Light Fueled High-Throughput Binary Droplet Splitting and Transport on High-Energy Substrate.

Abstract

High-throughput droplet splitting and controllable transport of generated microdroplets on open surfaces are crucial in a broad spectrum of applications. Herein, a light strategy for controlling high-throughput splitting of binary droplets and transport of generated microdroplets on a high-energy substrate endowed by a localized photothermal effect is reported. Strong Marangoni flow as a result of the surface tension gradient and limited inward flow at the droplet bottom as a result of the significant viscous effect are together responsible for binary droplet splitting. The temperature gradients across the generated microdroplets established at the core heating zone are responsible for their transport away from the laser-acted zone. Remarkably, assisted by hydrophobic stripes on a high-energy substrate, high-throughput binary droplet splitting and controllable transport of generated microdroplets can be realized. Successful applications in biosample droplets and parallelized microreactions highlight the promising potential of this light strategy in open droplet microfluidics, biological assays and diagnosis, etc.