Nanoliter liquid metering in microchannels using hydrophobic patterns

Nanoliter-sized liquid drops can be accurately metered inside hydrophilic microchannels using a combination of hydrophobic surface treatment and air pressure. The technique involves spontaneously filling the microchannels up to a hydrophobic region and splitting a liquid drop by injecting air through a hydrophobic side channel. The hydrophobic regions are fabricated by using a patterned metal mask on a substrate. The patterned substrate is immersed in an isooctane solution containing 1H,1H,2H,2H-per-fluorodecyltrichlorosilane to form hydrophobic patches on the exposed surface. Stripping the metal mask leaves the hydrophobic patches and restores the hydrophilic substrate surface. Precise and accurate liquid volumes, ranging from 0.5 to 125 nanoliters, have been metered using this technique. Theoretical predictions of the pressure needed to meter drops compare well with the experimental values.