Electro-optical effects of high aspect ratio P3HT nanofibers colloid in polymer micro-fluid cells.

This Letter reports the electro-optical (EO) effect of Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) nanofibers colloid in a polymer micro-fluidic EO cell. P3HT nanofibers are high aspect ratio semiconducting nanostructures, and can be collectively aligned by an external alternating electric field. Optical transmission modulated by the electric field is a manifestation of the electro-optical effect due to high inner crystallinity of P3HT nanofibers. According to our results, the degree of alignment reaches a maximum at 0.6 V/µm of electric field strength, implying a big polarizability value due to geometry and electrical properties of P3HT nanofibers. We believe that one-dimensional crystalline organic nanostructures have a large potential in EO devices due to their significant anisotropy, wide variety of properties, low actuation voltages, and opportunity to be tailored via adjustment of the fabrication process.

Modeling and simulation of electrostatically gated nanochannels.

Today, despite the growing interest in nanofluidics, the descriptions of the many complex physical phenomena occurring at this scale remain scattered in the literature. Due to the additional complexity encountered when considering electrostatic nanofluidic gating, it is important to regroup several relevant theories and discuss them with regard to this application. In this work, we present a theoretical study of electrostatically gated phenomena and propose a model for the electrostatic gating of ion and molecular transport in nanochannels. In addition to the classical electrokinetic equations, that are reviewed in this work, several relevant phenomena are considered and combined to describe gating effects on nanofluidic properties more accurately. Dynamic surface charging is accounted for and is shown to be an essential element for electrostatic gating. The autoprotolysis of water is also considered to allow for accurate computing of the surface charge. Modifications of the Nernst-Planck equations are considered for more accurate computing of the concentration profiles at higher surface potentials by accounting for ion crowding near charge walls. The sensitivity of several parameters to the electric field and ion crowding is also studied. Each of these models is described separately before their implementation in a finite element model. The model is verified against previous experimental work. Finally, the model is used to simulate the tuning of the ionic current through the nanochannel via electrostatic gating. The influence of the additional models on these results is discussed. Guidelines for potentially better gating efficiencies are finally proposed.

Inertial microfluidics in parallel channels for high-throughput applications.

Passive particle focusing based on inertial microfluidics was recently introduced as a high-throughput alternative to active focusing methods that require an external force-field to manipulate particles. In this study, we introduce inertial microfluidics in flows through straight, multiple parallel channels. The scalable, single inlet and two outlet, parallel channel system is enabled by a novel, high-density 3D PDMS microchannel manufacturing technology, mediated via a targeted inhibition of PDMS polymerization. Using single channels, we first demonstrate how randomly distributed particles can be focused into the centre position of the channel in flows through low aspect ratio channels and can be effectively fractionated. As a proof of principle, continuous focusing and filtration of 10 µm particles from a suspension mixture using 4- and 16-parallel-channel devices with a single inlet and two outlets are demonstrated. A filtration efficiency of 95-97% was achieved at throughputs several orders of magnitude higher than previously shown for flows through straight channels. The scalable and low-footprint focusing device requiring neither external force fields nor mechanical parts to operate is readily applicable for high-throughput focusing and filtration applications as a stand-alone device or integrated with lab-on-a-chip systems.

Microfluidic and transducer technologies for lab on a chip applications.

Point-of-care diagnostic devices typically require six distinct qualities: they must deliver at least the same sensitivity and selectivity, and for a cost per assay no greater than that of today's central lab technologies, deliver results in a short period of time (〈15 min at GP; 〈2h in hospital), be portable or at least small in scale, and require no or extremely little sample preparation. State-of-the-art devices deliver information of several markers in the same measurement.

A packaged optical slot-waveguide ring resonator sensor array for multiplex label-free assays in labs-on-chips.

We present the design, fabrication, and characterisation of an array of optical slot-waveguide ring resonator sensors, integrated with microfluidic sample handling in a compact cartridge, for multiplexed real-time label-free biosensing. Multiplexing not only enables high throughput, but also provides reference channels for drift compensation and control experiments. Our use of alignment tolerant surface gratings to couple light into the optical chip enables quick replacement of cartridges in the read-out instrument. Furthermore, our novel use of a dual surface-energy adhesive film to bond a hard plastic shell directly to the PDMS microfluidic network allows for fast and leak-tight assembly of compact cartridges with tightly spaced fluidic interconnects. The high sensitivity of the slot-waveguide resonators, combined with on-chip referencing and physical modelling, yields a volume refractive index detection limit of 5 x 10(-6) refractive index units (RIUs) and a surface mass density detection limit of 0.9 pg mm(-2), to our knowledge the best reported values for integrated planar ring resonators.

Micromachined filter-chamber array with passive valves for biochemical assays on beads.

The filter-chamber array presented here enables a real-time parallel analysis of three different samples on beads in a volume of 3 nL, on a 1 cm2 chip. The filter-chamber array is a system containing three filter-chambers, three passive valves at the inlet channels and a common outlet. The design enables parallel sample handling and time-controlled analysis. The device is microfabricated in silicon and sealed with a Pyrex lid to enable real-time analysis. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis by using pyrosequencing has successfully been performed in single filter-chamber devices. The passive valves consist of plasma-deposited octafluorocyclobutane and show a much higher resistance towards water and surface-active solutions than previous hydrophobic patches. The device is not sensitive to gas bubbles, clogging is rare and reversible, and the filter-chamber array is reusable. More complex (bio)chemical reactions on beads can be performed in the devices with passive valves than in the devices without valves.