Droplet Translation Actuated by Photoelectrowetting

Langmuir. 2018 Mar 13;34(10):3177-3185. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b03340. Epub 2018 Mar 1.

Abstract

In traditional electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) devices, droplets are moved about a substrate using electric fields produced by an array of discrete electrodes. In this study, we show that a drop can be driven across a substrate with a localized light beam by exploiting the photoelectrowetting (PEW) effect, a light-activated variant of EWOD. Droplet transport actuated by PEW eliminates the need for electrode arrays and the complexities entailed in their fabrication and control, and offers a new approach for designing lab-on-a-chip applications. We report measurements of the maximum droplet speed as a function of frequency and magnitude of the applied bias, intensity of illumination, volume of the droplet, and viscosity and also introduce a model that reproduces these data.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't