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Using a circular groove surrounded inlet to generate monodisperse droplets inside a microfluidic chip in a gravity-driven manner

Jiangjiang Liu1, Jin-Ming Lin1 and Dietmar Knopp2

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A new approach to generate uniform-sized nanoliter droplets inside a simple microfluidic chip was developed by using a circular groove to break off the liquid infused from the surrounded inlet. We characterized the droplet formation by using circular grooves with different diameters ranging from 1.2 to 2.4 mm. Monodisperse droplets with a very narrow size distribution (RSD < 0.56%, n = 70 droplets) can be reliably produced and the volume of droplets varied between 74 and 576 nl by using different circular grooves. Influences of liquid properties on droplet formation were also investigated, including surface tension, viscosity and density. Moreover, the transport of droplets and reliable coalescing of two neighboring droplets were realized by using Y-shaped guiding lanes with two different designs. Controlling the velocities of each droplet based on their different physical properties or slowing down the first droplet relying on a pinched segment of the guiding lane has been developed. These methods have been used to control the contact conditions of two reagents coalescing in a 'head-to-tail' mode.


PACS

47.85.Np Fluidics

66.20.-d Viscosity of liquids; diffusive momentum transport

47.55.df Breakup and coalescence

85.85.+j Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices

68.03.Cd Surface tension and related phenomena

47.55.db Drop and bubble formation

Subjects

Soft matter, liquids and polymers

Fluid dynamics

Electronics and devices

Surfaces, interfaces and thin films

Nanoscale science and low-D systems

Dates

Issue 9 (September 2008)

Received 7 April 2008, in final form 5 June 2008

Published 1 August 2008



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