Microfluidic Droplet Consistency Monitoring and Cell Detection via Laser Excitation

Microfluidic droplets formed in emulsions are used in a variety of analytical techniques and hold great potential for future scientific and commercial applications. Our experiments merge quantitative quality engineering methods into the microdroplet field. We present a unique microdroplet generation and consistency monitoring system with laser optics excitation and detection. Our setup analyzes each droplet with sub-millisecond signal resolution and single photon accuracy, and is compatible with process control methods. To demonstrate the consistency of microdroplet generation over time, we measure and examine the mean frequency of aqueous plug-shaped droplet (microplug) formation in oil phase, as well as the mean length of plugs, and the interval between consecutive droplets. We also demonstrate the detection of cancer cells encapsulated within aqueous microdroplets in continuous oil phase flow. Two-channel optical monitoring allows for the simultaneous and independent inspection of both microdroplet generation and identification of green fluorescent protein-labelled cancer cells within the droplets. Increased accuracy and consistency are central to many established and developing microfluidic technologies. A systematic, quantitative approach as demonstrated with our experiments may be essential in the development of advanced microfluidic concepts that require exacting reproducibility and would greatly benefit from incorporated automated measurement techniques for process control.