Open Surface Droplets
Open Surface Droplets - Related Videos
07:57
Taking Advantage of Reduced Droplet-surface Interaction to Optimize Transport of Bioanalytes in Digital Microfluidics
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Cited by 1 •
2014
The protocol for fabrication and operation of field dewetting devices (Field-DW) is described, as well as the preliminary studies of the effects of electric fields on droplet contents.
14:16
Fluorescence detection methods for microfluidic droplet platforms
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Cited by 20 •
2011
Droplet-based microfluidic platforms are promising candidates for high throughput experimentation since they are able to generate picoliter, self-compartmentalized vessels inexpensively at kHz rates. Through integration with fast, sensitive and high resolution fluorescence spectroscopic methods, the large amounts of information generated within these systems can be efficiently extracted, harnessed and utilized.
13:10
Title Cell Encapsulation by Droplets
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Cited by 4 •
2007
10:21
Multicolor Fluorescence Detection for Droplet Microfluidics Using Optical Fibers
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Cited by 18 •
2016
Multicolor fluorescence detection in droplet microfluidics typically involves bulky and complex epifluorescence microscope-based detection systems. Here we describe a compact and modular multicolor detection scheme that utilizes an array of optical fibers to temporally encode multicolor data collected by a single photodetector.
03:37
Lipid Droplet Staining of Larval Drosophila Oenocytes: A Technique for Assessment of Lipid Droplet Accumulation Under Normal and Stressed Condition Using BODIPY-Based Dye
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2025
This video demonstrates lipid droplet staining in Drosophila larval oenocytes - hepatocyte-like cells - using the lipophilic fluorescent BODIPY based dye. These cells act as a model for studying lipid metabolism during development and in response to environmental stress such as starvation.
FAQs
Surface tension helps preserve each liquid volume, while substrate wettability influences how the liquid contacts and spreads across the solid surface. Controlled actuation then directs droplet movement or changes its configuration. Together, these properties determine whether a droplet remains localized, travels between positions, merges with another droplet, or participates in reagent exchange during an assay.
Individual droplets can be moved, merged, split, or used for reagent exchange. These operations allow different reaction components or samples to be brought together while retaining small liquid volumes. In genetic workflows, such control can support successive stages such as nucleic acid extraction, amplification, and enzymatic reactions without requiring every step to occur in a continuous enclosed channel.
The main distinction is physical access and operating format. Open Surface Droplets rest on an exposed solid surface, whereas enclosed microfluidic systems guide liquids through channels. The open arrangement supports direct optical monitoring and flexible access to droplets, while still enabling controlled liquid handling. This combination can simplify integration with automated workflows for molecular analysis.
Surface tension, substrate wettability, and the applied actuation determine how droplets behave. Surface tension supports droplet integrity, wettability affects contact with the substrate, and actuation guides movement or restructuring. Because these factors govern localization, merging, splitting, and reagent exchange, controlling them is central to obtaining consistent chemical or biological assay operations.
A genetics workflow can assign droplets to nucleic acid extraction, amplification, enzymatic reactions, or parallel analysis of DNA and RNA. Controlled movement and reagent exchange connect these operations, while the exposed surface permits optical monitoring. This arrangement supports compact assays that can be integrated with automated workflows for molecular measurements and preparation steps.
They are useful when a workflow requires small-volume handling, parallel processing, or direct observation of molecular assay steps. The format can support genotyping and sequencing preparation by accommodating nucleic acid reactions and reagent exchanges on an accessible surface. Reduced reagent use and the potential for increased throughput make the approach relevant to compact, automated genetics workflows.
Open Surface Droplets can support extraction, amplification, enzymatic processing, and parallel analysis of DNA or RNA. These functions provide a platform for molecular analyses rather than a single fixed readout. Its small scale may reduce reagent consumption, while optical access can assist monitoring and integration with automation, helping organize multiple genetic assays in a compact format.