Low Nanoliter Acoustic Transfer of Aqueous Fluids with High Precision and Accuracy of Volume Transfer and Positional Placement

Abstract

The utility of acoustic droplet ejection (ADE), originally used to transfer dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions, is expanded beyond the transfer of DMSO to a wide variety of aqueous solutions common to biochemical experiments and assays. Aqueous-based liquids are transferred with high precision (coefficient of variation <5% for volume transfers of 5–50 nL) and accuracy (within 5% of expected volume), similar to that seen with DMSO transfers. The precision and accuracy of the technique are measured via fluorescence. ADE transfers of aqueous solutions may facilitate the miniaturization of assays leading to increased throughput and reduced reagent usage.