US 12,383,903 B2
Droplet interfaces in electro-wetting devices
Matthew Holden, Cambridge, MA (US); and Ken Healy, Cambridge, MA (US)
Assigned to Oxford Nanopore Technologies PLC, Oxford (GB)
Filed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies PLC, Oxford (GB)
Filed on Apr. 2, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/624,276.
Application 18/624,276 is a continuation of application No. 17/057,910, granted, now 12,269,037, previously published as PCT/US2019/033957, filed on May 24, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/675,943, filed on May 24, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0390908 A1, Nov. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01); G01N 33/487 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/502792 (2013.01) [G01N 33/48728 (2013.01); B01L 2200/10 (2013.01); B01L 2200/143 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0645 (2013.01); B01L 2300/165 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0424 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0427 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of forming a droplet interface in an electro-wetting device,
the electro-wetting device comprising:
an array of actuation electrodes;
an insulator layer covering the actuation electrodes and having an outermost hydrophobic surface;
disposed on the hydrophobic surface, a fluid medium and two droplets comprising liquid in the fluid medium, one of the liquid and the fluid medium being polar, and the other of the liquid and the fluid medium being apolar,
whereby the actuation electrodes are configured to electro-wet the droplets when actuation signals are applied thereto,
the method comprising:
applying actuation signals to selected actuation electrodes to place one or both of the two droplets in an energised state in which the shape of said one or both droplets is modified compared to when in a lower energy state and to bring the two droplets into proximity with a gap therebetween, the gap being chosen such that the two droplets do not contact each other when one or both are in the energised state and contact each other to form a droplet interface when in the lower energy state; and
changing the actuation signals applied to the actuation electrodes to lower the energy of said one or both droplets into the lower energy state so that said one or both droplets relax into the gap and the two droplets contact each other thereby forming a droplet interface.