Active Droplet Transport Induced by Moving Meniscus on a Slippery Magnetic Responsive Micropillar Array.

ABSTRACT

Intelligent droplet manipulation plays a crucial role in both scientific research and industrial technology. Inspired by nature, meniscus driving is an ingenious way to spontaneously transport droplets. However, the shortages of short-range transport and droplet coalescence limit its application. Here, an active droplet manipulation strategy based on the slippery magnetic responsive micropillar array (SMRMA) is reported. With the aid of a magnetic field, the micropillar array bends and induces the infusing oil to form a moving meniscus, which can attract nearby droplets and transport them for a long range. Significantly, clustered droplets on SMRMA can be isolated by micropillars, avoiding droplet coalescence. Moreover, through adjusting the arrangement of the micropillars of SMRMA, multi-functional droplet manipulation such as unidirectional droplet transport, multi-droplet transport, droplet mixing, and droplet screening can be achieved. This work provides a promising approach for intelligent droplet manipulation and unfolds broad application prospects in microfluidics, microchemical reaction, biomedical engineering, and other fields.