A study of EWOD-driven droplets by PIV investigation

Despite the recent interest in droplet-based microfluidics using electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD), fundamental understanding of the fluid dynamics remains limited to two-dimensional (2D) reduction of the Navier–Stokes equation. Experimental data are in dire need to verify the predictions and advance the field. We report an investigation of the flow inside droplets actuated by EWOD in air using micro particle image velocimetry (µ-PIV). Using the continuity equation, we reconstruct the 3D velocity field from the 2D PIV experimental data. We present some fundamental findings and build valuable insights that will help design sophisticated EWOD microfluidic devices. For example, the results confirm that efficient mixing in a droplet may be achieved by moving the droplet along an irreversible pattern that breaks the symmetry of the two circulating inner flows.