Editing Digital microfluidics (section)

=== All-terrain droplet actuation (ATDA) ===
All-terrain microfluidics is a method used to transport liquid droplets over non-traditional surface types.<ref name="Abdelgawad_2008">{{cite journal | vauthors = Abdelgawad M, Freire SL, Yang H, Wheeler AR | title = All-terrain droplet actuation | journal = Lab on a Chip | volume = 8 | issue = 5 | pages = 672–7 | date = May 2008 | pmid = 18432335 | doi = 10.1039/b801516c }}</ref> Unlike traditional microfluidics platform, which are generally restricted to planar and horizontal surfaces, ATDA enables droplet manipulation over curved, non-horizontal, and inverted surfaces.<ref name="Abdelgawad_2008" /> This is made possible by incorporating flexible thin sheets of copper and polyimide into the surface via a rapid prototyping method.<ref name="Abdelgawad_2008" /><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Abdelgawad M, Wheeler AR | title = Rapid prototyping in copper substrates for digital microfluidics. | journal = Advanced Materials | date = January 2007 | volume = 19 | issue = 1 | pages = 133–7 | doi =  10.1002/adma.200601818 | bibcode = 2007AdM....19..133A | s2cid = 53621073 }}</ref> This device works very well with many liquids, including aqueous buffers, solutions of proteins and DNA, and undiluted bovine serum.<ref name="Abdelgawad_2008" /> ATDA is compatible with silicone oil or pluronic additives, such as F-68, which reduce non-specific absorption and biofouling when dealing with biological fluids such as proteins, biological serums, and DNA.<ref name="Abdelgawad_2008" /><ref name="George_2015">{{cite journal | vauthors = George SM, Moon H | title = Digital microfluidic three-dimensional cell culture and chemical screening platform using alginate hydrogels | journal = Biomicrofluidics | volume = 9 | issue = 2 | pages = 024116 | date = March 2015 | pmid = 25945142 | pmc = 4401805 | doi = 10.1063/1.4918377 }}</ref> A drawback of a setup like this is accelerated droplet evaporation.<ref name="Abdelgawad_2008" /> ATDA is a form of open digital microfluidics, and as such the device needs to be encapsulated in a humidified environment in order to minimize droplet evaporation.<ref name="Barbulovic-Nad_2008">{{cite journal | vauthors = Barbulovic-Nad I, Yang H, Park PS, Wheeler AR | title = Digital microfluidics for cell-based assays | journal = Lab on a Chip | volume = 8 | issue = 4 | pages = 519–26 | date = April 2008 | pmid = 18369505 | doi = 10.1039/b717759c }}</ref>