Integration of Capillary and EWOD Technologies for Autonomous and Low power Consumption Micro analytical Systems
Abstract This work presents a miniaturized system combining, on the same microfluidic chip, capillarity and electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) techniques for movement and control of fluids. The change in hydrophobicity occurring at the edge between a capillary channel and a hydrophobic layer is successfully exploited as a stop and go valve, whose operation is electronically controlled through the EWOD electrodes. Taking into account the variety of microfluidic operation resulting from the combination of the two handling techniques and their characteristic features, this work prompts the development of autonomous, compact and low power consumption lab on chip systems.