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All-Terrain Droplet Actuation

Research Authors
M. Abdelgawad, S. Freire , H. Yang, and A. R. Wheeler
Research Year
2008
Research Journal
Lab on a Chip
Research Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry Country of publication Great Britain
Research Vol
Vol. 8, No. 5
Research Rank
1
Research_Pages
pp. 672-677
Research Abstract

Digital microfluidics has become a popular tool for biochemical and biomedical applications. However, its current format is restricted to actuation of droplets on a single plane. Here, we introduce a new method for fluid handling on flexible devices, which we have termed all-terrain droplet actuation (ATDA). We show that ATDA can be used to manipulate droplets across a wide range of geometries, including inclined, declined, vertical, twisted, and upside-down architectures. These new geometries enable flexible, straightforward integration of distinct physicochemical environments on monolithic devices. To illustrate this capacity, we developed temperature- and oxygen-sensitive colorimetric sensors, as well as an automated method for selective enrichment of DNA from a heterogeneous mixture. We anticipate that ATDA will be a useful new tool in the growing trend toward laboratory miniaturization