A Kansas State University engineer is developing a new way to create large quantities of liquid droplets with consistent and adjustable sizes using a unique electrical technique called electrowetting bursting.
Shih-Kang “Scott” Fan, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, received over $450,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation for this three-year project. Mingjun Wei, also a professor in the same department, is a co-investigator on the project.
The goal of the research is to explore how electrowetting bursting can make it easier to create controlled droplets while reducing the size and weight of the equipment needed. This new approach could be useful in areas like disease diagnostics, drug production, and vaccine manufacturing, where precise droplet creation is important.
Fan explained that traditional systems for generating droplets rely on bulky mechanical parts, which can be inefficient and hard to control. By using electrowetting bursting, the team hopes to improve droplet production for applications in medicine and science. The research will also provide educational opportunities for students and the public to learn more about STEM.