Development of Lab on a Chip for Microdroplets Mixing Using EWOD Device

Abstract

Manipulating microdroplets is essential to increasing the efficiency of chip processing laboratories. It incorporated various laboratory functions while minimizing laboratory processes to the micro-scale. Therefore, in this research, a platform for mixing liquid droplets was developed at the microliter level for an electrochemistry measurement process using an Electro-wetting on dielectric (EWOD), a device that can manipulate the movement of liquid droplets on a microliter to a nanoliter scale using an electric field. The ability of the EWOD device to precisely control the liquid droplet depends on the electrode pattern, which means that proper electrode size and electrode pattern is therefore extremely important. During the research process, the researchers tested the EWOD device using voltages ranging from 300 to 700 volts and a frequency of 1,000 Hz to determine the optimal voltage for controlling the movement of 8 microliter of water droplets with the EWOD device. The research showed that the separation of liquid substances from the reservoir required at least three electrodes, and mixing liquid droplets requires at least two electrodes. From the test results of the device, it was found that the minimum voltage required by the device to start its work was 300 volts. The maximum voltage that could be applied to the device was 700 volts which caused the liquid droplet to move at an average speed 10 mm/s.