Electropermanent magnet activated microfluidic droplet size modulation
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsJose I. Padovani Blanco, Ali Mohamed Ibrahim, Yasser Hussein Anis, Stefanie S. Jeffrey, Roger T. Howe
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Abstract
An active microfluidic droplet generation device includes a droplet generation junction joining at least one continuous phase channel for carrying a ferrofluid, and a dispersed phase channel for carrying a dispersed phase (e.g., aqueous) flow. A miniature electropermanent magnet (EPM) upstream from the junction generates a magnetic field to modulate a flow rate of a ferrofluid in the continuous phase channel so that dispersed phase droplets are generated with volumes actively controlled on-demand and under continuous flow.
Claims8
A method for active microfluidic dispersed phase droplet generation, the method comprising:
- positioning a miniature electropermanent magnet (EPM) such that a magnetic field of the EPM overlaps with microfluidic channels connected to a droplet generation junction upstream from the droplet generation junction;
- controlling the magnetic field of the EPM to modulate a continuous phase ferrofluid flow rate in the microfluidic channels while a dispersed phase flows through a dispersed phase channel connected to the droplet generation junction;
- whereby dispersed phase droplets are generated with volumes actively controlled on-demand and under continuous flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.