LAUSR

Here an optical flow cell with two light paths is reported that can accurately quantify the size and velocity of droplets flowing through a microchannel. The flow cell can measure the time taken for droplets to pass between and through two conjoined light paths, and thereby is capable of measuring the velocities (0.2–5.45 mm/s) and sizes of droplets (length > 0.8 mm). The composition of the droplet can also be accurately quantified via optical absorption measurements. The device has a small footprint and uses low-powered, low-cost components, which make it ideally suited for use in field-deployable and portable analytical devices.