Development and future of droplet microfluidics.

Lab Chip

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.

Published: February 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Advances in droplet-based microfluidics have revolutionized sample processing and analysis, achieving higher precision and throughput across various fields like materials science and biology.
  • Understanding droplet dynamics is crucial for optimizing microfluidic tools and creating innovative techniques to meet new demands.
  • The review covers the physics of droplet manipulation, applications in material creation and lab-on-a-chip biotech, and suggests future possibilities for droplet microfluidics in industry and healthcare.

Article Abstract

Over the past two decades, advances in droplet-based microfluidics have facilitated new approaches to process and analyze samples with unprecedented levels of precision and throughput. A wide variety of applications has been inspired across multiple disciplines ranging from materials science to biology. Understanding the dynamics of droplets enables optimization of microfluidic operations and design of new techniques tailored to emerging demands. In this review, we discuss the underlying physics behind high-throughput generation and manipulation of droplets. We also summarize the applications in droplet-derived materials and droplet-based lab-on-a-chip biotechnology. In addition, we offer perspectives on future directions to realize wider use of droplet microfluidics in industrial production and biomedical analyses.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d3lc00729dDOI Listing

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