Digital Microfluidic Mixing via Reciprocating Motions of Droplets Driven by Contact Charge Electrophoresis

Contact charge electrophoresis (CCEP) is an electrically controllable manipulation technique of conductive droplets and particles by charging and discharging when in contact with the electrode. Given its straightforward operation mechanism, low cost, and ease of system construction, it has gained traction as a versatile and potential strategy for the realistic establishment of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) in various engineering applications. We present a CCEP-based digital microfluidics (DMF) platform with two parallel electrode modules comprising assembled conventional pin header sockets, allowing for efficient mixing through horizontal and vertical shaking via droplet reciprocating motions. The temporal chromic change caused by the chemical reaction between the pH indicator and base solutions within the shaking droplets is quantitatively analyzed under various CCEP actuation conditions to evaluate the mixing performance in shaking droplets by vertical and horizontal reciprocating motions on the DMF platform. Furthermore, mixing flow patterns within shaking droplets are successfully visualized by a high-speed camera system. The suggested techniques can mix samples and reagents rapidly and efficiently in droplet-based microreactors for DMF applications, such as biochemical analysis and medical diagnostics.

Automated summary

Contact charge electrophoresis (CCEP) is a technique for manipulating conductive droplets and particles using charging and discharging. This article presents a CCEP-based digital microfluidics platform that allows efficient mixing through droplet reciprocating motions. It also analyzes the mixing performance and visualizes the mixing flow patterns within shaking droplets.