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Soft matter principles of microfluidics
Annie Colin, Todd M. Squires and Lyderic Bocquet
DOI: 10.1039/c2sm90116a

Techniques in microfluidics have played been developed for the study of protein Probing the properties of suspensions
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an increasing role in the study, science crystallization that reliably mete out
Several papers employ microfluidic
and engineering of soft matter, for a samples with precise volumes in the tens
systems to probe, through direct visual-
variety of reasons. Microfluidics and of picoliters.4 Furthermore, mono-
ization, the dynamics of colloidal
soft matter tend to operate within a disperse droplets of one fluid can be
suspensions in flow. Kumar and Gra-
shared regime of physico-chemical formulated and suspended in an
ham (DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25943E)
parameter space: the effects of confine- immiscible carrier fluid, enabling
review the physical mechanisms behind
ment, screened electrostatic interactions hundreds of distinct ‘microreactors’ to
margination and segregation in flows of
and the dominance of viscous damping, be created per second, while consuming
suspension mixtures, including whole
rather than inertial turbulence, in gov- very little sample. In addition to probing
blood, wherein leukocytes and platelets
erning the evolution of flowing solubility5 and chemical kinetics,6
are known to segregate to the bound-
systems. Science studied in one realm emulsification microfluidics combined
aries of the flow. Pandey and Conrad
can often illuminate or inspire develop- with passive, bead-based microrheology
(DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25935D) use sus-
ments in another. To highlight this enables the high-throughput
pended polymers as depletants to tune
point, microfluidic systems provide screening of the rheology of various
the attractive interactions between
incredible control over system geometry formulations of soft materials.7 The
suspended colloids under flowing
and material conditions, such that quasi-two dimensional nature of micro-
conditions and directly visualize a
physico-chemical effects relevant to soft fluidic systems enables a direct visuali-
yielding flow profile. Uspal and Doyle
matter systems can be isolated and zation of microstructural processes
(DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25931A) look at
investigated in microfluidic systems with within soft materials—both dilute and
quasi-2D suspensions and, in particular,
precision. concentrated—that would be next to
focus on the effects of this confinement
Secondly, microfluidic systems impossible in bulk materials.
upon the collective dynamics of small
provide a wide variety of advantages Examples here include the flow of
clusters.
for the study of soft matter. In partic- foams, emulsions, suspensions and
These and other studies critically
ular, the low-Reynolds numbers polymers.
involve the effects of confinement, which
inherent in most microfluidic Finally, microfluidics provide
occurs in soft matter and in biological
systems lead to laminar flows that can be tight control over local flow and phys-
systems. Bartolo and Aarts (DOI:
predicted and designed in a rational ico-chemical conditions that allow
10.1039/C2SM26157J) provide an
fashion. Even in systems where novel particles and materials to be
opinion piece to describe the delicate and
inertia does play the key role (e.g., where synthesized. For example, the type,
rich interplay between geometric
inertia drives suspended particles to rate and rheological character of the
confinement, physical and statistical
marginate and interact hydrodynami- flows (e.g., pure shear, extension and
phenomena. For example, Sbragaglia
cally1), flows are still typically laminar various mixtures) can be effectively
et al. (DOI: 10.1039/C2SM26167G)
and can thus be designed. Conversely, designed through clever choice of the
provide theoretical studies on the
the strong shear rates possible microchannel geometry. Additionally,
confined flows of non-ideal fluids and
within microfluidic channels can be ex- the solvent and solution conditions can
interrogate the existence of a cooperative
ploited to drive strong non-Newtonian be precisely controlled, including
length scale and non-local rheology of
effects, even at moderate-to-small Rey- deliberately introducing a spatially
soft, glassy materials.
nolds numbers,2,3 so that elastic effects non-uniform distribution of solute or
Suspensions of emulsion drops behave
(and elastic turbulence) can be unam- solution, or incorporating slowly
in many ways like colloids, while intro-
biguously disentangled from those of changing solutions.
ducing a variety of distinct phenomena.
inertial turbulence. Additionally, mi- Altogether, this special issue highlights
Bremond and Bibette (DOI: 10.1039/
crofluidic systems handle sample many of the advantages and capabilities
C2SM25923K) review key issues in
volumes that are, by nature, very that microfluidics offer to the study of soft
emulsion science and the ways in which
small: fluid metering systems have matter.

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012 Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 10527–10529 | 10527
 View Article Online

microfluidics have been used to study Tadmouri (DOI: 10.1039/ microfluidic systems to probe soft matter.
them. Krebs et al. (DOI: 10.1039/ C2SM25933H) emulsify molten metal Electrical effects have been used extensively
C2SM26122G) study shear-induced alloys, then cool them under different throughout the histories of both soft matter
coalescence by looking at droplet colli- degrees of confinement to form metal and microfluidics. Barabati and Kirby
sions in microchannels and Skhiri et al. spheres, ellipsoids and rods. Finally, (DOI: 10.1039/C2SM26121A) review the
(DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25934F) look at Anton et al. (DOI: 10.1039/ various electrokinetic tools available to soft
emulsion permeation—the exchange of C2SM25357G) exploit the precise matter researchers. Electrokinetic effects
species between individual emulsion control afforded by microfluidics to were central to the first genome sequencing
droplets—and how surface-active develop a new method for the nano- and to genomic and proteomic separations.
proteins retard this exchange. Along precipitation of 100 nm particles for Mai et al. (DOI: 10.1039/C2SM26036K)
these lines, Lee et al. (DOI: 10.1039/ drug encapsulation and Huang et al. review the various microfluidic systems
C2SM26044A) examine the effects that (DOI: 10.1039/C2SM26126J) describe that have been developed to study the
surfactant interfaces have on the mechanically robust hydrogel structures detailed dynamics of DNA (and, by
flow inside of, and external to, an for cell culture in microfluidics. extension, other polymers). Lastly, Badilita
emulsion drop held fixed in a Hele–Shaw et al. (DOI: 10.1039/C2SM26065D) review
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flow. Kotula and Anna (DOI: 10.1039/ recent advances in nuclear magnetic reso-
Surfaces and interfaces
C2SM25970B) examine the nance imaging—in particular, the increas-
dynamics of nanoparticle adsorption Free fluid interfaces, even between miscible ingly small interrogation volumes and
onto bubbles and Ma et al. (DOI: fluids, exhibit rich dynamics as well. Cu- short acquisition times and their incorpo-
10.1039/C2SM25833A) visualize baud and Mason (DOI: 10.1039/ ration into microfluidic systems—and its
the dynamics of aqueous foams C2SM25902H) review viscous instabilities use for the study of soft matter.
injected into model porous media and as co-flowing streams of different viscosities We believe this Soft Matter special
their efficacy in expelling oil from the are driven through converging and issue nicely highlights the confluence of
pores. diverging channels and Darvishi and Cu- microfluidic systems and soft matter and
baud (DOI: 10.1039/C2SM25932J) explore the complementary ways in which the
the combination of viscous and capillary study of one can inform the other. Mi-
New functional materials
instabilities. Bonhomme et al. (DOI: crofluidics has opened new paths in soft
Microfluidic and millifluidic devices 10.1039/C2SM25552A) demonstrate a matter and soft matter has driven new
open the road to the creation of new novel method for wet-spinning fibers using developments in microfluidics. It is our
functional materials. The small scales co-flowing streams to drawn alginate solu- sincere hope that the combination of
inherent in microfluidic devices enables tions into thin threads and subsequently scientific investigation, synthesis strate-
rapid cooling and heating and perfect crosslink the alginate with calcium dis- gies and powerful experimental tech-
control of the temperature and solved in the external streams to form fibers niques included here will clarify the
residence time during the chemical whose physical properties can be tuned. special advantages that microfluidic
reaction allows a low polydispersity and Liquid–air interfaces introduce, at systems have for the study and manipu-
high monomer conversion for times, complex dynamics on this small lation of soft matter and will motivate and
exothermic polymerization reactions, scale, as capillary stress can be quite large inspire future studies.
which is not possible in conventional for drops and bubbles. Visser et al. (DOI:
batch mode syntheses.8 The ability to 10.1039/C2SM26323H) use high-speed
produce monodisperse drops of a imaging to examine the impact of micro-
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10528 | Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 10527–10529 This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012
Published on 21 September 2012. Downloaded on 07/04/2015 04:26:03. View Article Online

Annie Colin, Universite Bordeaux, Todd M. Squires, University of Cal- Lyderic Bocquet, Universite Lyon,
France ifornia, Santa Barbara, USA France

This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012 Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 10527–10529 | 10529