Microfluidic train station: highly robust and multiplexable sorting of droplets on electric rails

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Fluorescence-activated droplet sorting (FADS) is crucial for high-throughput screening.
• Existing FADS methods are susceptible to flow rate variations and limited to 2-way sorting.
• Flow rate instability arises from mechanical pumps, droplet aggregation, or precipitate buildup.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust and scalable droplet sorting system.
• To overcome the limitations of existing fluorescence-activated droplet sorting techniques.
• To enable multi-way sorting capabilities for advanced screening applications.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a dielectrophoretic sorting system with parallel electrode pairs.
• Utilizing dielectrophoresis for droplet manipulation along microfluidic channels.
• Demonstration of a triple-color sorting experiment using four decoupled electrodes.

Main Results:

• Achieved highly reliable sorting with zero errors over 2000 events.
• Demonstrated stable sorting performance despite significant flow rate ratio changes (80:20 to 20:80).
• Successfully implemented multi-way sorting, proving system scalability.

Conclusions:

• The dielectrophoretic sorting system provides a stable and accurate alternative to conventional FADS.
• The developed system is scalable and adaptable for complex, multi-parameter sorting tasks.
• This technology enhances the reliability and versatility of high-throughput droplet screening.