Das Deepanjan, Biswas Nirmalendu
Department of Power Engineering, Jadavpur University, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700106, India.
Biomicrofluidics. 2025 Jun 4;19(3):031503. doi: 10.1063/5.0254950. eCollection 2025 May.
With the transport of soft and multiphase systems such as droplets and vesicles, the controlled movement of these systems could be regulated in microfluidic channels using an external electrical field is a convenient method for further studying and even tuning micro-transport behaviors. The electric field induces complex electrohydrodynamic behaviors in such systems with considerable impact on their deformation, motion, and interaction with the surrounding fluid. Introducing an electric field exerts stresses at the interface of these fluids, which ensures precise control over their deformation and motion with the features of droplets or vesicles that are vital for their subsequent manipulation inside confined microchannels. Here, electrically modulated transport dynamics in soft multiphase systems, specifically droplets and vesicles, in microfluidic systems are studied meticulously. In this review work, we study how the electric field strength, fluid properties, and membrane characteristics, all of which are important to the directed motion of these systems, are coupled to one another. It also notes that vesicles, with their bilayer lipid membranes, have unique dynamics-such as the formation of membrane tensions and bending rigidity-that affect their electrohydrodynamic behaviors, unlike simple droplets. Studying the electrically driven dynamics of the soft matter, this review offers useful perspectives on the creation of next-generation microfluidics devices, ranging from drug delivery to synthetic biology and materials manufacturing. The effects of the field strength, frequency, and geometry on the transport properties of the droplets and vesicles and highlighting the rich interplay between the electrostatic forces and the inherent properties of soft matter are studied systematically. Recent advances in experimental methods (such as high-precision imaging, micro-manipulation, and sophisticated computational modeling) have also taken our understanding of these electrohydrodynamic processes to new heights. This review further explores potential applications of these technologies in lab-on-a-chip platforms, drug delivery systems, and bioanalytical tools and highlights challenges, including stability, scalability, and reproducibility. The conclusion includes proposed directions for future research aimed at enhancing the localization, control, and efficiency of electrokinetic manipulation in soft matter-based microfluidic systems.
对于诸如液滴和囊泡等软质多相系统的运输而言，利用外部电场在微流控通道中调控这些系统的可控运动，是进一步研究甚至调节微运输行为的便捷方法。电场会在这类系统中引发复杂的电流体动力学行为，对其变形、运动以及与周围流体的相互作用产生重大影响。引入电场会在这些流体的界面处施加应力，从而能够借助液滴或囊泡的特性精确控制其变形和运动，而这些特性对于它们在受限微通道内的后续操作至关重要。在此，对微流控系统中软质多相系统（特别是液滴和囊泡）内的电调制运输动力学进行了细致研究。在这项综述工作中，我们研究了电场强度、流体性质和膜特性（所有这些对这些系统的定向运动都很重要）是如何相互耦合的。还指出，与简单液滴不同，具有双层脂质膜的囊泡具有独特的动力学特性，如膜张力的形成和弯曲刚度，这会影响其电流体动力学行为。通过研究软物质的电驱动动力学，本综述为下一代微流控设备的创建提供了有用的观点，涵盖从药物递送、合成生物学到材料制造等领域。系统地研究了场强、频率和几何形状对液滴和囊泡运输特性的影响，并突出了静电力与软物质固有特性之间丰富的相互作用。实验方法（如高精度成像、微操纵和复杂的计算建模）的最新进展也使我们对这些电流体动力学过程的理解达到了新的高度。本综述进一步探讨了这些技术在芯片实验室平台、药物递送系统和生物分析工具中的潜在应用，并突出了挑战，包括稳定性、可扩展性和可重复性。结论部分提出了未来研究的方向，旨在提高基于软物质的微流控系统中电动操纵的定位性、可控性和效率。
