Trapping a moving droplet train by bubble guidance in microfluidic networks.

ABSTRACT: Trapping a train of moving droplets into preset positions within a microfluidic device facilitates the long-term observation of biochemical reactions inside the droplets. In this paper, a new bubble-guided trapping method, which can remarkably improve the limited narrow two-phase flow rate range of uniform trapping, was proposed by taking advantage of the unique physical property that bubbles do not coalescence with two-phase fluids and the hydrodynamic characteristic of large flow resistance of bubbles. The flow behaviors of bubble-free and bubble-guided droplet trains were compared and analyzed under the same two-phase flow rates. The experimental results show that the droplets trapped by bubble-free guided trapping exhibit the four trapping modes of sequentially uniform trapping, non-un

SUBMITTER: Zhang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9078607 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature