Concurrent droplet charging and sorting by electrostatic actuation

MEM Analog Tunable Gratings by Electrostatic Actuation

Geometric characterization of optimal electrode designs for improved droplet charging and actuation.

Droplet charging characteristics depending on the geometry of charging electrodes have been investigated experimentally and numerically. In the experiments, two contrasting electrode systems are examined: pin-pin versus planar-planar types. To confirm the different charging behaviours on each electrode, an asymmetric system of a pin-planar type has also been examined. From the experimental and ...

All-terrain droplet actuation.

Digital microfluidics has become a popular tool for biochemical and biomedical applications. However, its current format is restricted to actuation of droplets on a single plane. Here, we introduce a new method for fluid handling on flexible devices, which we have termed all-terrain droplet actuation (ATDA). We show that ATDA can be used to manipulate droplets across a wide range of geometries,...

Droplet actuation induced by coalescence: experimental evidences and phenomenological modeling

This paper considers the interaction between two droplets placed on a substrate in immediate vicinity. We show here that when the two droplets are of different fluids and especially when one of the droplet is highly volatile, a wealth of fascinating phenomena can be observed. In particular, the interaction may result in the actuation of the droplet system, i.e. its displacement over a finite le...

A novel actuation method of transporting droplets by using electrical charging of droplet in a dielectric fluid.

We evaluate the feasibility of manipulating droplets in two dimensions by exploiting Coulombic forces acting on conductive droplets immersed in a dielectric fluid. When a droplet suspended in an immiscible fluid is located near an electrode under a dc voltage, the droplet can be charged by direct contact, by charge transfer along an electrically conducting path, or by both mechanisms. This proc...