Functionalized Droplet Microfluidics: From Patterning to Sensing and Energy Harvesting

Abstract

Mesoscopic liquid droplets are ubiquitous in nature. From sessile droplet-based diagnostic devices to rainwater energy harvesting - liquid droplets offer a versatile platform for the construction of functional systems. This unique geometry has been adapted across diverse scientific and engineering domains owing to its attractive characteristics. These characteristics have also aided in highlighting its potential to replace conventional processes at the macroscale. Some of the distinct advantages associated with liquid droplet systems at the micro/nanoscale includes: (i) limited usage of fluid volume with the smallest possible area available per unit mass, (ii) an incompressible system that is soft and deformable, (iii) thermodynamically an open system suitable for facile mass, momentum, and energy transfer through the surface, and (iv) facilitating the incorporation of different constituents that impart optically and electrochemically active properties