Electrowetting Advances and Applications

Since Gabriel Lippmann's experiments demonstrating electrocapillarity in 1875, the ability to manipulate physical properties at the phase boundaries by applying electric fields has been vigorously pursued. Electrowetting (EW) essentially involves modulating the wetting properties of a solid surface by applying external electric fields. Electroweting-on-dielectric (EWOD) is a modified (improved) version in which a thin dielectric layer is introduced between the conducting droplet and the electrode (solid). Recently there has been explosive interest in the burgeoning field of Electrowetting. This is attributed to myriad applications of EW including variable-focus liquid lenses, display devices, mirrors, electrical and thermal switches, tensiometer, rheometers, digital microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices for bioanalysis and controlled drug delivery, and self-cleaning surfaces. This book containing 31 papers by world-class researchers focuses on theoretical treatments, mechanisms, performance enhancement, and demonstrated and perceived applications of Electrowetting. As we learn more about this fascinating phenomenon, more application vistas will emerge. This is the first comprehensive book with contributions from scores of luminaries in this field. We certainly hope this book will serve as a fountainhead for new research ideas. The book is profusely illustrated and copiously referenced, and it should be very useful and of much interest to beginners (as a guide) and veteran researchers as a commentary on contemporary research in this fast-growing topic. Moreover, this book should be a source of much useful information for those working or interested in the above-mentioned application areas.