1. Electrowetting without external voltage using paint-on electrodes
- Author
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Jason Heikenfeld, Ishan D. Joshipura, Collin B. Eaker, Michael D. Dickey, and Logan R. Maxwell
- Subjects
Fabrication ,Dielectric strength ,Computer science ,Biomedical Engineering ,Bioengineering ,Nanotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,General Chemistry ,Dielectric ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,0104 chemical sciences ,Electrode ,Electrowetting ,Digital microfluidics ,0210 nano-technology ,Short circuit ,Voltage - Abstract
Electrowetting uses voltage to manipulate small volumes of fluid for applications including lab-on-a-chip and optical devices. To avoid electrochemical reactions, a dielectric often separates the fluid from the electrode, which has the undesired effect of adding processing steps while increasing the voltage necessary for electrowetting. We present a new method to dramatically reduce the complexity of electrode and dielectric fabrication while enabling multiple performance advances. This method relies on a self-oxidizing paint-on liquid-metal electrode that can be fabricated in minutes on rigid, rough, or even elastic substrates, enabling low operation voltages (
- Published
- 2017