Focused flow droplet generator - nozzle 10µm - uncoated - topconnect

1) Flush an alkaline solution through the channels, like 1 M sodium hydroxide in water. 2) A water bath with ultrasonic agitation can be used to remove particulated matters, keep energy levels initially low to prevent potential damages. 3) Glass microchips can be heated (e.g. 400°C) causing any organic material on the glass surface to degrade. Try to use lower temperatures first because burning the content could make it stick. 4) Concentrated sulfuric acid works well to dissolve organic material, such as fibres, that are difficult to remove with alkaline solutions.

We recommend using a high precision pumping system. Regular syringe pumps often don't work very well for droplet generators. There are several high precision pumping systems on the market that work with different pumping principles. To name one, we'd like to mention that we have had positive experiences with the equipment Fluigent offers.

Advice on how to find the right flow rates and to to change the droplet size can be found under "Read More".

When you only see streaks of fluids its important to decrease your flowrate. Instructions to find the right flow rate can be found under "Read More".

Tween 20, Tween 80 and Emulseo FluoSurf™-O surfactant are used in combination with our chips. See "Read More" for details.

Clogging can only be avoided by working as cleanly as possible. Typical sources of particles include: - Dust from the air or open surfaces - Larger particles or other contamination in the fluids - Dried or solidified residues when re-using chips from previous runs - Components within the fluidic setup (e.g., tubing, connectors, reservoirs) - Residual particles remaining after cleaning See “Read More” for detailed advice on minimizing these risks.

For water-in-oil droplets, use droplet generators with a hydrophobic coating.For oil-in-water droplets, no additional coating is needed. Below more details on surface wetting properties are explained.Surface wetting propertiesThe contact angle between the fluid and the droplet generator surface is key for defining the stability of the wetting of the continuous phase. If the wetting is more preferential for the dispersed phase, pinning of the droplets to the channel can occur. The standard uncoated droplet generators of Micronit are glass based, thus hydrophilic and are suitable for making organic droplets in an aqueous phase (oil-in-water droplets). It is possible for Micronit to provide a coating which renders the surface of the droplet generators hydrophobic, thus suitable for making aqueous droplets in an organic phase (water-in-oil droplets). This coating is based on a fluorinated polymer and ensures the coated surface has a contact angle of more than 90° with water.

Amoyav, Benzion, and Ofra Benny. "Controlled and tunable polymer particles’ production using a single microfluidic device." Applied Nanoscience (2018): 1-10.

Lucio, Adam A., et al. "Spatiotemporal variation of endogenous cell-generated stresses within 3D multicellular spheroids." Scientific reports 7.1 (2017): 12022.

You need a combination of items supplied by Elveflow and Micronit. Please take a look at the full answer for more details.

See "Read More" for advice.

The objective working distance is a critical parameter for selection of an objective. See "Read More" for recommendations.

Wet etched structures are extremely smooth and have a roughness in Angstrom range. The structures are fully optical transparent.

Micronit hydrophobic coated Glass Droplet generators are tested with the combination of Emulseo FluoSurf-O™ surfactant and Emulseo FluoOil™ 7500 oil and good results are obtained.

The combination of Micronit glass droplet generators and Emulseo Fluo-ST3™ surface treatment is tested and works well.