Droplet Microfluidics: On‐Site Formation of Emulsions by Controlled Air Plugs (Small 4/2014)

Abstract

On page 758, Z. Wang and co-workers report a simple yet powerful approach that allows for the formation of various emulsions in an on-site manner without the need for precise flow control. This method takes advantage of the valve nature of air plugs, which are usually undesirable in the microfluidic system because of their detrimental effect on the system's stability and integrity. This technique is ideal for the development of affordable lab-on-a-chip systems without suffering from the scalability and manufacturing challenges of conventional droplet microfluidics.