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Abstract
This article presents a unified model for the velocity of discrete microdroplets. Simple algebraic expressions for steady-state droplet velocities are presented, as well as exact and approximate transient solutions. Specific results in terms of known experimental parameters are derived for the cases of electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), dielectrophoresis (DEP), continuous electrowetting (CEW), and thermocapillary pumping (TCP). Model predictions are shown to agree with previously published theoretical and experimental results, giving fluid velocities for a broad range of applications in digitized microfluidics. A relative comparison of the model's predictions for EWOD, CEW, DEP and TCP is also presented.
The authors would like to acknowledge partial support by AFOSR Contract No. FA9550-05-1-0334 and NSF Contract No. CTS-0540004.