Patent ID: 8287708

Claim:
A method for creating an encapsulated droplet with a removable shell, comprising: providing a microfluidic system having a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer opposite to each other; arranging a shell liquid onto a first reservoir electrode of the first electrode layer; arranging a core liquid onto a second reservoir electrode of the first electrode layer; arranging a removing liquid onto a third reservoir electrode of the first electrode layer; forming a shell droplet by moving part of the shell liquid from the first reservoir electrode to one of channel electrodes of the first electrode layer by applying an electric potential across the first and the second electrode layers; forming a core droplet by moving part of the core liquid from the second reservoir electrode to another one of the channel electrodes of the first electrode layer by applying an electric potential across the first and the second electrode layers; forming an encapsulated droplet by moving the shell droplet and the core droplet to contact each other by applying an electric potential across the first and the second electrode layers, the shell droplet wrapping around the core droplet; moving the encapsulated droplet on the channel electrodes to approach the third reservoir electrode by applying an electric potential across the first and the second electrode layers; and removing the shell droplet of the encapsulated droplet by contacting the removing liquid with the encapsulated droplet; wherein the removing liquid mixes with the shell droplet, and then dissolves the shell droplet from the encapsulated droplet, so that the encapsulated droplet is returned to the core droplet.