Controlled Formation of Low-Volume Liquid Pillars between Plates with a Lattice of Wetting Patches by Use of a Second Immiscible Fluid
✍ Scribed by Jonathan Silver; Zihou Mi; Keiji Takamoto; Peter Bungay; James Brown; Adam Powell
- Book ID
- 102969322
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 777 KB
- Volume
- 219
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0021-9797
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✦ Synopsis
We describe a method for forming an array of microdroplets between two plates, at least one of which is patterned with a lattice of wetting patches, using a second immiscible fluid to control droplet formation. The method may be useful for performing multiple, small-volume biochemical reactions in parallel. We analyze the forces responsible for droplet formation, describe results of a computer simulation using Surface Evolver, and derive an analytic criterion for droplet formation in terms of the contact angles of the droplet:second fluid interface on the wetting patches and surrounding surface, the diameter of the wetting patches, the distance between wetting patches, and the distance between the plates.