• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.13-17
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• 2014

In the present study, the optofluidic droplet manipulation in a microfluidic platform was demonstrated via theoretical and experimental approaches. Optical scattering force and gradient force were used to separate and trap droplets. Two types of droplets were generated by a T-junction method in the microfluidic channel. While they approach a test region where the optical beam illuminates the droplets, they were pushed by the optical scattering beam. The displacement by the laser beam is dependent on the refractive index of the droplets. By using the optical gradient force, the droplets can be trapped and coalesced. In order to bring the droplets in a direct contact, the optical gradient force was used to trap the droplets. A theoretical modeling of the coalescence was derived by combining the optical force and drag force on the droplet.