5th International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics ICAMEM2010

18-20 December, 2010, Hammamet, Tunisia

Effect of change in ratio of electrode to total pitch length in EWOD based

microfluidic system
Abhilash Paneri and N.N. Sharma
Mechanical Engineering Group, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, India,
abhilashpaneri@gmail.com, nitinipun@netscape.net

Abstract

The present work investigates the effect of variation of length of electrode for a EWOD (electrowetting on dielectric) based
microfluidic flow. The voltage and pitch length are kept constant at 60 V and 200µm respectively. The parameter measured is the
velocity of the droplet in the direction along channel length.

Various configurations were simulated and the best configuration was attributed to the one with the highest and stable energy
gradient. Simulations are carried out in Coventoware . The increase in length of electrode has been found to increase the velocity
of flow

Keywords: Microfluidics, Electrowetting on Dielectric (EWOD), Surface tension. Energy gradient

Symbols:

 SL
0
 Dielectric-liquid interfacial energy in the absence
of applied voltage
 Sl  Dielectric-liquid interfacial energy, when voltage
is applied
 0
SA  Dielectric-Air interfacial energy in the absence
of applied voltage
 SA  Dielectric-Air interfacial energy, when voltage is
Applied
 0  Permittivity of vacuum
g = acceleration due to gravity
 l  Liquid density
K = Dielectric constant
m = mass of the droplet
 = velocity of droplet

1.Introduction

The consequences of changing the thermal or electrical energy in changing the surface tension, which
eventually induces fluid flow, were studied first time by Lippmann[3]. The actuation of fluid flow in
micro-sized channels by changing the surface tension is an attractive option[4] and is gaining importance
in the developing technology of MEMS and microfluidics. Electro capillary based microfluidic actuation
schemes, in which the surface tension is modified by application of an electrical potential, provide greater
driving force and consume less power than thermocapillary-based methods. Electrocapillary effects have
been used in variety of microfluidic actuation schemes, including continuous electrowetting (CEW),
electrowetting (EW) and Electro-wetting on dielectric (EWOD)[1]. In CEW, a liquid metal flows

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Abhilash Paneri and N.N.Sharma
5th International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics ICAMEM2010
18-20 December, 2010, Hammamet, Tunisia

continuously in the channel containing an electrolyte under the influence of the electric potential applied
across the channel. The problem with CEW is that it requires use of two liquids which may create
fabrication complexities and may damage the sample. In the EW scheme, the liquid movement in a
channel is a result of change in the surface tension of the liquid induced by Electrical Double Layer
(EDL) formed at the interface of the channel, air, and the liquid when a voltage is applied to the electrode.
But, as the droplet is in direct contact with the electrodes, electrolysis of water may occur at high
actuating voltages, which limits the maximum attainable actuating force, unless some form of insulating
layer is coated on the electrodes to lessen the electrolytic effect.

Droplet flows in EWOD based microfluidic flow are different from continuous systems as they deal with
individual droplets instead of continuous liquid flow. EWOD based microfluidic flows are better in
monitoring the water flow and actuation of liquid flow. Because of which, EWOD is applied to fields like
drug delivery systems, medical devices and diagnostics, etc. Droplet velocity in micro channels involving
EWOD based microfluidic flows are mainly dependent upon the frequency with which the electrodes are
switched in the device. More is the frequency of switching electrodes, higher will be the velocity with
which droplet under actuation will travel.

The performance of an EWOD based microfluidic flow depends on the size, shape and orientation of its
electrodes. Scientists around the world have tried many different shapes, but the most extensively applied
are square shaped electrodes [1].

In recent times, developments in μ-TAS (micro total analysis systems), biosensors (Srinivasan et al[2])
and LOC (Lab on chip) devices, the implementation of EWOD based microchannels is gaining
importance . In the present work, an EWOD based microfluidic flow has been simulated for a constant
potential difference to its electrodes of 60V and then keeping the pitch (electrode-gap pair) length at
constant value of 200 µm. However, the length of the electrode is varied and corresponding droplet
velocity is observed. The work is organized in 4 sections. In the next section, model of EWOD based
microfluidic flow is developed. Third section presents the simulation including the boundary condition,
material used and the numerical results obtained. Fourth section analyses the result and draws based on
the simulation results.

2.Energy based model for Electrowetting induced flows

Jones [5] developed and discussed the energy based model for EWOD systems for vertical flow,
according to which the reason for the movement of the droplet is energy gradient. To actuate droplets, the
interfacial energy at an end of the droplet is reduced by applying a voltage to an electrode at that end of
the droplet. The electric field-induced reduction in interfacial energy causes the droplet to locally spread
out. The resulting change in contact angles sets up a pressure gradient which drives the droplet toward the
actuated electrode. Flow can also be analyzed from energy-minimization considerations, according to
which the droplet minimizes its surface energy by transiting to the actuated electrode. The energy gradient
is thus the driving force behind EW-induced motion of a fluid element.

The energy minimization based approach is first explained through the prediction of capillary rise or fall
due to applied voltage to the capillary walls. Figure 1 shows a circular capillary of radius R and length L
with a coating of a dielectric material on its inner wall. The thickness of the dielectric layer is t and its
dielectric constant is k. Application of voltage across the dielectric layer changes the capillary height. The
rise in fluid level(capillary height) is analyzed by estimating the total system energy as a function of the
capillary height h. The total energy is the sum of the dielectric–liquid interfacial energy, the dielectric–air
interfacial energy and the potential energy of the liquid column. The system energy when the liquid
meniscus is at a height h with an applied voltage V is

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Abhilash Paneri and N.N.Sharma
5th International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics ICAMEM2010
18-20 December, 2010, Hammamet, Tunisia

 k V 2 
Eh  2Rh  0 SL  0   2RL  h  0 SA  R 2  l h 
gh (1)
 2t  2
Differentiating this equation with respect to h, we obtain

E  K 0V 2 
h
 2R  sl0  
 1  R 2 Lg h  (2)
 2 t 

C1 C2
The expression for force (i.e. rate of change of momentum) in (2) on further solving gives,

d (m ) = C  C h (3)
1 2
d

Or,   C1 ( )  C2 ( )h (4)

The model in (4) can be applied to the droplet actuation on a Lab-on-chip device. The meniscus height is
analogues to the length of electrode under the droplet (Figure 2). The electrodes are switched

Dielectric
layer
Ground Plate
Voltage V
L Meniscus
Height h

Pitch Electrode

Droplet

Figure 1. Schematic of Electrocapillary rise model Figure 2. Schematic of EWOD in Lab-on-chip

on and off periodically, and as seen in figure 2, when the second electrode is switched on, surface energy of the
droplet over the activated electrode decreases. As a result droplet moves under energy gradient towards right to
attain the minimum energy configuration. Similarly, the next electrode is switched on and second electrode is
switched off, so the droplet keeps on moving under the energy gradient. According to (4), more is the value of h,
more is the velocity of the droplet.

3. Simulation

A channel of length 1200 um is considered with a constant pitch of 200 µm. Substrate used is SILICON
100, on which a dielectric material glass is used, with its dielectric constant 2. Droplet liquid is taken as
water with its viscosity 5.01e-09 Mpa.s, density 9.9982e-016 kg/µm3, and dielectric constant of 1000.
The simulations for this channel configuration are done on Coventoware. A process model was designed
and a 3D model of the channel is generated and meshed (Figure 3). While keeping the pitch constant, the
ratio of electrode length to gap is varied and change in droplet velocity due to this variation is observed.
The ratio of electrode length to gap length(pitch ratio) between two adjacent electrodes simulated are 1:3,

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Abhilash Paneri and N.N.Sharma
5th International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics ICAMEM2010
18-20 December, 2010, Hammamet, Tunisia

3:5, 1:1, 11:9, 5:3, and 3:1.The results of the simulation are shown in Table 1. Voltage used on all the
electrodes are 60 V. Frequency of switching electrodes used is 1670 Hz.

Figure 3- 3D model of the EWOD based device

The snapshot of the simulation result done on Coventorware© for the pitch configuration 3:1 is shown in
figure 4. In Figure 4(a), the droplet shown is at the beginning of the simulation. As soon as voltage is
applied to the second electrode, the droplet distorts under the action of the surface tension forces and
change in the droplet-dielectric contact angle (Figure 4(b)). The droplet moves towards the right end of
the channel (Figure .4(c)) and finally reaches the right end as shown in Figure 4(d).

4. Results and Discussion

The maximum velocity of the liquid droplet was observed for the electrode to gap ratio of 3:1( length of electrode =
150um, length of gap = 50 um). As shown in table 1, as we increase the length of the electrode, keeping the total
pitch length constant at 200um, the velocity of the droplet also increases. Increase in velocity of droplet with
increase in electrode length is also obtained from (4).

Velocity of Droplet
Pitch Ratio (×105 µm/s)

1:3 0.62

3:5 0.92

1:1 1.36

11:9 1.67

5:3 2.04

3:1 5.01

Table 1.Velocity readings for different pitch ratios

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Abhilash Paneri and N.N.Sharma
5th International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics ICAMEM2010
18-20 December, 2010, Hammamet, Tunisia

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Figure 4. Snapshot of the simulated model

The results we obtained after simulation are found to be in agreement with the proposed theory, and in
both cases, the velocity of the droplet increases with increase in pitch ratio. The experimental values of
droplet velocity against pitch as simulated in Coventorware©, and the values obtained from (4) are plotted
in Figure 5. It is seen that the variation in velocity with pitch ratio in (4) is linear, whereas that obtained
using Coventorware© are non-linear, but both show the trend of increase in velocity with increase in pitch
ratio. At very low and high values of the pitch ratio, the deviation of the experimental values from the
values obtained from (4) is less, while in the intermediate ratios, large deviation is observed. The linearity
in h in (4) is debatable and needs to be rectified as the adopted model in (4) do not take into account the
change in shape of the droplet, which is significant in case of LOC’s.For low values of pitch ratio, the
deformation of the droplet is low, as lesser part of it is over the electrode, and so the deviation is low. For
very high values of pitch ratio, deformation of droplet takes place, but it happens for a very short time, as
the droplet experiences very large force. As a result, the effect of change of shape on velocity is
negligible, and so the deviation is low for high values of pitch ratio. So, the velocity values obtained from
(4) and from Coventorware© show very low deviation for smaller and higher values of pitch ratios, while
the deviation is large in the intermediate range, as shown in Figure 5. The refinement of model for
inclusion of non-linearity due to non-uniform shape of the droplet is being worked further.

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Abhilash Paneri and N.N.Sharma
5th International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics ICAMEM2010
18-20 December, 2010, Hammamet, Tunisia

Vtheo
r

Vexp

Figure 5. Plot of Velocity v/s Pitch ratio for both theoretical and experimental values

Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), India for providing the
MEMS Design Center with software facility under the aegis of NPMASS (National Program for MEMS
and Smart Sensors)

References

1.]J. Zeng, T. Korsmeyer, Lab Chip. 4, 265–277 (2004).

2.] V. Srinivasan, V.K. Pamula, M.G. Pollack, R.B. Fair, in IEEE 16th, Annu. Int. Conf. MEMS. 327–330 (2003)

3.] M.G. Lippman, Ann. Chim. Phys. 5, 494–459 (1875)

4.] S.K. Cho, H. Moon, C.-J. Kim, J. Microelectromech. Syst. 12, 70–80(2003).

5.] Jones T B 2005 An electromechanical interpretation of electrowetting J. Micromech. Microeng. 15 1184-7

6.] Mugele F and Baret J C 2005 Electrowetting: from basics to applications J. Phys.: Condens. Matter

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