Work

Transport of a soft cargo on a nanoscale ratchet

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: Surface ratchets can guide droplet transport for microfluidic systems. Here, we demonstrated the actuation of microgels encapsulated in droplets using a unidirectional nanotextured surface, which moves droplets with low vibration amplitudes by a ratcheting mechanism. The nanofilm carries droplets along the ratchets with minimal drop shape deformation to move the encapsulated soft cargo, i.e., microscale hydrogels. The tilted nanorods of the nanofilm produce unidirectional wetting, thereby enabling droplet motion in a single direction. Maximum droplet translation speed on the nanofilm was determined to be 3.5 mm∕s, which offers a pathway towards high throughput microgel assembly applications to build complex constructs.

Source: Applied Physics Letters

DOI: 10.1063/1.3625430

Authors: Koray Sekeroglu, Umut A. Gurkan, Utkan Demirci, Melik C. Demirel

Institutions: Pennsylvania State University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

Language: English

Topic: Electrowetting and Microfluidic Technologies

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation and Technology, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity