Tianzhun Wu et al 2010 J. Micromech. Microeng. 20 085043 doi:10.1088/0960-1317/20/8/085043
Tianzhun Wu1, Yuji Suzuki and Nobuhide Kasagi
Show affiliationsIn order to make droplet-based digital microfluidics really 'digital' and compatible with standard integrated chips (ICs), a novel low-voltage droplet manipulation method named 'liquid dielectrophoresis on electret (L-DEPOE)' is proposed for dielectric liquids, which initializes the possibility of digital microfluidics for IC control and broad consumer electronic applications. By employing electret as a virtual voltage source embedded into microfluidics for the first time, a dielectric droplet between two electrodes can be transported by liquid dielectrophoresis (L-DEP) force when switching an external capacitor between electrodes using a manual switch or low-voltage-driven relays. A circuit model and force analysis for L-DEPOE are established to clarify its working principle and quantitatively depict the droplet motion. Nanoliter dielectric droplets have been transported reversibly between the two electrodes with a manual switch or five DCV-driven relays in microfabricated proof-of-concept prototypes. The surface voltage stability of electret in liquid is examined with different polymer materials and coatings. Furthermore, the droplet motion traces in a L-DEPOE device are compared with numerical simulation results, indicating the important role of contact angle hysteresis for nanoliter droplets.
82.45.Un Dielectric materials in electrochemistry
77.22.Ch Permittivity (dielectric function)
85.85.+j Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices
77.84.Nh Liquids, emulsions, and suspensions; liquid crystals
Soft matter, liquids and polymers
Condensed matter: electrical, magnetic and optical
Issue 8 (August 2010)
Received 4 June 2010, in final form 29 June 2010
Published 28 July 2010
Tianzhun Wu et al 2010 J. Micromech. Microeng. 20 085043
A G Gillies and R S Fearing 2010 J. Micromech. Microeng. 20 105011
M J Lopez et al 2008 J. Micromech. Microeng. 18 075021
Jui-che Tsai et al 2008 J. Micromech. Microeng. 18 015015
Marcel W Pruessner et al 2006 J. Micromech. Microeng. 16 832
Lap Man Lee et al 2006 J. Micromech. Microeng. 16 17
Tamara Bechtold et al 2005 J. Micromech. Microeng. 15 R17
Tsung-Lin Chen and Sungsu Park 2005 J. Micromech. Microeng. 15 1664
Peigang Deng et al 2004 J. Micromech. Microeng. 14 693
R C Brown 1947 Proc. Phys. Soc. 59 429