Colour-Specific Microfluidic Droplet Detection for Molecular Communication

TL;DR

This paper introduces a low-cost, portable microfluidic droplet detector capable of distinguishing droplets, transmitting data via on-off keying, and characterizing droplet colour and size for molecular communication and lab-on-a-chip applications.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, portable droplet detection device that enables reliable droplet distinction, colour-based data transmission, and droplet characterization in microfluidic systems.

Findings

Successful transmission of a 16-bit sequence using on-off keying.

Device can distinguish droplets based on colour and size.

Spectral sensor enables new colour-coded data transmission methods.

Abstract

Droplet-based microfluidic systems are a promising platform forlab-on-a-chip (LoC) applications. These systems can also be used toenhance LoC applications with integrated droplet control information or for data transmission scenarios in the context of molecular communication. For both use-cases the detection and characterisation of droplets in small microfluidic channels is crucial. So far, only complex lab setups with restricted capabilities have been presented as detection devices. We present a new low-cost and portable droplet detector. The device is used to confidently distinguish between individual droplets in a droplet-based microfluidic system. Using on-off keying a 16-bit sequence is successfully transmittedfor the first time with such a setup. Furthermore, the devices capabilities to characterise droplets regarding colour and size are demonstrated. Such an application of a spectral sensor in a microfluidic system presents new possibilities, such as colour-coded data transmission or analysis of droplet content.