Parametric studies on droplet generation reproducibility for applications with biological relevant fluids.

Although the great potential of droplet based microfluidic technologies for routine applications in industry and academia has been successfully demonstrated over the past years, its inherent potential is not fully exploited till now. Especially regarding to the droplet generation reproducibility and stability, two pivotally important parameters for successful applications, there is still a need for improvement. This is even more considerable when droplets are created to investigate tissue fragments or cell cultures (e.g. suspended cells or 3D cell cultures) over days or even weeks. In this study we present microfluidic chips composed of a plasma coated polymer, which allow surfactants-free, highly reproducible and stable droplet generation from fluids like cell culture media. We demonstrate how different microfluidic designs and different flow rates (and flow rate ratios) affect the reproducibility of the droplet generation process and display the applicability for a wide variety of bio(techno)logically relevant media.

Disorder-derived, strong tunneling attenuation in bis-phosphonate monolayers.

Monolayers of alkyl bisphosphonic acids (bisPAs) of various carbon chain lengths (C4, C8, C10, C12) were grown on aluminum oxide (AlO(x)) surfaces from solution. The structural and electrical properties of these self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were compared with those of alkyl monophosphonic acids (monoPAs). Through contact angle (CA) and Kelvin-probe (KP) measurements, ellipsometry, and infrared (IR) and x-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies, it was found that bisPAs form monolayers that are relatively disordered compared to their monoPA analogs. Current-voltage (J-V) measurements made with a hanging Hg drop top contact show tunneling to be the prevailing transport mechanism. However, while the monoPAs have an observed decay constant within the typical range for dense monolayers, ß(mono) = 0.85 ± 0.03 per carbon atom, a surprisingly high value, ß(bis) = 1.40 ± 0.05 per carbon atom, was measured for the bisPAs. We attribute this to a strong contribution of 'through-space' tunneling, which derives from conformational disorder in the monolayer due to strong interactions of the distal phosphonic acid groups; they likely form a hydrogen-bonding network that largely determines the molecular layer structure. Since bisPA SAMs attenuate tunnel currents more effectively than do the corresponding monoPA SAMs, they may find future application as gate dielectric modification in organic thin film devices.

Characterization of oxygen transfer in vertical microbubble columns for aerobic biotechnological processes.

This paper presents the applicability of a microtechnologically fabricated microbubble column as a screening tool for submerged aerobic cultivation. Bubbles in the range of a few hundred micrometers in diameter were generated at the bottom of an upright-positioned microdevice. The rising bubbles induced the circulation of the liquid and thus enhanced mixing by reducing the diffusion distances and preventing cells from sedimentation. Two differently sized nozzles (21 × 40 µm(2) and 53 × 40 µm(2) in cross-section) were tested. The gas flow rates were adjustable, and the resulting bubble sizes and gas holdups were investigated by image analysis. The microdevice features sensor elements for the real-time online monitoring of optical density and dissolved oxygen. The active aeration of the microdevice allowed for a flexible oxygen supply with mass transfer rates of up to 0.14 s(-1). Slightly higher oxygen mass transfer rates and a better degassing were found for the microbubble column equipped with the smaller nozzle. To validate the applicability of the microbubble column for aerobic submerged cultivation processes, batch cultivations of the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae were performed, and the specific growth rate, oxygen uptake rate, and yield coefficient were investigated.

Vertical microbubble column-A photonic lab-on-chip for cultivation and online analysis of yeast cell cultures.

This paper presents a vertically positioned microfluidic system made of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and glass, which can be applied as a microbubble column (µBC) for biotechnological screening in suspension. In this µBC, microbubbles are produced in a cultivation chamber through an integrated nozzle structure. Thus, homogeneous suspension of biomass is achieved in the cultivation chamber without requiring additional mixing elements. Moreover, blockage due to produced carbon dioxide by the microorganisms-a problem predominant in common, horizontally positioned microbioreactors (MBRs)-is avoided, as the gas bubbles are released by buoyancy at the upper part of the microsystem. The patterned PDMS layer is based on an optimized two-lithographic process. Since the naturally hydrophobic PDMS causes problems for the sufficient production of microbubbles, a method based on polyelectrolyte multilayers is applied in order to allow continuous hydrophilization of the already bonded PDMS-glass-system. The µBC comprises various microelements, including stabilization of temperature, control of continuous bubble formation, and two optical configurations for measurement of optical density with two different sensitivities. In addition, the simple and robust application and handling of the µBC is achieved via a custom-made modular plug-in adapter. To validate the scalability from laboratory scale to microscale, and thus to demonstrate the successful application of the µBC as a screening instrument, a batch cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is performed in the µBC and compared to shake flask cultivation. Monitoring of the biomass growth in the µBC with the integrated online analytics resulted in a specific growth rate of 0.32 h(-1), which is almost identical to the one achieved in the shake flask cultivation (0.31 h(-1)). Therefore, the validity of the µBC as an alternative screening tool compared to other conventional laboratory scale systems in bioprocess development is proven. In addition, vertically positioned microbioreactors show high potential in comparison to conventional screening tools, since they allow for high density of integrated online analytics and therefore minimize time and cost for screening and guarantee improved control and analysis of cultivation parameters.

Single-step fabrication of nanolamellar structured oxide ceramic coatings by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition.

Oxide ceramic coatings in the system Y2O3-Al2O3-ZrO2 were fabricated in laboratory scale by using a MOCVD unit. A hot wall reactor was used along with different precursor feeding systems. Most experiments were carried out by using powder flash evaporation including a screw feeder for precursor powder delivery. For comparison, further samples were fabricated by using band flash evaporation and continuous evaporation from a crucible. Oxygen was used in all cases as reactant gas. Aluminium-tris-2,4-pentanedione (Al(acac)3), yttrium-tris-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedione (Y(thd)3) and zirconium-tetrakis-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedione (Zr(thd)4) were applied as metal-organic precursors because of their similar vaporization behaviour under the given conditions. The coating stoichiometry was varied from pure alumina to complex ternary compositions in the system Y2O3-Al2O3-ZrO2. Both kinds of ternary coatings fabricated by using flash evaporation methods show a nanolamellar microstructure in the as deposited state. Heat treating experiments at 1200 degrees C for up to 5 days enhance the lamellar character of the coating deposited by using powder flash evaporation. The lamellar microstructure is due to alternating YSZ enriched layers and YAG enriched layers in this state. However, the coating fabricated by using band flash evaporation shows a dense interpenetrating network of YSZ and YAG after heat treating instead of a lamellar microstructure observed in the as deposited state.

Polyelectrolyte multilayer surface functionalization of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) for reduction of yeast cell adhesion in microfluidic devices.

Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) based on the combinations poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)∕poly(acrylic acid) (PDADMAC∕PAA) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride)∕PAA (PAH∕PAA) were adsorbed on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and tested for nonspecific surface attachment of hydrophobic yeast cells using a parallel plate flow chamber. A custom-made graft copolymer containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) side chains (PAA-g-PEG) was additionally adsorbed on the PEMs as a terminal layer. A suitable PEM modification effectively decreased the adhesion strength of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DSM 2155 to the channel walls. However, a further decrease in initial cell attachment and adhesion strength was observed after adsorption of PAA-g-PEG copolymer onto PEMs from aqueous solution. The results demonstrate that a facile layer-by-layer surface functionalization from aqueous solutions can be successfully applied to reduce cell adhesion strength of S. cerevisiae by at least two orders of magnitude compared to bare PDMS. Therefore, this method is potentially suitable to promote planktonic growth inside capped PDMS-based microfluidic devices if the PEM deposition is completed by a dynamic flow-through process.

Design and manufacture of spectrally selective reflecting coatings for the use with laser display projection screens.

To provide screens for laser projection that improve contrast, a spectrally selective reflecting filter was designed by using genetic algorithms to overcome the problem of unknown starting values. Colormetrics rather than fixed targets were used for evaluation. Various selective filters were deposited upon glass as well as upon solid and flexible plastic substrates by reactive mid-frequency magnetron sputtering. For process control, in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry was applied.