title: Microdroplets in microfluidics: an evolving platform for discoveries in chemistry and biology.
abstract: Microdroplets in microfluidics offer a great number of opportunities in chemical and biological research. They provide a compartment in which species or reactions can be isolated, they are monodisperse and therefore suitable for quantitative studies, they offer the possibility to work with extremely small volumes, single cells, or single molecules, and are suitable for high-throughput experiments. The aim of this Review is to show the importance of these features in enabling new experiments in biology and chemistry. The recent advances in device fabrication are highlighted as are the remaining technological challenges. Examples are presented to show how compartmentalization, monodispersity, single-molecule sensitivity, and high throughput have been exploited in experiments that would have been extremely difficult outside the microfluidics platform.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW UK.
authors.forename: Ashleigh B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Theberge
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Courtois
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Schaerli
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fischlechner
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abell
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hollfelder
authors.forename: Wilhelm T S
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Huck
mesh_terms: D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D011108:Polymers; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries; D013501:Surface-Active Agents