Manipulation of Droplets by Electrostatic Actuation and the Related Hydrodynamics

Abstract

The present study preludes the different modes of droplet manipulation using the electrostatic actuation as the driving potential and its association specifically for microfluidics applications. The state of the art in the development of electrowetting is presented with the chronological survey of the literature highlighting specific directions of electrostatic drop manipulation in economic setups. The development of a low cost technique of electrostatic droplet manipulation outside clean room facilities is also presented. In specific, the investigation to analyze the viability of low cost printed circuit board as an electrowetting substrate is discussed in detail. Observations of static and dynamic electrowetting experiments at different actuation potentials are presented to characterize the fabricated substrate and to provide the fundamental insights for the proposition of low cost platform for droplet manoeuvring using electric field.