Evaporation-induced particle microseparations inside droplets floating on a chip

We describe phenomena of colloidal particle transport and separation inside single microdroplets of water floating on the surface of dense fluorinated oil. The experiments were performed on microfluidic chips, where single droplets were manipulated with alternating electric fields applied to arrays of electrodes below the oil. The particles suspended in the droplets were collected in their top region during the evaporation process. Experimental results and numerical simulations show that this microsepration occurs as a result of a series of processes driven by mass and heat transfer. An interfacial tension gradient develops on the surface of the droplet as a result of the nonuniform temperature distribution during the evaporation. This gradient generates an internal convective Marangoni flow. The colloidal particles transported by the flow are collected in the top of the droplets by the hydrodynamic flux, compensating for evaporation through the exposed top surface. The internal flow pattern and temperature distribution within evaporating droplets were simulated using finite element calculations. The results of the simulation were consistent with experiments using tracer particles. Such microseparation processes can be used for on-chip synthesis of advanced particles and innovative microbioassays.