Issue 19, 2012
From the journal:

Lab on a Chip

Photo-actuation of liquids for light-driven microfluidics: state of the art and perspectives†

Damien Baiglabc  

a Department of Chemistry, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
E-mail: damien.baigl@ens.fr
Fax: 33 1 4432 2402
Tel: 33 1 4432 2405

b Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris, France

c UMR 8640, CNRS, France

Abstract

Using light to control liquid motion is a new paradigm for the actuation of microfluidic systems. We review here the different principles and strategies to induce or control liquid motion using light, which includes the use of radiation pressure, optical tweezers, light-induced wettability gradients, the thermocapillary effect, photosensitive surfactants, the chromocapillary effect, optoelectrowetting, photocontrolled electroosmotic flows and optical dielectrophoresis. We analyze the performance of these approaches to control using light many kinds of microfluidic operations involving discrete pL- to μL-sized droplets (generation, driving, mixing, reaction, sorting) or fluid flows in microchannels (valve operation, injection, pumping, flow rate control). We show that a complete toolbox is now available to control microfluidic systems by light. We finally discuss the perspectives of digital optofluidics as well as microfluidics based on all optical fluidic chips and optically reconfigurable devices.

Graphical abstract: Photo-actuation of liquids for light-driven microfluidics: state of the art and perspectives

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C2LC40596B
Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
23 May 2012
Accepted
03 Jul 2012
First published
04 Jul 2012

Lab Chip, 2012,12, 3637-3653

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Photo-actuation of liquids for light-driven microfluidics: state of the art and perspectives

D. Baigl, Lab Chip, 2012, 12, 3637 DOI: 10.1039/C2LC40596B

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