried beneath the substrate of a microfluidic chip, it is possible to alter the wetting behaviour of the liquid so as to generate surface tension gradients around the droplet. This concept has subsequently become known as electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) and has developed into one of the most popular technologies for droplet manipulation. Combining a large number of individually addressable electrodes onto a single microfluidic chip makes it possible to dispense, transport, split and merge individual droplets without the need for any moving components, and opens up the possibility for fully-controllable 'digital' microfluidic systems where the samples and reagents are manipulated using a standard set of droplet handling operations. This chapter presents an overview of electrowetting and discusses the fundamental droplet handling operations that are common to all electrowetting applications. The use of open and covered EWOD systems is then discussed, together with the important effect of changing the shape of the electrodes to avoid droplet pinning. Finally, an overview is given of droplet-based electrowetting technologies in biological and chemical applications. The article aims to highlight the potential benefits of digital microfluidics and also discusses some of the challenges that need to be overcome for the successful design of EWOD-based microfluidic devices.
Organisation CSE-CEG , STFC , SCI-COMP
Keywords SCI COM 2012-2013 , Electrowetting , Lab-on-a-chip , Microdroplet
Funding Information
Related Research Object(s):
Licence Information:
Language English (EN)
Type Details URI(s) Local file(s) Year
Book Chapter or Section In Microdroplet Technology: Principles and Emerging Applications in Biology and Chemistry. Edited by P Day, A Manz, Y Zhang, chapter 4, 77-116. Springer, 2012. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3265-4_4 Barber_and_Emerso…_typeset_version.pdf
Microdroplet_Tech…rber_and_Emerson.pdf
2012