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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Fluorescence detection methods for microfluidic droplet platforms
Published on: December 10, 2011
Recent advances in droplet sequential monitoring methods for droplet sorting
1State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
Abstract:
Droplet microfluidics is an attractive technology to run parallel experiments with high throughput and scalability while maintaining the heterogeneous features of individual samples or reactions. Droplet sorting is utilized to collect the desired droplets based on droplet characterization and in-droplet content evaluation. A proper monitoring method is critical in this process, which governs the accuracy and maximum frequency of droplet handling. Until now, numerous monitoring methods have been integrated in the microfluidic devices for identifying droplets, such as optical spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, electrochemical monitoring, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In this review, we summarize the features of various monitoring methods integrated into droplet sorting workflow and discuss their suitable condition and potential obstacles in use. We aim to provide a systematic introduction and an application guide for choosing and building a droplet monitoring platform.

