Gas-Liquid Droplet Microfluidics: Fundamentals and Applications

Over the past two decades microfluidics has quickly morphed from an emerging field to a mature technology that is widely used in biotechnology and healthcare. One specific domain that has thrived extensively in its adoption and development has been droplet microfluidics. The ability to compartmentalize reactions and processes into multiple individual droplets has made these systems extremely attractive in multiple and varied applications. However, most of the focus has centered on liquid-liquid systems, where dispersed droplets of a liquid are formed on another continuous, immiscible one.

This talk will focus on the relatively untapped realm of gas-liquid droplet microfluidics, where liquid droplets are formed in a continuous but confined gaseous flow. The fundamentals of droplet formation and transport will be explored. Due to the lower viscosity of the carrier fluid, these systems tend to operate at much higher Re than those encountered in typical microfluidic systems. As such, the role of inertial forces on the dynamics of these systems will be addressed. Assessment of the technology towards droplet-pair collision micromixing and digital sampling of airborne targets applications will be discussed. A specific example on the sampling and detection of gaseous ammonia will be presented. The talk will finish with an outlook on the future of these systems.

Live Zoom Event: < https://caltech.zoom.us/j/88981688506 >

Box Recordings for Caltech: <https://caltech.box.com/s/grvxyi8ljwrrpwjq2bkkzy7vbf40235h>