Abstract: Droplet microfluidics is a new area in microfluidics research and has been extensively studied and reported due to its various unique advantages. In this paper, we review the preparation and wide range of manipulation technologies of microdroplets including splitting, coalescence, mixing, sorting, storage, coding, etc., as well as their applications in chemical and biochemical analyses; we also envision the future developments of droplet microfluidic technologies.

Key words: lab-on-a-chip, micro total analysis system, review, droplet, microfluidics