Microfluidics & (Electro-)Wetting

Electrowetting is one of the most versatile and tools to manipulate the wettability of surfaces, which makes is very attractive both for applied and for fundamental studies of static and dynamic wetting. Application related projects in our group deal with digital microfluidic systems. These systems are based on the manipulation of individual microdroplets of liquid rather than the first generation continuous flow microfluidic systems. Here, electrowetting is used to generate, move, split, merge, and mix liquid microdroplets. Fundamental projects deal with principles of mixing in microfluidics (chaotic mixing), contact line dynamics, contact angle hysteresis, entrapment of liquid films. Owing to the tenability of the surface wettability, electrowetting frequently allows for a new ways of exploring the physical principles of thin film flows.