Fluorescence lifetime imaging of mixing dynamics in continuous-flow microdroplet reactors.
Water-in-oil microdroplets within fluidic channels have the potential to serve as isolated reaction compartments for monitoring real-time dynamics with high efficiency and repeatability. Droplets, usually generated from aqueous and oil solutions using standard microfluidic formats, can be produced at frequencies in excess of 1 kHz. Although mixing within such microdroplets is normally enhanced by chaotic advection, the mixing pattern from droplet to droplet is almost identical and reproducible in form. Herein, we demonstrate that fluorescence lifetime imaging can be used to reconstruct mixing patterns within a droplet with a time resolution of 5 micros.
Srisa-Art
Monpichar
M
Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
DeMello
Andrew J
AJ
Edel
Joshua B
JB