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Spontaneous droplet generation via surface wetting.

Fengyi Liu1, Teng Xu, Wenjing Liu

  • 1Single-Cell Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Biofuels and Shandong Key Laboratory of Energy Genetics, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, P.R. China. liufy@qibebt.ac.cn xuteng@qibebt.ac.cn liuwj@qibebt.ac.cn zhengxs@qibebt.ac.cn xujian@qibebt.ac.cn.

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|September 8, 2020
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Summary

This study introduces a novel microfluidic chip that spontaneously generates water-in-oil (W/O) droplets using only surface wetting. This power-free device enables portable droplet generation for applications like digital droplet PCR (ddPCR).

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Area of Science:

  • Microfluidics
  • Surface Science
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Traditional droplet generation often requires external power sources and complex equipment.
  • Developing self-sufficient and portable droplet generation methods is crucial for point-of-care testing (POCT).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a microfluidic chip for spontaneous droplet generation driven solely by surface wetting.
  • To demonstrate the feasibility of this method for applications such as digital droplet PCR (ddPCR).

Main Methods:

  • A simple microfluidic chip design with three holes and a microchannel was fabricated.
  • Oil preloading in side holes induced spontaneous aqueous sample segmentation into monodispersed droplets.
  • A siphon pump integrated with oil-filled tubing enhanced throughput and stability.
  • Parallel multi-channel structures were used to achieve higher throughput.

Main Results:

  • The chip successfully generated monodispersed water-in-oil (W/O) droplets with high uniformity (CV < 3.5%) and adjustable sizes (30-80 μm).
  • A throughput of 280 Hz was achieved with multi-sample emulsification capabilities.
  • The chip was effectively utilized as a droplet generator for ddPCR to quantify S. mutans DNA.

Conclusions:

  • Demonstrated the first feasibility of droplet generation driven solely by oil wettability on hydrophobic surfaces.
  • The developed microfluidic chip offers a self-sufficient, power-free solution for W/O droplet generation.
  • This technology holds significant potential for portable and point-of-care testing (POCT) applications in biomedical fields.