Droplet-based transport phenomena driven by surface tension have been explored as an automated pumping source for a number of chemical and biological applications. In this paper, we present a comprehensive theoretical and experimental investigation of unconventional droplet-based motions on a superhydrophobic-patterned surface microfluidic (S(2)M) platform. The S(2)M surfaces are monolithically...

On the basis of their uses in jet fuels and munitions, the most likely scenario for aluminum nanoparticle (NP) exposure is inhalation. NPs have been shown to be capable of penetrating deep into the alveolar regions of the lung, and therefore human alveolar macrophages (U937) with human type II pneumocytes (A549) were cultured together and exposed to NPs dispersed in an artificial lung surfactan...

In many electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) based microfluidics devices, droplet actuation speed is a crucial performance-controlling parameter. Our present study aims to characterize and study droplet speed in a typical EWOD device. First, a practical droplet speed measurement method has been methodically demonstrated and some related velocity terms have been introduced. Next, influence of ele...

We present a droplet microfluidic method to extract molecules of interest from a droplet in a rapid and continuous fashion. We accomplish this by first marginalizing functionalized super-paramagnetic beads within the droplet using a magnetic field, and then splitting the droplet into one droplet containing the majority of magnetic beads and one droplet containing the minority fraction. We quant...

Nanosized maghemite particles were synthesized, precoated (with dimercaptosuccinic acid) and surface-functionalized with anticarcinoembryonic antigen (anti-CEA) and successfully used to target cell lines expressing the CEA, characteristic of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The as-developed nanosized material device, consisting of surface decorated maghemite nanoparticles suspended as a biocompat...

Nanosized hydroxyapatite (HA) is a promising candidate for a substitute for apatite in bone in biomedical applications. Furthermore, due to its excellent bone bioactivity, nanosized strontium-substituted HA (SrHA) has aroused intensive interest. However, the size effects of these nanoparticles on cellular bioactivity should be considered. In this study, nanosized HA and SrHA with different dime...

We used the lattice Boltzmann method to study the displacement of a two-dimensional immiscible droplet subject to gravitational forces in a channel. The dynamic behavior of the droplet is shown, and the effects of the contact angle, Bond number ~the ratio of gravitational to surface forces!, droplet size, and density and viscosity ratios of the droplet to the displacing fluid are investigated. ...

Here we show that dielectrophoretic (DEP) liquid actuation can be used to dispense arrays of nanoliter-sized droplets loaded with biomolecules. Size-based enrichment of these biomolecules occurs rapidly and simultaneously with the droplet dispensing. The physical mechanism responsible for the effect is the positive DEP force directed toward the electrodes that is imposed by the non-uniform elec...

−Stable hydrocarbon oil (hexadecane, C16)/nonionic surfactant (HCO-60, Span 80)/water system oil-inwater nanoemulsions were prepared by the phase inversion composition method at elevated temperature. To minimize droplet size, the composition ratio for stable nanoemulsions, we experimented by changing the HLB value, oil/surfactant ratio, and droplet volume fraction. When the HLBmix value 11, the...