Manipulation of magnetic wires for droplet-based micro-TAS

We developed a micro-TAS system that uses magnetic wires instead of the conventional beads as the carrier to improve reaction efficiency. Magnetic wire 2.0 mm×74 μm×20 μm was fabricated by wet etching. The wires were introduced into a droplet immersed in silicone oil, and they were manipulated by the magnetic force of a moving magnet. The wires were successfully bundled for transportation through the channel by surface tension, and they were outspread along the magnetic field lines in the droplet for the reaction. The advantage of the proposed method is that the wire-configurations can be changed depending on the shape needed in the system.