title: Ionic liquid-based compound droplet microfluidics for 'on-drop' separations and sensing.
abstract: We present a new and general scheme for analytical applications of droplet-based microfluidics in which flowing droplets function not only as isolated reaction flasks, but are also capable of on-drop separation and sensing. To demonstrate this, we choose ionic liquids as designer fluids whose chemical and physical properties can be tailored in task-specific fashion. We create aqueous-ionic liquid compound droplets with tunable structures using an imidazolium-based ionic liquid, and present two analytical applications-separation of a binary aqueous mixture of organic dyes and dynamic pH sensing-to highlight the salient features of this scheme. By combining designer fluids with designer microfluidic emulsions, our work opens up a rich space of exploration for analytical microfluidics.
authors.affiliation: Singapore-MIT Alliance, Singapore.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Barikbin
authors.forename: Md Taifur
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Pravien
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parthiban
authors.forename: Anandkumar S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rane
authors.forename: Vaibhav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Suhanya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duraiswamy
authors.forename: S H Sophia
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Saif A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D052578:Ionic Liquids / Q000737:chemistry*; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D052578:Ionic Liquids; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014867:Water