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Recent Advances in Electrowetting Microdroplet Technologies

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Microdroplet Technology

Part of the book series: Integrated Analytical Systems ((ANASYS))

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Centre for Microfluidics and Microsystems Modelling, Warrington, WA4 4AD, UK

    Robert W. Barber & David R. Emerson

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  2. David R. Emerson
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Correspondence to Robert W. Barber .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Manchester Instit. of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7ND, United Kingdom

    Philip Day

  2. KIST Europe, Saarbrucken, Germany

    Andreas Manz

  3. Dept. Mechan. & Aerospace Eng., University of Strathclyde, 75 Montrose Street, Glasgow, G1 1XJ, United Kingdom

    Yonghao Zhang

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Barber, R.W., Emerson, D.R. (2012). Recent Advances in Electrowetting Microdroplet Technologies. In: Day, P., Manz, A., Zhang, Y. (eds) Microdroplet Technology. Integrated Analytical Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3265-4_4

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