960化工网
Optically controlled coalescence and splitting of femtoliter/picoliter droplets for microreactors†
Mingcong Wen,Benjun Yao,Shun Yuan,Weina Zhang,Yao Zhang,Guowei Yang,Hongxiang Lei
RSC Advances Pub Date : 06/22/2022 00:00:00 , DOI:10.1039/D2RA02230C
Abstract

Microreactor technology has attracted tremendous interest due to its features of a large specific surface area, low consumption of reagents and energy, and flexible control of the reaction process. As most of the current microreactors have volumes of microliters or even larger, effective methods to reduce the microreactors' sizes and improve their flexibility and controllability have become highly demanded. Here we propose an optical method of coalescence and splitting of femto-/pico-liter droplets for application in microreactors. Firstly, two different schemes are adopted to stably trap and directionally transport the microdroplets (oil and water) by a scanning optical tweezing system. Then, optically controlled coalescence and splitting of the microdroplets are achieved on this basis, and the mechanism and conditions are explored. Finally, the microdroplets are used as microreactors to conduct the microreactions. Such microreactors combine the advantages of miniaturization and the multi-functions of microdroplets, as well as the precision, flexibility, and non-invasiveness of optical tweezers, holding great potential for applications in materials synthesis and biosensing.

Graphical abstract: Optically controlled coalescence and splitting of femtoliter/picoliter droplets for microreactors
平台客服
平台客服
平台在线客服