This review compares droplet-based microfluidic systems used to study crystallization fundamentals in chemistry and biology. An original high-throughput droplet-based microfluidic platform is presented. It uses nanoliter droplets, generates a chemical library, and directly solubilizes powder, thus economizing both material and time. It is compatible with all solvents without the need for surfactant. Its flexibility permits phase diagram determination and crystallization studies (screening and optimizing experiments) and makes it easy to use for nonspecialists in microfluidics. Moreover, it allows concentration measurement via ultraviolet spectroscopy and solid characterization via X-ray diffraction analysis.
The structure of a chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) diamond thin film on a Mo substrate was studied using quasi-parallel X-ray and glancing incidence techniques. Conventional X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the sample consists of a diamond thin film, a
Mo2C
transition layer, and Mo substrate. The
Mo2C
transition layer was formed by a chemical reaction between the diamond film and the Mo substrate during the CVD process. A method for layer-thickness determination of the thin film and the transition layer was developed. This method was based on a relationship between X-ray diffraction intensities from the transition layer or its substrate and a function of grazing incidence angles. Results of glancing incidence X-ray diffraction analysis showed that thicknesses of the diamond thin film and the
Mo2C
transition layer were determined successfully with high precision.
Advances in the Use of Microfluidics to Study Crystallization Fundamentals