Electric charge-mediated coalescence of water droplets for biochemical microreactors

This work proposes the use of charged droplets driven by the Coulombic force as solution-phase reaction chambers for biological microreactions. A droplet can be charged near an electrode under dc voltage by direct contact to the electrode. This process is called electrical charging of droplet (ECOD). This charged droplet can then be transported rapidly between electrodes following the arc of an electric field line by exploiting electrostatic force. As on-demand electrocoalescence, both alkalization of phenolphthalein and bioluminescence reaction of luciferase in the presence of adenosine triphosphate are studied to test the feasibility of the biochemical microreactors using ECOD. Two oppositely charged droplets are merged to have a color change immediately after microchemical reaction. The applicability of an ECOD-driven droplet to measurement of glucose concentration is also tested. The glucose concentration is measured using a colorimetric enzyme-kinetic method based on Trinder's reaction [J. Clin. Pathol. 22, 158 (1969)]. The color change in the merged droplet is detected with an absorbance measurement system consisting of a photodiode and a light emitting diode.