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Microfluidic droplet trapping array as nanoliter reactors for gas–liquid chemical reaction
Author(s) -
Zhang Qingquan,
Zeng Shaojiang,
Qin Jianhua,
Lin Bingcheng
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.200900331
Subject(s) - microfluidics , trapping , microstructure , materials science , diffusion , chemical reaction , nanotechnology , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , composite material , ecology , biology , thermodynamics , physics
This article presents a simple method for trapping arrays of droplets relying on the designed microstructures of the microfluidic device, and this has been successfully used for parallel gas–liquid chemical reaction. In this approach, the trapping structure is composed of main channel, lateral channel and trapping region. Under a negative pressure, array droplets can be generated and trapped in the microstructure simultaneously, without the use of surfactant and the precise control of the flow velocity. By using a multi‐layer microdevice containing the microstructures, single (pH gradient) and multiple gas–liquid reactions (metal ion–NH 3 complex reaction) can be performed in array droplets through the transmembrane diffusion of the gas. The droplets with quantitative concentration gradient can be formed by only replacing the specific membrane. The established method is simple, robust and easy to operate, demonstrating the potential of this device for droplet‐based high‐throughput screening.