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Enabling Droplet Functionality on Anisotropic Ratchet Conveyors.

Hal R Holmes¹, Ana E Gomez², Karl F Böhringer^3,4

¹Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. hrholmes@uw.edu.

|November 8, 2018

Summary

Anisotropic ratchet conveyors (ARCs) now offer new control over liquid droplet transport. These passive microfluidic devices can pause, switch pathways, or deliver droplets without active components.

Keywords:

anisotropic ratchet conveyor asymmetric surfaces contact line oscillation droplet transport microfluidics vibrations

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Area of Science:

Microfluidics
Surface science
Mechanical engineering

Background:

Anisotropic ratchet conveyors (ARCs) are a novel microfluidic platform utilizing passive surface patterns and vibrations for liquid droplet transport.
Existing ARC systems lack sophisticated control over droplet timing and directionality.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce three new functionalities for droplet control on ARC systems: an ARC gate, an ARC switch, and an ARC delivery junction.
To demonstrate passive control of droplet transport by modifying surface pinning forces.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of microfluidic devices with modified surface patterns to create ARC gate, switch, and delivery junction functionalities.
Application of orthogonal vibrations to induce and control anisotropic ratchet conveyor motion.
Analysis of droplet behavior and transport dynamics influenced by surface pinning forces.

Main Results:

Successfully demonstrated an ARC gate to pause droplet transport.
Developed an ARC switch enabling selective droplet routing between two pathways.
Implemented an ARC delivery junction for controlled droplet transfer between transport tracks.
All functionalities were achieved solely by altering pinning forces, without active components.

Conclusions:

The developed ARC gate, switch, and delivery junction provide unprecedented passive control over droplet timing and directionality in microfluidic systems.
These advancements represent the first devices capable of selective droplet transport control without requiring active surface elements.
The findings open new possibilities for complex microfluidic operations and lab-on-a-chip applications.