title: Electrowetting (EW)-based valve combined with hydrophilic teflon microfluidic guidance in controlling continuous fluid flow.
abstract: Electrowetting (EW)-based techniques have been widely used in manipulating discrete liquid. However, few articles discussed the controlling of continuous fluid flow by using EW-based techniques. In this paper, an EW-based valve combined with plasma-modified Teflon surface, which serves as a microfluidic guidance, in controlling continuous fluid flow has been demonstrated. The plasma-modified Teflon surface is firstly demonstrated for confining continuous fluid flow. The EW-based microfluidic device possesses the functions of a valve and a microchannel without complex moving parts and grooved microchannels. The quantitative characteristics of the EW-based valve are also studied. Propylene carbonate (PC) is firstly demonstrated as the working liquid in the EW-based device because of its applications in parallel oligonucleotide synthesis. It is found that lower valve actuation voltage reduces the deterioration of the valve and improves the valve stability.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Applied Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. jycheng@gate.sinica.edu.tw
authors.forename: Ji-Yen
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Lo-Chang
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Hsiung
mesh_terms: D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D017022:Flow Injection Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene / Q000737:chemistry*; D011407:Propane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry*; D012996:Solutions; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions; C045990:propylene carbonate; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D011407:Propane