Electrohydrodynamic wetting manipulation, a technique commonly used in microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip applications, requires not only the chip itself but also an appropriate electronic system to actuate the liquids involved. However, these systems are often application-specific, which can limit the available range of actuation signals and channels. To overcome this limitation, we propose a computer-controlled actuation platform that integrates a microcontroller unit, an adjustable high-voltage power supply, an AC and DC waveform generator, amplifier circuits, and a solid-state switching system within a single compact housing. The platform further features a non-hard-wired chip-contacting mechanism that enables rapid switching between different microfluidic chips during experiments. In the presented configuration, it can individually control up to 26 electrodes using sine, triangular, or square wave signals at voltages ranging from −30 to +100 V and frequencies of up to 80 kHz. The performance of the setup was evaluated through various electrical measurements, and the device was employed during its development to manipulate ethylene glycol droplets on Teflon™-coated thin-film substrates via dielectrowetting.
Azizy et al. (Wed,) studied this question.