Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced Flow
Droplet microfluidics offers a wide range of applications, including high-throughput drug screening and single-cell DNA amplification. However, these platforms are often limited to single-input conditions that prevent them from analyzing multiple input parameters (e.g., combined cellular treatments)...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Micromachines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/12/10/1211 |
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| author | Khashayar R. Bajgiran Alejandro S. Cordova Riad Elkhanoufi James A. Dorman Adam T. Melvin |
| author_facet | Khashayar R. Bajgiran Alejandro S. Cordova Riad Elkhanoufi James A. Dorman Adam T. Melvin |
| author_sort | Khashayar R. Bajgiran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Droplet microfluidics offers a wide range of applications, including high-throughput drug screening and single-cell DNA amplification. However, these platforms are often limited to single-input conditions that prevent them from analyzing multiple input parameters (e.g., combined cellular treatments) in a single experiment. Droplet multiplexing will result in higher overall throughput, lowering cost of fabrication, and cutting down the hands-on time in number of applications such as single-cell analysis. Additionally, while lab-on-a-chip fabrication costs have decreased in recent years, the syringe pumps required for generating droplets of uniform shape and size remain cost-prohibitive for researchers interested in utilizing droplet microfluidics. This work investigates the potential of simultaneously generating droplets from a series of three in-line T-junctions utilizing gravity-driven flow to produce consistent, well-defined droplets. Implementing reservoirs with equal heights produced inconsistent flow rates that increased as a function of the distance between the aqueous inlets and the oil inlet. Optimizing the three reservoir heights identified that taller reservoirs were needed for aqueous inlets closer to the oil inlet. Studying the relationship between the ratio of oil-to-water flow rates (Φ) found that increasing Φ resulted in smaller droplets and an enhanced droplet generation rate. An ANOVA was performed on droplet diameter to confirm no significant difference in droplet size from the three different aqueous inlets. The work described here offers an alternative approach to multiplexed droplet microfluidic devices allowing for the high-throughput interrogation of three sample conditions in a single device. It also has provided an alternative method to induce droplet formation that does not require multiple syringe pumps. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:23:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad28d2315a5c46a698c65d803f196253 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:23:17Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad28d2315a5c46a698c65d803f1962532023-11-22T19:11:35ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2021-10-011210121110.3390/mi12101211Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced FlowKhashayar R. Bajgiran0Alejandro S. Cordova1Riad Elkhanoufi2James A. Dorman3Adam T. Melvin4Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USACain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USACain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USACain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USACain Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADroplet microfluidics offers a wide range of applications, including high-throughput drug screening and single-cell DNA amplification. However, these platforms are often limited to single-input conditions that prevent them from analyzing multiple input parameters (e.g., combined cellular treatments) in a single experiment. Droplet multiplexing will result in higher overall throughput, lowering cost of fabrication, and cutting down the hands-on time in number of applications such as single-cell analysis. Additionally, while lab-on-a-chip fabrication costs have decreased in recent years, the syringe pumps required for generating droplets of uniform shape and size remain cost-prohibitive for researchers interested in utilizing droplet microfluidics. This work investigates the potential of simultaneously generating droplets from a series of three in-line T-junctions utilizing gravity-driven flow to produce consistent, well-defined droplets. Implementing reservoirs with equal heights produced inconsistent flow rates that increased as a function of the distance between the aqueous inlets and the oil inlet. Optimizing the three reservoir heights identified that taller reservoirs were needed for aqueous inlets closer to the oil inlet. Studying the relationship between the ratio of oil-to-water flow rates (Φ) found that increasing Φ resulted in smaller droplets and an enhanced droplet generation rate. An ANOVA was performed on droplet diameter to confirm no significant difference in droplet size from the three different aqueous inlets. The work described here offers an alternative approach to multiplexed droplet microfluidic devices allowing for the high-throughput interrogation of three sample conditions in a single device. It also has provided an alternative method to induce droplet formation that does not require multiple syringe pumps.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/12/10/1211T-junction droplet generatorgravity-driven flowmultiplexingdroplet tuning |
| spellingShingle | Khashayar R. Bajgiran Alejandro S. Cordova Riad Elkhanoufi James A. Dorman Adam T. Melvin Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced Flow Micromachines T-junction droplet generator gravity-driven flow multiplexing droplet tuning |
| title | Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced Flow |
| title_full | Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced Flow |
| title_fullStr | Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced Flow |
| title_full_unstemmed | Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced Flow |
| title_short | Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced Flow |
| title_sort | simultaneous droplet generation with in series droplet t junctions induced by gravity induced flow |
| topic | T-junction droplet generator gravity-driven flow multiplexing droplet tuning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/12/10/1211 |
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