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Published on: December 10, 2011
Photo-Gated Corona Microfluidics
Xiaxia Cui1,2, Yiqing Liu2, Xinyi Qiu2
1State Key Laboratory of Digital Intelligent Technology for Unmanned Coal Mining, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|July 30, 2026
Summary
Photo-gated corona microfluidics (PGCM) enables precise, non-contact control of microscale objects. This versatile platform uses lasers to manipulate droplets, particles, and bubbles across various surfaces and scales.
Area of Science:
- Microfluidics
- Electrokinetics
- Photonics
Background:
- Traditional microfluidic devices often require complex fabrication and external infrastructure.
- Controlling diverse microscale objects in open environments presents significant challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel photo-gated corona microfluidics (PGCM) platform.
- To demonstrate programmable, non-contact manipulation of various microscale objects on open surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing near-infrared laser irradiation to induce phase transitions in a paraffin layer.
- Switching charge-transport regimes to create localized electric-field gradients.
- Employing corona discharge for droplet charging and Coulombic force actuation.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated deterministic manipulation of liquid droplets, solid particles, and gas bubbles.
- Achieved comprehensive microfluidic operations (transport, fusion, splitting, dispensing) on diverse surfaces.
- Showcased scalability from picoliters to milliliters and compatibility with various sample types.
Conclusions:
- PGCM offers a versatile, electrode-pattern-free framework for open microfluidics.
- The platform enables unified manipulation of multiphase and cross-scale objects.
- PGCM has broad applications in chemical synthesis, bioanalysis, and lab-on-a-chip systems.
