Development and future of droplet microfluidics

Nan, Lang; Zhang, Huidan; Weitz, David A.; Shum, Ho Cheung

doi:10.1039/d3lc00729d

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 201 publications

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“…1,2 In these applications, it is crucial to have precise control over droplet characteristics, including shape, size, and generation frequency. 3 Numerous studies have demonstrated that the flow rate ratio of the two phases, the viscosity ratio, and the channel structure are the key parameters for regulating the characteristics of Newtonian droplets with simple rheological behavior. [4][5][6] Nevertheless, the mechanisms that affect the characteristics of droplets with complex rheological properties in microchannels are still relatively unknown.…”

Section: Role Of Elasticity On Polymeric Droplet Generation and Morph...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of elasticity on polymeric droplet generation and morphology in microfluidic cross-junctions

Duan,

Yuan,

Hao

et al. 2024

Physics of Fluids

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Recently, our direct numerical simulations [Duan et al., Phys. Fluids 36, 033112 (2024)] showed that fluid elasticity affects the extension length and pinch-off time of the droplet formation process, thus changing the flow pattern. However, the effect of fluid elasticity on the morphology and properties of polymeric droplets is not yet fully understood. In this work, by analyzing the stretched state of the polymer macromolecule and the velocity distribution of the flow process, we find that the increase in fluid elasticity (characterized by the relaxation time) inhibits the contraction of the dispersed phase during droplet pinching and resists the effect of surface tension after droplet generation, which significantly affects the droplet geometry, volume, and generation frequency. The results demonstrate that the length and volume of polymeric droplets increase with the relaxation time of the polymer fluid, while the generation frequency decreases. Meanwhile, the effects of polymer viscosity and the superficial velocity ratio of the continuous to the dispersed phase on the droplets' morphology are investigated. The semi-empirical models for the length, volume, and generation frequency of polymeric droplets are developed for the first time by considering the elastic interaction. The purpose of our work is to provide a better understanding and experimental guidance for controlling the parameters of polymeric droplets with viscoelasticity of different shapes and sizes.

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Section: Role Of Elasticity On Polymeric Droplet Generation and Morph...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of elasticity on polymeric droplet generation and morphology in microfluidic cross-junctions

Duan,

Yuan,

Hao

et al. 2024

Physics of Fluids

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“…As a powerful platform for biochemical analysis, several classic reviews on droplet microfluidics for single-cell genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolic analyses have been documented. − Nonetheless, to the best of our knowledge, no specific review has focused on the applications of droplet microfluidics in cancer research. Herein, we first introduce the fundamental technologies of droplet microfluidics, including single/double emulsion droplet generation and active/passive droplet manipulation, aiming to help researchers easily understand the underlying mechanisms of droplet microfluidics (Figure ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Droplet Microfluidics for Current Cancer Research: From Single-Cell Analysis to 3D Cell Culture

Jiang,

Guo,

Chen

et al. 2024

ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng.

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Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Differences in drug resistance and treatment response caused by the heterogeneity of cancer cells are the primary reasons for poor cancer therapy outcomes in patients. In addition, current in vitro anticancer drug-screening methods rely on two-dimensional monolayer-cultured cancer cells, which cannot accurately predict drug behavior in vivo. Therefore, a powerful tool to study the heterogeneity of cancer cells and produce effective in vitro tumor models is warranted to leverage cancer research. Droplet microfluidics has become a powerful platform for the single-cell analysis of cancer cells and three-dimensional cell culture of in vitro tumor spheroids. In this review, we discuss the use of droplet microfluidics in cancer research. Droplet microfluidic technologies, including single-or double-emulsion droplet generation and passive-or active-droplet manipulation, are concisely discussed. Recent advances in droplet microfluidics for single-cell analysis of cancer cells, circulating tumor cells, and scaffold-free/based 3D cell culture of tumor spheroids have been systematically introduced. Finally, the challenges that must be overcome for the further application of droplet microfluidics in cancer research are discussed.

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“…An inherent property of all microfluidic-based methods is the reduced reagent consumption due to the small volume of fluids used for operation of microfluidic devices ( Guttenplan et al, 2021a ). Compared to bulk emulsion systems, the precise control over the fluid conditions in small volumes has rendered the droplet microfluidic-based techniques suitable for producing highly monodisperse particles ( Guttenplan et al, 2021a ; Cai et al, 2021 ; Seeto et al, 2022 ), from micro-to nano-scale ( Gimondi et al, 2023 ; Nan et al, 2024 ). This also minimizes the batch-to-batch variation in terms of particle size.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of a tunable process for rapid production of calcium phosphate microparticles using a droplet-based microfluidic platform

Alaoui Selsouli,

Rho,

Eischen-Loges

et al. 2024

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Calcium phosphate (CaP) biomaterials are amongst the most widely used synthetic bone graft substitutes, owing to their chemical similarities to the mineral part of bone matrix and off-the-shelf availability. However, their ability to regenerate bone in critical-sized bone defects has remained inferior to the gold standard autologous bone. Hence, there is a need for methods that can be employed to efficiently produce CaPs with different properties, enabling the screening and consequent fine-tuning of the properties of CaPs towards effective bone regeneration. To this end, we propose the use of droplet microfluidics for rapid production of a variety of CaP microparticles. Particularly, this study aims to optimize the steps of a droplet microfluidic-based production process, including droplet generation, in-droplet CaP synthesis, purification and sintering, in order to obtain a library of CaP microparticles with fine-tuned properties. The results showed that size-controlled, monodisperse water-in-oil microdroplets containing calcium- and phosphate-rich solutions can be produced using a flow-focusing droplet-generator microfluidic chip. We optimized synthesis protocols based on in-droplet mineralization to obtain a range of CaP microparticles without and with inorganic additives. This was achieved by adjusting synthesis parameters, such as precursor concentration, pH value, and aging time, and applying heat treatment. In addition, our results indicated that the synthesis and fabrication parameters of CaPs in this method can alter the microstructure and the degradation behavior of CaPs. Overall, the results highlight the potential of the droplet microfluidic platform for engineering CaP microparticle biomaterials with fine-tuned properties.

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Development and future of droplet microfluidics

Abstract: This review introduces the development of droplet microfluidics by explaining the physical mechanisms of droplet generation, discussing various approaches in manipulating droplets, and summarizing key applications in material science and biological analyses.

Cited by 25 publications

References 201 publications

Role of elasticity on polymeric droplet generation and morphology in microfluidic cross-junctions

Role of elasticity on polymeric droplet generation and morphology in microfluidic cross-junctions

Droplet Microfluidics for Current Cancer Research: From Single-Cell Analysis to 3D Cell Culture

Optimization of a tunable process for rapid production of calcium phosphate microparticles using a droplet-based microfluidic platform

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