Open AccessProgrammable droplet actuating platform using liquid dielectrophoresis
Author(s) -
Iman Frozanpoor,
Mary Cooke,
Zoltán Rácz,
Ian Bossons,
Vibin Ambukan,
David Wood,
Andrew J. Gallant,
Claudio Balocco
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of micromechanics and microengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.494
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1361-6439
pISSN - 0960-1317
DOI - 10.1088/1361-6439/abf032
Subject(s) - dielectrophoresis , microfluidics , wetting , materials science , voltage , contact angle , nanotechnology , electric field , electrowetting , hysteresis , optoelectronics , mechanical engineering , electrical engineering , composite material , engineering , physics , quantum mechanics
Droplet motion has been a long-standing interest in microfluidics as it is often limited by the high operating voltages, which hampers the development of consumer applications. Forces generated by liquid dielectrophoresis (L-DEP) can enhance surface wetting, without requiring chemical modification or surface texturing. This work presents a droplet actuating platform to control the wetting behaviour of water droplets using L-DEP. The exploitation of high electric fields at the droplet solid–liquid interface reduced the operating voltages. The operating voltage can be further reduced, to as low as 30 V, by introducing a lubricant layer to minimise the droplet contact angle hysteresis, thus requiring a smaller L-DEP bulk force. The outcomes of this study will provide a new pathway for developing energy-efficient and reliable droplet actuating platforms to clean a variety of surfaces. A particular interest will be the application of this system in the automobile sector, for instance, to clean headlamps, sensors, cameras, door mirrors, front side glass, and rear screen.