1
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Park I, Kim S, Brenden CK, Shi W, Iyer H, Bashir R, Vlasov Y. Highly Localized Chemical Sampling at Subsecond Temporal Resolution Enabled with a Silicon Nanodialysis Platform at Nanoliter per Minute Flows. ACS NANO 2024; 18:6963-6974. [PMID: 38378186 PMCID: PMC10919076 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c09776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Microdialysis (MD) is a versatile and powerful technique for chemical profiling of biological tissues and is widely used for quantification of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, metabolites, biomarkers, and drugs in the central nervous system as well as in dermatology, ophthalmology, and pain research. However, MD performance is severely limited by fundamental tradeoffs between chemical sensitivity, spatial resolution, and temporal response. Here, by using wafer-scale silicon microfabrication, we develop and demonstrate a nanodialysis (ND) sampling probe that enables highly localized chemical sampling with 100 μm spatial resolution and subsecond temporal resolution at high recovery rates. These performance metrics, which are 100-1000× superior to existing MD approaches, are enabled by a 100× reduction of the microfluidic channel cross-section, a corresponding drastic 100× reduction of flow rates to exceedingly slow few nL/min flows, and integration of a nanometer-thin nanoporous membrane with high transport flux into the probe sampling area. Miniaturized ND probes may allow for the minimally invasive and highly localized sampling and chemical profiling in live biological tissues with high spatiotemporal resolution for clinical, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Weihua Shi
- University of Illinois at
Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, United States
| | - Hrishikesh Iyer
- University of Illinois at
Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, United States
| | - Rashid Bashir
- University of Illinois at
Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, United States
| | - Yurii Vlasov
- University of Illinois at
Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, United States
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2
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Park I, Kim S, Brenden CK, Shi W, Iyer H, Bashir R, Vlasov Y. Highly localized chemical sampling at sub-second temporal resolution enabled with a silicon nanodialysis platform at exceedingly slow flows. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.08.556607. [PMID: 37745310 PMCID: PMC10515758 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.08.556607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Microdialysis (MD) is a versatile and powerful technique for chemical profiling of biological tissues and is widely used for quantification of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, metabolites, biomarkers, and drugs in the central nervous system as well as in dermatology, ophthalmology, and in pain research. However, MD performance is severely limited by fundamental tradeoffs between chemical sensitivity, spatial resolution, and temporal response. Here, by using wafer-scale silicon microfabrication, we develop and demonstrate a nanodialysis (ND) sampling probe that enables highly localized chemical sampling with 100μm spatial resolution and sub-second temporal resolution at high recovery rates. These performance metrics, which are 100X-1000X superior to existing MD approaches, are enabled by a 100X reduction of the microfluidic channel cross-section, a corresponding drastic 100X reduction of flow rates to exceedingly slow few nL/min flows, and integration of a nanometer-thin nanoporous membrane with high transport flux into the probe sampling area. Miniaturized ND probes may allow for the minimally invasive and highly localized sampling and chemical profiling in live biological tissues with unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution for clinical, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications.
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3
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Cacheux J, Bancaud A, Alcaide D, Suehiro JI, Akimoto Y, Sakurai H, Matsunaga YT. Endothelial tissue remodeling induced by intraluminal pressure enhances paracellular solute transport. iScience 2023; 26:107141. [PMID: 37416478 PMCID: PMC10320514 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The endothelial layers of the microvasculature regulate the transport of solutes to the surrounding tissues. It remains unclear how this barrier function is affected by blood flow-induced intraluminal pressure. Using a 3D microvessel model, we compare the transport of macromolecules through endothelial tissues at mechanical rest or with intraluminal pressure, and correlate these data with electron microscopy of endothelial junctions. On application of an intraluminal pressure of 100 Pa, we demonstrate that the flow through the tissue increases by 2.35 times. This increase is associated with a 25% expansion of microvessel diameter, which leads to tissue remodeling and thinning of the paracellular junctions. We recapitulate these data with the deformable monopore model, in which the increase in paracellular transport is explained by the augmentation of the diffusion rate across thinned junctions under mechanical stress. We therefore suggest that the deformation of microvasculatures contributes to regulate their barrier function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Cacheux
- Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
- LIMMS, CNRS-IIS UMI 2820, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
| | - Aurélien Bancaud
- Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
- LIMMS, CNRS-IIS UMI 2820, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
- CNRS, LAAS, 7 Avenue Du Colonel Roche, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Daniel Alcaide
- Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Suehiro
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Akimoto
- Department of Anatomy, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Sakurai
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
| | - Yukiko T. Matsunaga
- Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
- LIMMS, CNRS-IIS UMI 2820, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
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4
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McCloskey MC, Kasap P, Ahmad SD, Su SH, Chen K, Mansouri M, Ramesh N, Nishihara H, Belyaev Y, Abhyankar VV, Begolo S, Singer BH, Webb KF, Kurabayashi K, Flax J, Waugh RE, Engelhardt B, McGrath JL. The Modular µSiM: A Mass Produced, Rapidly Assembled, and Reconfigurable Platform for the Study of Barrier Tissue Models In Vitro. Adv Healthc Mater 2022; 11:e2200804. [PMID: 35899801 PMCID: PMC9580267 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202200804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Advanced in vitro tissue chip models can reduce and replace animal experimentation and may eventually support "on-chip" clinical trials. To realize this potential, however, tissue chip platforms must be both mass-produced and reconfigurable to allow for customized design. To address these unmet needs, an extension of the µSiM (microdevice featuring a silicon-nitride membrane) platform is introduced. The modular µSiM (m-µSiM) uses mass-produced components to enable rapid assembly and reconfiguration by laboratories without knowledge of microfabrication. The utility of the m-µSiM is demonstrated by establishing an hiPSC-derived blood-brain barrier (BBB) in bioengineering and nonengineering, brain barriers focused laboratories. In situ and sampling-based assays of small molecule diffusion are developed and validated as a measure of barrier function. BBB properties show excellent interlaboratory agreement and match expectations from literature, validating the m-µSiM as a platform for barrier models and demonstrating successful dissemination of components and protocols. The ability to quickly reconfigure the m-µSiM for coculture and immune cell transmigration studies through addition of accessories and/or quick exchange of components is then demonstrated. Because the development of modified components and accessories is easily achieved, custom designs of the m-µSiM shall be accessible to any laboratory desiring a barrier-style tissue chip platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly C McCloskey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Pelin Kasap
- Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
| | - S Danial Ahmad
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Shiuan-Haur Su
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Kaihua Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Mehran Mansouri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA
| | - Natalie Ramesh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Hideaki Nishihara
- Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
| | - Yury Belyaev
- Microscopy Imaging Center, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
| | - Vinay V Abhyankar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA
| | | | - Benjamin H Singer
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Kevin F Webb
- Optics & Photonics Research Group, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Katsuo Kurabayashi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jonathan Flax
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Richard E Waugh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Britta Engelhardt
- Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
| | - James L McGrath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
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5
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Lucas K, Dehghani M, Khire T, Gaborski T, Flax JD, Waugh RE, McGrath JL. A predictive model of nanoparticle capture on ultrathin nanoporous membranes. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Du D, Manzo S, Zhang C, Saraswat V, Genser KT, Rabe KM, Voyles PM, Arnold MS, Kawasaki JK. Epitaxy, exfoliation, and strain-induced magnetism in rippled Heusler membranes. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2494. [PMID: 33941781 PMCID: PMC8093223 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22784-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Single-crystalline membranes of functional materials enable the tuning of properties via extreme strain states; however, conventional routes for producing membranes require the use of sacrificial layers and chemical etchants, which can both damage the membrane and limit the ability to make them ultrathin. Here we demonstrate the epitaxial growth of the cubic Heusler compound GdPtSb on graphene-terminated Al2O3 substrates. Despite the presence of the graphene interlayer, the Heusler films have epitaxial registry to the underlying sapphire, as revealed by x-ray diffraction, reflection high energy electron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The weak Van der Waals interactions of graphene enable mechanical exfoliation to yield free-standing GdPtSb membranes, which form ripples when transferred to a flexible polymer handle. Whereas unstrained GdPtSb is antiferromagnetic, measurements on rippled membranes show a spontaneous magnetic moment at room temperature, with a saturation magnetization of 5.2 bohr magneton per Gd. First-principles calculations show that the coupling to homogeneous strain is too small to induce ferromagnetism, suggesting a dominant role for strain gradients. Our membranes provide a novel platform for tuning the magnetic properties of intermetallic compounds via strain (piezomagnetism and magnetostriction) and strain gradients (flexomagnetism).
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxue Du
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sebastian Manzo
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Chenyu Zhang
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Vivek Saraswat
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Konrad T Genser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Karin M Rabe
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Paul M Voyles
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Michael S Arnold
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jason K Kawasaki
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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7
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Madejski GR, Ahmad SD, Musgrave J, Flax J, Madejski JG, Rowley DA, DeLouise LA, Berger AJ, Knox WH, McGrath JL. Silicon Nanomembrane Filtration and Imaging for the Evaluation of Microplastic Entrainment along a Municipal Water Delivery Route. SUSTAINABILITY 2020; 12:10655. [PMID: 36938128 PMCID: PMC10022737 DOI: 10.3390/su122410655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
To better understand the origin of microplastics in municipal drinking water, we evaluated 50 mL water samples from different stages of the City of Rochester's drinking water production and transport route, from Hemlock Lake to the University of Rochester. We directly filtered samples using silicon nitride nanomembrane filters with precisely patterned slit-shaped pores, capturing many of the smallest particulates (<20 μm) that could be absorbed by the human body. We employed machine learning algorithms to quantify the shapes and quantity of debris at different stages of the water transport process, while automatically segregating out fibrous structures from particulate. Particulate concentrations ranged from 13 to 720 particles/mL at different stages of the water transport process and fibrous pollution ranged from 0.4 to 8.3 fibers/mL. A subset of the debris (0.2-8.6%) stained positively with Nile red dye which identifies them as hydrophobic polymers. Further spectroscopic analysis also indicated the presence of many non-plastic particulates, including rust, silicates, and calcium scale. While water leaving the Hemlock Lake facility is mostly devoid of debris, transport through many miles of piping results in the entrainment of a significant amount of debris, including plastics, although in-route reservoirs and end-stage filtration serve to reduce these concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory R. Madejski
- 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
- Correspondence: (G.R.M.); (J.L.M.); Tel.: +1-585-460-3113 (G.R.M.); +1-585-273-5489 (J.L.M.)
| | - S. Danial Ahmad
- 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Jonathan Musgrave
- 508 Goergen Hall, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Jonathan Flax
- 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Joseph G. Madejski
- 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - David A. Rowley
- Rochester Water Bureau, 7412 Rix Hill Rd, Hemlock, NY 14466, USA
| | - Lisa A. DeLouise
- 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
- Department of Dermatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Andrew J. Berger
- 405 Goergen Hall, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Wayne H. Knox
- 508 Goergen Hall, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - James L. McGrath
- 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
- Correspondence: (G.R.M.); (J.L.M.); Tel.: +1-585-460-3113 (G.R.M.); +1-585-273-5489 (J.L.M.)
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8
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Wells CC, Melnikov DV, Cirillo JT, Gracheva ME. Multiscale simulations of charge and size separation of nanoparticles with a solid-state nanoporous membrane. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:063104. [PMID: 33465955 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.063104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Nanoporous membranes provide an attractive approach for rapid filtering of nanoparticles at high-throughput volume, a goal useful to many fields of science and technology. Creating a device to readily separate different particles would require an extensive knowledge of particle-nanopore interactions and particle translocation dynamics. To this end, we use a multiscale model for the separation of nanoparticles by combining microscopic Brownian dynamics simulations to simulate the motion of spherical nanoparticles of various sizes and charges in a system with nanopores in an electrically biased membrane with a macroscopic filtration model accounting for bulk diffusion of nanoparticles and membrane surface pore density. We find that, in general, the separation of differently sized particles is easier to accomplish than of differently charged particles. The separation by charge can be better performed in systems with low pore density and/or smaller filtration chambers when electric nanopore-particle interactions are significant. The results from these simple cases can be used to gain insight in the more complex dynamics of separating, for example, globular proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig C Wells
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, USA
| | - Dmitriy V Melnikov
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, USA
| | - Joshua T Cirillo
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, USA
| | - Maria E Gracheva
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, USA
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9
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Mireles M, Soule CW, Dehghani M, Gaborski TR. Use of Nanosphere Self-Assembly to Pattern Nanoporous Membranes for the Study of Extracellular Vesicles. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2020; 2:4427-4436. [PMID: 33693309 PMCID: PMC7943038 DOI: 10.1039/d0na00142b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nanoscale biocomponents naturally released by cells, such as extracellular vesicles (EVs), have recently gained interest due to their therapeutic and diagnostic potential. Membrane based isolation and co-culture systems have been utilized in an effort to study EVs and their effects. Nevertheless, improved platforms for the study of small EVs are still needed. Suitable membranes, for isolation and co-culture systems, require pore sizes to reach into the nanoscale. These pore sizes cannot be achieved through traditional lithographic techniques and conventional thick nanoporous membranes commonly exhibit low permeability. Here we utilized nanospheres, similar in size and shape to the targeted small EVs, as patterning features for the fabrication of freestanding SiN membranes (120 nm thick) released in minutes through a sacrificial ZnO layer. We evaluated the feasibility of separating subpopulation of EVs based on size using these membranes. The membrane used here showed an effective size cut-off of 300 nm with the majority of the EVs ≤200 nm. This work provides a convenient platform with great potential for studying subpopulations of EVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Mireles
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochesterNYUSA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of RochesterRochesterNYUSA
| | - Cody W. Soule
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochesterNYUSA
| | - Mehdi Dehghani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochesterNYUSA
| | - Thomas R. Gaborski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochesterNYUSA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of RochesterRochesterNYUSA
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10
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Miller JJ, Carter JA, Hill K, DesOrmeaux JPS, Carter RN, Gaborski TR, Roussie JA, McGrath JL, Johnson DG. Free Standing, Large-Area Silicon Nitride Membranes for High Toxin Clearance in Blood Surrogate for Small-Format Hemodialysis. MEMBRANES 2020; 10:membranes10060119. [PMID: 32517263 PMCID: PMC7344517 DOI: 10.3390/membranes10060119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Developing highly-efficient membranes for toxin clearance in small-format hemodialysis presents a fabrication challenge. The miniaturization of fluidics and controls has been the focus of current work on hemodialysis (HD) devices. This approach has not addressed the membrane efficiency needed for toxin clearance in small-format hemodialysis devices. Dr. Willem Kolff built the first dialyzer in 1943 and many changes have been made to HD technology since then. However, conventional HD still uses large instruments with bulky dialysis cartridges made of ~2 m2 of 10 micron thick, tortuous-path membrane material. Portable, wearable, and implantable HD systems may improve clinical outcomes for patients with end-stage renal disease by increasing the frequency of dialysis. The ability of ultrathin silicon-based sheet membranes to clear toxins is tested along with an analytical model predicting long-term multi-pass experiments from single-pass clearance experiments. Advanced fabrication methods are introduced that produce a new type of nanoporous silicon nitride sheet membrane that features the pore sizes needed for middle-weight toxin removal. Benchtop clearance results with sheet membranes (~3 cm2) match a theoretical model and indicate that sheet membranes can reduce (by orders of magnitude) the amount of membrane material required for hemodialysis. This provides the performance needed for small-format hemodialysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua J. Miller
- SiMPore, Inc. 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 110, West Henrietta, NY 14586, USA; (J.J.M.); (J.A.C.); (J.-P.S.D.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Jared A. Carter
- SiMPore, Inc. 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 110, West Henrietta, NY 14586, USA; (J.J.M.); (J.A.C.); (J.-P.S.D.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Kayli Hill
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA; (K.H.); (J.L.M.)
| | - Jon-Paul S. DesOrmeaux
- SiMPore, Inc. 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 110, West Henrietta, NY 14586, USA; (J.J.M.); (J.A.C.); (J.-P.S.D.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Robert N. Carter
- Mechanical Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA;
| | - Thomas R. Gaborski
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA;
| | - James A. Roussie
- SiMPore, Inc. 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 110, West Henrietta, NY 14586, USA; (J.J.M.); (J.A.C.); (J.-P.S.D.); (J.A.R.)
| | - James L. McGrath
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA; (K.H.); (J.L.M.)
| | - Dean G. Johnson
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA; (K.H.); (J.L.M.)
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11
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Hill K, Walker SN, Salminen A, Chung HL, Li X, Ezzat B, Miller JJ, DesOrmeaux JPS, Zhang J, Hayden A, Burgin T, Piraino L, May MN, Gaborski TR, Roussie JA, Taylor J, DiVincenti L, Shestopalov AA, McGrath JL, Johnson DG. Second Generation Nanoporous Silicon Nitride Membranes for High Toxin Clearance and Small Format Hemodialysis. Adv Healthc Mater 2020; 9:e1900750. [PMID: 31943849 PMCID: PMC7041421 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201900750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Conventional hemodialysis (HD) uses floor-standing instruments and bulky dialysis cartridges containing ≈2 m2 of 10 micrometer thick, tortuous-path membranes. Portable and wearable HD systems can improve outcomes for patients with end-stage renal disease by facilitating more frequent, longer dialysis at home, providing more physiological toxin clearance. Developing devices with these benefits requires highly efficient membranes to clear clinically relevant toxins in small formats. Here, the ability of ultrathin (<100 nm) silicon-nitride-based membranes to reduce the membrane area required to clear toxins by orders of magnitude is shown. Advanced fabrication methods are introduced that produce nanoporous silicon nitride membranes (NPN-O) that are two times stronger than the original nanoporous nitride materials (NPN) and feature pore sizes appropriate for middle-weight serum toxin removal. Single-pass benchtop studies with NPN-O (1.4 mm2 ) demonstrate the extraordinary clearance potential of these membranes (105 mL min-1 m-2 ), and their intrinsic hemocompatibility. Results of benchtop studies with nanomembranes, and 4 h dialysis of uremic rats, indicate that NPN-O can reduce the membrane area required for hemodialysis by two orders of magnitude, suggesting the performance and robustness needed to enable small-format hemodialysis, a milestone in the development of small-format hemodialysis systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayli Hill
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Samuel N Walker
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Alec Salminen
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Hung L Chung
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Xunzhi Li
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Bahie Ezzat
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Joshua J Miller
- SiMPore, Inc., 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 110, West Henrietta, Henrietta, NY, 14586, USA
| | - Jon-Paul S DesOrmeaux
- SiMPore, Inc., 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 110, West Henrietta, Henrietta, NY, 14586, USA
| | - Jingkai Zhang
- The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Andrew Hayden
- SiMPore, Inc., 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 110, West Henrietta, Henrietta, NY, 14586, USA
| | - Tucker Burgin
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Lindsay Piraino
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Marina N May
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Thomas R Gaborski
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA
| | - James A Roussie
- SiMPore, Inc., 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 110, West Henrietta, Henrietta, NY, 14586, USA
| | - Jeremy Taylor
- Department of Nephrology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Louis DiVincenti
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | | | - James L McGrath
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Dean G Johnson
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
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Khire TS, Salminen AT, Swamy H, Lucas KS, McCloskey MC, Ajalik RE, Chung HH, Gaborski TR, Waugh RE, Glading AJ, McGrath JL. Microvascular Mimetics for the Study of Leukocyte-Endothelial Interactions. Cell Mol Bioeng 2020; 13:125-139. [PMID: 32175026 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-020-00611-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The pathophysiological increase in microvascular permeability plays a well-known role in the onset and progression of diseases like sepsis and atherosclerosis. However, how interactions between neutrophils and the endothelium alter vessel permeability is often debated. Methods In this study, we introduce a microfluidic, silicon-membrane enabled vascular mimetic (μSiM-MVM) for investigating the role of neutrophils in inflammation-associated microvascular permeability. In utilizing optically transparent silicon nanomembrane technology, we build on previous microvascular models by enabling in situ observations of neutrophil-endothelium interactions. To evaluate the effects of neutrophil transmigration on microvascular model permeability, we established and validated electrical (transendothelial electrical resistance and impedance) and small molecule permeability assays that allow for the in situ quantification of temporal changes in endothelium junctional integrity. Results Analysis of neutrophil-expressed β1 integrins revealed a prominent role of neutrophil transmigration and basement membrane interactions in increased microvascular permeability. By utilizing blocking antibodies specific to the β1 subunit, we found that the observed increase in microvascular permeability due to neutrophil transmigration is constrained when neutrophil-basement membrane interactions are blocked. Having demonstrated the value of in situ measurements of small molecule permeability, we then developed and validated a quantitative framework that can be used to interpret barrier permeability for comparisons to conventional Transwell™ values. Conclusions Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of the μSiM-MVM in elucidating mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disease, and provide evidence for a role for neutrophils in inflammation-associated endothelial barrier disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tejas S Khire
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Alec T Salminen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Harsha Swamy
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Kilean S Lucas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Molly C McCloskey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Raquel E Ajalik
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Henry H Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | - Thomas R Gaborski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | - Richard E Waugh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Angela J Glading
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - James L McGrath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
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13
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Dehghani M, Lucas K, Flax J, McGrath J, Gaborski T. Tangential flow microfluidics for the capture and release of nanoparticles and extracellular vesicles on conventional and ultrathin membranes. ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES 2019; 4:1900539. [PMID: 32395607 PMCID: PMC7212937 DOI: 10.1002/admt.201900539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Membranes have been used extensively for the purification and separation of biological species. A persistent challenge is the purification of species from concentrated feed solutions such as extracellular vesicles (EVs) from biological fluids. We investigated a new method to isolate micro- and nano-scale species termed tangential flow for analyte capture (TFAC), which is an extension of traditional tangential flow filtration (TFF). Initially, EV purification from plasma on ultrathin nanomembranes was compared between both normal flow filtration (NFF) and TFAC. NFF resulted in rapid formation of a protein cake which completely obscured any captured EVs and also prevented further transport across the membrane. On the other hand, TFAC showed capture of CD63 positive small EVs (sEVs) with minimal contamination. We explored the use of TFAC to capture target species over membrane pores, wash and then release in a physical process that does not rely upon affinity or chemical interactions. This process of TFAC was studied with model particles on both ultrathin nanomembranes and conventional thickness membranes (polycarbonate track-etch). Successful capture and release of model particles was observed using both membranes. Ultrathin nanomembranes showed higher efficiency of capture and release with significantly lower pressures indicating that ultrathin nanomembranes are well-suited for TFAC of delicate nanoscale particles such as EVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Dehghani
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Kilean Lucas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Jonathan Flax
- Department of Urology, University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - James McGrath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Thomas Gaborski
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
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14
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Wells CC, Melnikov DV, Gracheva ME. Brownian dynamics of a neutral protein moving through a nanopore in an electrically biased membrane. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:115103. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5080944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Craig C. Wells
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, USA
| | | | - Maria E. Gracheva
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699, USA
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15
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Mossu A, Rosito M, Khire T, Li Chung H, Nishihara H, Gruber I, Luke E, Dehouck L, Sallusto F, Gosselet F, McGrath JL, Engelhardt B. A silicon nanomembrane platform for the visualization of immune cell trafficking across the human blood-brain barrier under flow. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2019; 39:395-410. [PMID: 30565961 PMCID: PMC6421249 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x18820584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Here we report on the development of a breakthrough microfluidic human in vitro cerebrovascular barrier (CVB) model featuring stem cell-derived brain-like endothelial cells (BLECs) and nanoporous silicon nitride (NPN) membranes (µSiM-CVB). The nanoscale thinness of NPN membranes combined with their high permeability and optical transparency makes them an ideal scaffold for the assembly of an in vitro microfluidic model of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) featuring cellular elements of the neurovascular unit (NVU). Dual-chamber devices divided by NPN membranes yield tight barrier properties in BLECs and allow an abluminal pericyte-co-culture to be replaced with pericyte-conditioned media. With the benefit of physiological flow and superior imaging quality, the µSiM-CVB platform captures each phase of the multi-step T-cell migration across the BBB in live cell imaging. The small volume of <100 µL of the µSiM-CVB will enable in vitro investigations of rare patient-derived immune cells with the human BBB. The µSiM-CVB is a breakthrough in vitro human BBB model to enable live and high-quality imaging of human immune cell interactions with the BBB under physiological flow. We expect it to become a valuable new tool for the study of cerebrovascular pathologies ranging from neuroinflammation to metastatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Mossu
- 1 Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maria Rosito
- 1 Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tejas Khire
- 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Hung Li Chung
- 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | - Isabelle Gruber
- 1 Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Emma Luke
- 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Lucie Dehouck
- 3 Blood Brain Barrier Laboratory, University of Artois, Lens, France
| | - Federica Sallusto
- 4 Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Bellinzona, Switzerland.,5 Institute for Microbiology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fabien Gosselet
- 3 Blood Brain Barrier Laboratory, University of Artois, Lens, France
| | - James L McGrath
- 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
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Rodler A, Schuster C, Berger E, Tscheließnig R, Jungbauer A. Freestanding ultrathin films for separation of small molecules in an aqueous environment. J Biotechnol 2018; 288:48-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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17
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Salminen A, Hill K, Henry Chung L, James McGrath L, Johnson DG. Protein Separation and Hemocompatibility of Nitride Membranes in Microfluidic Filtration Systems. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2018; 2018:5814-5817. [PMID: 30441657 PMCID: PMC6241304 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2018.8513538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Improving the health outcomes for end-stage renal Disease (ESRD) patients on hemodialysis (HD) requires new technologies for wearable HD such as a highly efficient membrane that can achieve standard toxic clearance rates in small device footprints. Our group has developed nanoporous silicon nitride (NPN) membranes which are 100 to 1000 times thinner than conventional membranes and are orders-ofmagnitude more efficient for dialysis. Counter flow dialysis separation experiments were performed to measure urea clearance while microdialysis experiments were performed in a stirred beaker to measure the separation of cytochrome-c and albumin. Hemodialysis experiments testing for platelet activation as well as protein adhesion were performed. Devices for the counter flow experiments were constructed with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a NPN membrane chip. The counter flow devices reduced the urea by as much as 20%. The microdialysis experiments showed a diffusion of ~ 60% for the cytochrome-c while clearing ~ 20% of the Albumin. Initial hemocompatibility studies show that the NPN membrane surface is less prone to both protein adhesion and platelet activation when compared to positive control (glass).
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18
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Chung HH, Mireles M, Kwarta BJ, Gaborski TR. Use of porous membranes in tissue barrier and co-culture models. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:1671-1689. [PMID: 29845145 PMCID: PMC5997570 DOI: 10.1039/c7lc01248a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Porous membranes enable the partitioning of cellular microenvironments in vitro, while still allowing physical and biochemical crosstalk between cells, a feature that is often necessary for recapitulating physiological functions. This article provides an overview of the different membranes used in tissue barrier and cellular co-culture models with a focus on experimental design and control of these systems. Specifically, we discuss how the structural, mechanical, chemical, and even the optical and transport properties of different membranes bestow specific advantages and disadvantages through the context of physiological relevance. This review also explores how membrane pore properties affect perfusion and solute permeability by developing an analytical framework to guide the design and use of tissue barrier or co-culture models. Ultimately, this review offers insight into the important aspects one must consider when using porous membranes in tissue barrier and lab-on-a-chip applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry H Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA.
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19
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Madejski G, Lucas K, Pascut FC, Webb KF, McGrath JL. TEM Tomography of Pores with Application to Computational Nanoscale Flows in Nanoporous Silicon Nitride (NPN). MEMBRANES 2018; 8:membranes8020026. [PMID: 29865242 PMCID: PMC6027491 DOI: 10.3390/membranes8020026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Silicon nanomembrane technologies (NPN, pnc-Si, and others) have been used commercially as electron microscopy (EM) substrates, and as filters with nanometer-resolution size cut-offs. Combined with EM, these materials provide a platform for catching or suspending nanoscale-size structures for analysis. Usefully, the nanomembrane itself can be manufactured to achieve a variety of nanopore topographies. The size, shapes, and surfaces of nanopores will influence transport, fouling, sieving, and electrical behavior. Electron tomography (ET) techniques used to recreate nanoscale-sized structures would provide an excellent way to capture this variation. Therefore, we modified a sample holder to accept our standardized 5.4 mm × 5.4 mm silicon nanomembrane chips and imaged NPN nanomembranes (50–100 nm thick, 10–100 nm nanopore diameters) using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After imaging and ET reconstruction using a series of freely available tools (ImageJ, TomoJ, SEG3D2, Meshlab), we used COMSOL Multiphysics™ to simulate fluid flow inside a reconstructed nanopore. The results show flow profiles with significantly more complexity than a simple cylindrical model would predict, with regions of stagnation inside the nanopores. We expect that such tomographic reconstructions of ultrathin nanopores will be valuable in elucidating the physics that underlie the many applications of silicon nanomembranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Madejski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - Kilean Lucas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - Flavius C Pascut
- Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Kevin F Webb
- Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - James L McGrath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
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20
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Schuster C, Rodler A, Tscheliessnig R, Jungbauer A. Freely suspended perforated polymer nanomembranes for protein separations. Sci Rep 2018. [PMID: 29535317 PMCID: PMC5849607 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22200-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective removal of nanometer-sized compounds such as proteins from fluids is an often challenging task in many scientific and industrial areas. Addressing such tasks with highly efficient and selective membranes is desirable since commonly used chromatographic approaches are expensive and difficult to scale up. Nanomembranes, molecularly thin separation layers, have been predicted and shown to possess outstanding properties but in spite ultra-fast diffusion times and high-resolution separation, to date they generally lack either of two crucial characteristics: compatibility with biological fluids and low-cost production. Here we report the fast and easy fabrication of highly crosslinked polymer membranes based on a thermoset resin (poly[(o-cresyl glycidyl ether)-co-formaldehyde (PCGF) cured with branched polyethyleneimine (PEI)) with nanoscale perforations of 25 nm diameter. During spin casting, microphase separation of a polylactide-co-glycolide induces the formation of nanometer sized domains that serve as templates for perforations which penetrate the 80 nm thick membranes. Ultrathin perforated nanomembranes can be freely suspended on the cm scale, exhibit high mechanical strength, low surface energies and a sharp permeability cutoff at a hydrodynamic diameter of 10 nm suitable for protein separations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Agnes Rodler
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Alois Jungbauer
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria. .,University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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21
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Abstract
Silicon nanomembranes are ultrathin, highly permeable, optically transparent and biocompatible substrates for the construction of barrier tissue models. Trans-epithelial/endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) is often used as a non-invasive, sensitive and quantitative technique to assess barrier function. The current study characterizes the electrical behavior of devices featuring silicon nanomembranes to facilitate their application in TEER studies. In conventional practice with commercial systems, raw resistance values are multiplied by the area of the membrane supporting cell growth to normalize TEER measurements. We demonstrate that under most circumstances, this multiplication does not 'normalize' TEER values as is assumed, and that the assumption is worse if applied to nanomembrane chips with a limited active area. To compare the TEER values from nanomembrane devices to those obtained from conventional polymer track-etched (TE) membranes, we develop finite element models (FEM) of the electrical behavior of the two membrane systems. Using FEM and parallel cell-culture experiments on both types of membranes, we successfully model the evolution of resistance values during the growth of endothelial monolayers. Further, by exploring the relationship between the models we develop a 'correction' function, which when applied to nanomembrane TEER, maps to experiments on conventional TE membranes. In summary, our work advances the the utility of silicon nanomembranes as substrates for barrier tissue models by developing an interpretation of TEER values compatible with conventional systems.
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22
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Smith KJ, May M, Baltus R, McGrath JL. A predictive model of separations in dead-end filtration with ultrathin membranes. Sep Purif Technol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2017.07.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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23
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Mireles M, Gaborski TR. Fabrication techniques enabling ultrathin nanostructured membranes for separations. Electrophoresis 2017; 38:2374-2388. [PMID: 28524241 PMCID: PMC5909070 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201700114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The fabrication of nanostructured materials is an area of continuous improvement and innovative techniques that fulfill the demand of many fields of research and development. The continuously decreasing size of the smallest patternable feature has expanded the catalog of methods enabling the fabrication of nanostructured materials. Several of these nanofabrication techniques have sprouted from applications requiring nanoporous membranes such as molecular separations, cell culture, and plasmonics. This review summarizes methods that successfully produce through-pores in ultrathin films exhibiting an approximate pore size to thickness ratio of one, which has been shown to be beneficial due to high permeability and improved separation potential. The material reviewed includes large-area, parallel, and affordable approaches such as self-organizing polymers, nanosphere lithography, anodization, nanoimprint lithography as well as others such as solid phase crystallization and nanosphere lens lithography. The aim of this review is to provide a set of inexpensive fabrication techniques to produce nanostructured materials exhibiting pores ranging from 10 to 350 nm and a pore size to thickness ratio close to one. The fabrication methods described in this work have reported the successful manufacture of nanoporous membranes exhibiting the ideal characteristics to improve selectivity and permeability when applied as separation media in ultrafiltration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Mireles
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Thomas R Gaborski
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
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24
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Irfan M, Afsar NU, Bakangura E, Mondal AN, Khan MI, Emmanuel K, Yang Z, Wu L, Xu T. Development of novel PVA-QUDAP based anion exchange membranes for diffusion dialysis and theoretical analysis therein. Sep Purif Technol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2017.01.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Li X, Johnson D, Ma W, Chung H, Getpreecharsawas J, McGrath JL, Shestopalov AA. Modification of Nanoporous Silicon Nitride with Stable and Functional Organic Monolayers. CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS : A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 2017; 29:2294-2302. [PMID: 29651199 PMCID: PMC5892436 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b05392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
This study describes the formation of functional organic monolayers on thin, nanoporous silicon nitride membranes. We demonstrate that the vapor-phase carbene insertion into the surface C-H bonds can be used to form sub-5 nm molecular coatings on nanoporous materials, which can be further modified with monolayers of polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules. We investigate composition, thickness, and stability of the functionalized monolayers and the changes in the membrane permeability and pore size distribution. We show that, due to the low coating thickness (~7 nm), the functionalized membrane retains 80% of the original gas permeance and 40% of the original hydraulic permeability. We also show that the carbene/PEG functionalization is hydrolytically stable for up to 48 h of exposure to water and that it can suppress nonspecific adsorption of the proteins BSA and IgG. Our results suggest that the vapor-phase carbenylation can be used as a complementary technology to the traditional self-assembly and polymer brush chemistries in chemical functionalization of nanoporous materials, which are limited in their ability to serve as stable coatings that do not occlude nanomembrane pores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xunzhi Li
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - Dean Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - Wenchuan Ma
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - Henry Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - Jirachai Getpreecharsawas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - James L. McGrath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
- Corresponding Authors: .
| | - Alexander A. Shestopalov
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
- Corresponding Authors: .
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26
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Burgin T, Johnson D, Chung H, Clark A, McGrath J. ULTRATHIN SILICON MEMBRANES FOR IMPROVING EXTRACORPOREAL BLOOD THERAPIES. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ... INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NANOCHANNELS, MICROCHANNELS AND MINICHANNELS. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NANOCHANNELS, MICROCHANNELS AND MINICHANNELS 2016; 2016:V001T15A003. [PMID: 31602425 PMCID: PMC6785995 DOI: 10.1115/icnmm2016-8052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Extracorporeal blood therapies such as hemodialysis and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation supplement or replace organ function by the exchange of molecules between blood and another fluid across a semi-permeable membrane. Traditionally, these membranes are made of polymers with large surface areas and thicknesses on the scale of microns. Therapeutic gas exchange or toxin cleara nce in these devices occurs predominantly by diffusion, a process that is described by an inverse square law relating a distance to the average time a diffusing particle requires to travel that distance. As such, small changes in membrane thickness or other device dimensions can have significant effects on device performance - and large changes can cause dramatic paradigm shifts. In this work, we discuss the application of ultrathin nanoporous silicon membranes (nanomembranes) with thicknesses on the scale of tens of nanometers to diffusion-mediated medical devices. We discuss the theoretical consequences of nanomembrane medical devices for patients, analyzing several notable benefits such as reduced device size (enabling wearability, for instance) and improved clearance specificity. Special attention is paid to computational and analytical models that describe real experimental behavior, and that in doing so provide insights into the relevant parameters governing the devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tucker Burgin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave Rochester, NY 14627
| | - Dean Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave Rochester, NY 14627
| | - Henry Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave Rochester, NY 14627
| | - Alfred Clark
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave Rochester, NY 14627
| | - James McGrath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave Rochester, NY 14627
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Johnson DG, Pan S, Hayden A, McGrath JL. Nanoporous membrane robustness / stability in small form factor microfluidic filtration system. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2016; 2016:1955-1958. [PMID: 28268711 PMCID: PMC6390479 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2016.7591106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The development of wearable hemodialysis (HD) devices that replace center-based HD holds the promise to improve both outcomes and quality-of-life for patients with end-stage-renal disease (ERD). A prerequisite for these devices is the development of highly efficient membranes that can achieve high toxin clearance in small footprints. The ultrathin nanoporous membrane material developed by our group is orders of magnitude more permeable than conventional HD membranes. We report on our progress making a prototype wearable dialysis unit. First, we present data from benchtop studies confirming that clinical levels of urea clearance can be obtained in a small animal model with low blood flow rates. Second, we report on efforts to improve the mechanical robustness of high membrane area dialysis devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean G. Johnson
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, NY 14623 USA (585-273-2156; )
| | - Sabrina Pan
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | | | - James L. McGrath
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Rochester, NY 14623 USA
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28
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Jou IA, Melnikov DV, Gracheva ME. Protein permeation through an electrically tunable membrane. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2016; 27:205201. [PMID: 27044064 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/27/20/205201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Protein filtration is important in many fields of science and technology such as medicine, biology, chemistry, and engineering. Recently, protein separation and filtering with nanoporous membranes has attracted interest due to the possibility of fast separation and high throughput volume. This, however, requires understanding of the protein's dynamics inside and in the vicinity of the nanopore. In this work, we utilize a Brownian dynamics approach to study the motion of the model protein insulin in the membrane-electrolyte electrostatic potential. We compare the results of the atomic model of the protein with the results of a coarse-grained and a single-bead model, and find that the coarse-grained representation of protein strikes the best balance between the accuracy of the results and the computational effort required. Contrary to common belief, we find that to adequately describe the protein, a single-bead model cannot be utilized without a significant effort to tabulate the simulation parameters. Similar to results for nanoparticle dynamics, our findings also indicate that the electric field and the electro-osmotic flow due to the applied membrane and electrolyte biases affect the capture and translocation of the biomolecule by either attracting or repelling it to or from the nanopore. Our computational model can also be applied to other types of proteins and separation conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ining A Jou
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA
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Bhadra P, Sengupta S, Ratchagar NP, Achar B, Chadha A, Bhattacharya E. Selective transportation of charged ZnO nanoparticles and microorganism dialysis through silicon nanoporous membranes. J Memb Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2015.12.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Winans J, Smith K, Gaborski T, Roussie J, McGrath J. Membrane capacity and fouling mechanisms for ultrathin nanomembranes in dead-end filtration. J Memb Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2015.10.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Burgin T, Johnson D, Chung H, Clark A, McGrath J. Analytical and Finite Element Modeling of Nanomembranes for Miniaturized, Continuous Hemodialysis. MEMBRANES 2015; 6:membranes6010006. [PMID: 26729179 PMCID: PMC4812412 DOI: 10.3390/membranes6010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Revised: 12/28/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Hemodialysis involves large, periodic treatment doses using large-area membranes. If the permeability of dialysis membranes could be increased, it would reduce the necessary dialyzer size and could enable a wearable device that administers a continuous, low dose treatment of chronic kidney disease. This paper explores the application of ultrathin silicon membranes to this purpose, by way of analytical and finite element models of diffusive and convective transport of plasma solutes during hemodialysis, which we show to be predictive of experimental results. A proof-of-concept miniature nanomembrane dialyzer design is then proposed and analytically predicted to clear uremic toxins at near-ideal levels, as measured by several markers of dialysis adequacy. This work suggests the feasibility of miniature nanomembrane-based dialyzers that achieve therapeutic levels of uremic toxin clearance for patients with kidney failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tucker Burgin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - Dean Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - Henry Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - Alfred Clark
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - James McGrath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, 252 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
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Lin X, Yang Q, Ding L, Su B. Ultrathin Silica Membranes with Highly Ordered and Perpendicular Nanochannels for Precise and Fast Molecular Separation. ACS NANO 2015; 9:11266-77. [PMID: 26458217 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b04887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Membranes with the ability of molecular/ionic separation offer potential in many processes ranging from molecular purification/sensing, to nanofluidics and to mimicking biological membranes. In this work, we report the preparation of a perforative free-standing ultrathin silica membrane consisting of straight and parallel nanochannels with a uniform size (∼2.3 nm) for precise and fast molecular separation. Due to its small and uniform channel size, the membrane exhibits a precise selectivity toward molecules based on size and charge, which can be tuned by ionic strength, pH or surface modification. Furthermore, the ultrasmall thickness (10-120 nm), vertically aligned channels, and high porosity (4.0 × 10(12) pores cm(-2)) give rise to a significantly high molecular transport rate. In addition, the membrane also displays excellent stability and can be consecutively reused for a month after washing or calcination. More importantly, the membrane fabrication is convenient, inexpensive, and does not rely on sophisticated facilities or conditions, providing potential applications in both separation science and micro/nanofluidic chip technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyu Lin
- Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry & Centre for Chemistry of High-Performance and Novel Materials, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Qian Yang
- Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry & Centre for Chemistry of High-Performance and Novel Materials, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Longhua Ding
- Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry & Centre for Chemistry of High-Performance and Novel Materials, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Bin Su
- Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry & Centre for Chemistry of High-Performance and Novel Materials, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
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Delachat F, Constancias C, Fournel F, Morales C, Le Drogoff B, Chaker M, Margot J. Fabrication of buckling free ultrathin silicon membranes by direct bonding with thermal difference. ACS NANO 2015; 9:3654-3663. [PMID: 25789462 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b00234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
An innovative method to fabricate large area (up to several squared millimeters) ultrathin (100 nm) monocrystalline silicon (Si) membranes is described. This process is based on the direct bonding of a silicon-on-insulator wafer with a preperforated silicon wafer. The stress generated by the thermal difference applied during the bonding process is exploited to produce buckling free silicon nanomembranes of large areas. The thermal differences required to achieve these membranes (≥1 mm(2)) are estimated by analytical calculations. An experimental study of the stress achievable by direct bonding through two specific surface preparations (hydrophobic or hydrophilic) is reported. Buckling free silicon nanomembranes secured on a 2 × 2 cm(2) frame with lateral dimensions up to 5 × 5 mm(2) are successfully fabricated using the optimized direct bonding process. The stress estimated by theoretical analysis is confirmed by Raman measurements, while the flatness of the nanomembranes is demonstrated by optical interferometry. The successful fabrications of high resolution (50 nm half pitch) tungsten gratings on the silicon nanomembranes and of focused ion beam milling nanostructures show the promising potential of the Si membranes for X-ray optics and for the emerging nanosensor market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Delachat
- †Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada
- ‡CEA-LETI, 17 rue des Martyrs, Grenoble F-38054, France
| | | | - Frank Fournel
- ‡CEA-LETI, 17 rue des Martyrs, Grenoble F-38054, France
| | | | - Boris Le Drogoff
- §INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2, Canada
| | - Mohamed Chaker
- §INRS-EMT, 1650 Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2, Canada
| | - Joelle Margot
- †Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada
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Qi C, Striemer CC, Gaborski TR, McGrath JL, Fauchet PM. Influence of silicon dioxide capping layers on pore characteristics in nanocrystalline silicon membranes. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2015; 26:055706. [PMID: 25590751 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/26/5/055706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si) membranes are a new class of membrane material with promising applications in biological separations. Pores are formed in a silicon film sandwiched between nm thick silicon dioxide layers during rapid thermal annealing. Controlling pore size is critical in the size-dependent separation applications. In this work, we systematically studied the influence of the silicon dioxide capping layers on pnc-Si membranes. Even a single nm thick top oxide layer is enough to switch from agglomeration to pore formation after annealing. Both the pore size and porosity increase with the thickness of the top oxide, but quickly reach a plateau after 10 nm of oxide. The bottom oxide layer acts as a barrier layer to prevent the a-Si film from undergoing homo-epitaxial growth during annealing. Both the pore size and porosity decrease as the thickness of the bottom oxide layer increases to 100 nm. The decrease of the pore size and porosity is correlated with the increased roughness of the bottom oxide layer, which hinders nanocrystal nucleation and nanopore formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengzhu Qi
- Materials Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
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35
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Nehilla BJ, Nataraj N, Gaborski TR, McGrath JL. Endothelial vacuolization induced by highly permeable silicon membranes. Acta Biomater 2014; 10:4670-4677. [PMID: 25072618 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2014.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2014] [Revised: 06/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Assays for initiating, controlling and studying endothelial cell behavior and blood vessel formation have applications in developmental biology, cancer and tissue engineering. In vitro vasculogenesis models typically combine complex three-dimensional gels of extracellular matrix proteins with other stimuli like growth factor supplements. Biomaterials with unique micro- and nanoscale features may provide simpler substrates to study endothelial cell morphogenesis. In this work, patterns of nanoporous, nanothin silicon membranes (porous nanocrystalline silicon, or pnc-Si) are fabricated to control the permeability of an endothelial cell culture substrate. Permeability on the basal surface of primary and immortalized endothelial cells causes vacuole formation and endothelial organization into capillary-like structures. This phenomenon is repeatable, robust and controlled entirely by patterns of free-standing, highly permeable pnc-Si membranes. Pnc-Si is a new biomaterial with precisely defined micro- and nanoscale features that can be used as a unique in vitro platform to study endothelial cell behavior and vasculogenesis.
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Qi C, Striemer CC, Gaborski TR, McGrath JL, Fauchet PM. Highly porous silicon membranes fabricated from silicon nitride/silicon stacks. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2014; 10:2946-2953. [PMID: 24623562 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201303447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2013] [Revised: 02/25/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Nanopore formation in silicon films has previously been demonstrated using rapid thermal crystallization of ultrathin (15 nm) amorphous Si films sandwiched between nm-thick SiO2 layers. In this work, the silicon dioxide barrier layers are replaced with silicon nitride, resulting in nanoporous silicon films with unprecedented pore density and novel morphology. Four different thin film stack systems including silicon nitride/silicon/silicon nitride (NSN), silicon dioxide/silicon/silicon nitride (OSN), silicon nitride/silicon/silicon dioxide (NSO), and silicon dioxide/silicon/silicon dioxide (OSO) are tested under different annealing temperatures. Generally the pore size, pore density, and porosity positively correlate with the annealing temperature for all four systems. The NSN system yields substantially higher porosity and pore density than the OSO system, with the OSN and NSO stack characteristics fallings between these extremes. The higher porosity of the Si membrane in the NSN stack is primarily due to the pore formation enhancement in the Si film. It is hypothesized that this could result from the interfacial energy difference between the silicon/silicon nitride and silicon/silicon dioxide, which influences the Si crystallization process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengzhu Qi
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, United States; Materials Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, United States
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Chung HH, Chan CK, Khire TS, Marsh GA, Clark A, Waugh RE, McGrath JL. Highly permeable silicon membranes for shear free chemotaxis and rapid cell labeling. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:2456-68. [PMID: 24850320 PMCID: PMC4540053 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00326h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic systems are powerful tools for cell biology studies because they enable the precise addition and removal of solutes in small volumes. However, the fluid forces inherent in the use of microfluidics for cell cultures are sometimes undesirable. An important example is chemotaxis systems where fluid flow creates well-defined and steady chemotactic gradients but also pushes cells downstream. Here we demonstrate a chemotaxis system in which two chambers are separated by a molecularly thin (15 nm), transparent, and nanoporous silicon membrane. One chamber is a microfluidic channel that carries a flow-generated gradient while the other chamber is a shear-free environment for cell observation. The molecularly thin membranes provide effectively no resistance to molecular diffusion between the two chambers, making them ideal elements for creating flow-free chambers in microfluidic systems. Analytical and computational flow models that account for membrane and chamber geometry, predict shear reduction of more than five orders of magnitude. This prediction is confirmed by observing the pure diffusion of nanoparticles in the cell-hosting chamber despite high input flow (Q = 10 μL min(-1); vavg ~ 45 mm min(-1)) in the flow chamber only 15 nm away. Using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, we show that a flow-generated molecular gradient will pass through the membrane into the quiescent cell chamber. Finally we demonstrate that our device allows us to expose migrating neutrophils to a chemotactic gradient or fluorescent label without any influence from flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry H Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
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38
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Jou IA, Melnikov DV, Nadtochiy A, Gracheva ME. Charged particle separation by an electrically tunable nanoporous membrane. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2014; 25:145201. [PMID: 24621944 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/25/14/145201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We study the applicability of an electrically tunable nanoporous semiconductor membrane for the separation of nanoparticles by charge. We show that this type of membrane can overcome one of the major shortcomings of nanoporous membrane applications for particle separation: the compromise between membrane selectivity and permeability. The computational model that we have developed describes the electrostatic potential distribution within the system and tracks the movement of the filtered particle using Brownian dynamics while taking into consideration effects from dielectrophoresis, fluid flow, and electric potentials. We found that for our specific pore geometry, the dielectrophoresis plays a negligible role in the particle dynamics. By comparing the results for charged and uncharged particles, we show that for the optimal combination of applied electrolyte and membrane biases the same membrane can effectively separate same-sized particles based on charge with a difference of up to 3 times in membrane permeability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ining A Jou
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA
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39
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Johnson DG, Khire TS, Lyubarskaya YL, Smith KJ, DesOrmeaux JPS, Taylor JG, Gaborski TR, Shestopalov AA, Striemer CC, McGrath JL. Ultrathin silicon membranes for wearable dialysis. Adv Chronic Kidney Dis 2013; 20:508-15. [PMID: 24206603 DOI: 10.1053/j.ackd.2013.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Revised: 08/02/2013] [Accepted: 08/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The development of wearable or implantable technologies that replace center-based hemodialysis (HD) hold promise to improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with ESRD. A prerequisite for these technologies is the development of highly efficient membranes that can achieve high toxin clearance in small-device formats. Here we examine the application of the porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si) to HD. pnc-Si is a molecularly thin nanoporous membrane material that is orders of magnitude more permeable than conventional HD membranes. Material developments have allowed us to dramatically increase the amount of active membrane available for dialysis on pnc-Si chips. By controlling pore sizes during manufacturing, pnc-Si membranes can be engineered to pass middle-molecular-weight protein toxins while retaining albumin, mimicking the healthy kidney. A microfluidic dialysis device developed with pnc-Si achieves urea clearance rates that confirm that the membrane offers no resistance to urea passage. Finally, surface modifications with thin hydrophilic coatings are shown to block cell and protein adhesion.
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40
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Abstract
Here we review the recent applications of ion transfer (IT) at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) for electrochemical sensing and imaging. In particular, we focus on the development and recent applications of the nanopipet-supported ITIES and double-polymer-modified electrode, which enable the dynamic electrochemical measurements of IT at nanoscopic and macroscopic ITIES, respectively. High-quality IT voltammograms are obtainable using either technique to quantitatively assess the kinetics and dynamic mechanism of IT at the ITIES. Nanopipet-supported ITIES serves as an amperometric tip for scanning electrochemical microscopy to allow for unprecedentedly high-resolution electrochemical imaging. Voltammetric ion sensing at double-polymer-modified electrodes offers high sensitivity and unique multiple-ion selectivity. The promising future applications of these dynamic approaches for bioanalysis and electrochemical imaging are also discussed.
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41
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High-performance, low-voltage electroosmotic pumps with molecularly thin silicon nanomembranes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:18425-30. [PMID: 24167263 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1308109110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We have developed electroosmotic pumps (EOPs) fabricated from 15-nm-thick porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si) membranes. Ultrathin pnc-Si membranes enable high electroosmotic flow per unit voltage. We demonstrate that electroosmosis theory compares well with the observed pnc-Si flow rates. We attribute the high flow rates to high electrical fields present across the 15-nm span of the membrane. Surface modifications, such as plasma oxidation or silanization, can influence the electroosmotic flow rates through pnc-Si membranes by alteration of the zeta potential of the material. A prototype EOP that uses pnc-Si membranes and Ag/AgCl electrodes was shown to pump microliter per minute-range flow through a 0.5-mm-diameter capillary tubing with as low as 250 mV of applied voltage. This silicon-based platform enables straightforward integration of low-voltage, on-chip EOPs into portable microfluidic devices with low back pressures.
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42
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Nadtochiy A, Melnikov D, Gracheva M. Filtering of nanoparticles with tunable semiconductor membranes. ACS NANO 2013; 7:7053-7061. [PMID: 23879567 DOI: 10.1021/nn4023697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Translocation dynamics of nanoparticles permeating through the nanopore in an n-Si semiconductor membrane is studied. With the use of Brownian Dynamics to describe the motion of the charged nanoparticles in the self-consistent membrane-electrolyte electrostatic potential, we asses the possibility of using our voltage controlled membrane for the macroscopic filtering of the charged nanoparticles. The results indicate that the tunable local electric field inside the membrane can effectively control interaction of a nanoparticle with the nanopore by either blocking its passage or increasing the translocation rate. The effect is particularly strong for larger nanoparticles due to their stronger interaction with the membrane while in the nanopore. By extracting the membrane permeability from our microsopic simulations, we compute the macroscopic sieving factors and show that the size selectivity of the membrane can be tuned by the applied voltage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nadtochiy
- Department of Physics, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
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43
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Ahmadi M, Gorbet M, Yeow JT. In vitro Clearance and Hemocompatibility Assessment of Ultrathin Nanoporous Silicon Membranes for Hemodialysis Applications Using Human Whole Blood. Blood Purif 2013; 35:305-13. [DOI: 10.1159/000350613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 03/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Dimonte A, Frache S, Erokhin V, Piccinini G, Demarchi D, Milano F, Micheli GD, Carrara S. Nanosized optoelectronic devices based on photoactivated proteins. Biomacromolecules 2012; 13:3503-9. [PMID: 23046154 DOI: 10.1021/bm301063m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Molecular nanoelectronics is attracting much attention, because of the possibility to add functionalities to silicon-based electronics by means of intrinsically nanoscale biological or organic materials. The contact point between active molecules and electrodes must present, besides nanoscale size, a very low resistance. To realize Metal-Molecule-Metal junctions it is, thus, mandatory to be able to control the formation of useful nanometric contacts. The distance between the electrodes has to be of the same size of the molecule being put in between. Nanogaps technology is a perfect fit to fulfill this requirement. In this work, nanogaps between gold electrodes have been used to develop optoelectronic devices based on photoactive proteins. Reaction Centers (RC) and Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) have been inserted in nanogaps by drop casting. Electrical characterizations of the obtained structures were performed. It has been demonstrated that these nanodevices working principle is based on charge separation and photovoltage response. The former is induced by the application of a proper voltage on the RC, while the latter comes from the activation of BR by light of appropriate wavelengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Dimonte
- Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, IIT@Polito Center, Torino, Italy.
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45
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Shen M, Ishimatsu R, Kim J, Amemiya S. Quantitative imaging of ion transport through single nanopores by high-resolution scanning electrochemical microscopy. J Am Chem Soc 2012; 134:9856-9. [PMID: 22655578 PMCID: PMC3380141 DOI: 10.1021/ja3023785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Here we report on the unprecedentedly high resolution imaging of ion transport through single nanopores by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The quantitative SECM image of single nanopores allows for the determination of their structural properties, including their density, shape, and size, which are essential for understanding the permeability of the entire nanoporous membrane. Nanoscale spatial resolution was achieved by scanning a 17 nm radius pipet tip at a distance as low as 1.3 nm from a highly porous nanocrystalline silicon membrane in order to obtain the peak current response controlled by the nanopore-mediated diffusional transport of tetrabutylammonium ions to the nanopipet-supported liquid-liquid interface. A 280 nm × 500 nm image resolved 13 nanopores, which corresponds to a high density of 93 nanopores/μm(2). A finite element simulation of the SECM image was performed to assess quantitatively the spatial resolution limited by the tip diameter in resolving two adjacent pores and to determine the actual size of a nanopore, which was approximated as an elliptical cylinder with a depth of 30 nm and major and minor axes of 53 and 41 nm, respectively. These structural parameters were consistent with those determined by transmission electron microscopy, thereby confirming the reliability of quantitative SECM imaging at the nanoscale level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Shen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | | | - Jiyeon Kim
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Shigeru Amemiya
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
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46
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Kavalenka MN, Striemer CC, Fang DZ, Gaborski TR, McGrath JL, Fauchet PM. Ballistic and non-ballistic gas flow through ultrathin nanopores. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2012; 23:145706. [PMID: 22433182 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/23/14/145706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We show that ultrathin porous nanocrystalline silicon membranes exhibit gas permeance that is several orders of magnitude higher than other membranes. Using these membranes, gas flow obeying Knudsen diffusion has been studied in pores with lengths and diameters in the tens of nanometers regime. The components of the flow due to ballistic transport and transport after reflection from the pore walls were separated and quantified as a function of pore diameter. These results were obtained in pores made in silicon. We demonstrate that changing the pore interior to carbon leads to flow enhancement resulting from a change in the nature of molecule-pore wall interactions. This result confirms previously published flow enhancement results obtained in carbon nanotubes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M N Kavalenka
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
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47
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Fang DZ, Striemer CC, Gaborski TR, McGrath JL, Fauchet PM. Pore size control of ultrathin silicon membranes by rapid thermal carbonization. NANO LETTERS 2010; 10:3904-8. [PMID: 20839831 PMCID: PMC2967790 DOI: 10.1021/nl101602z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Rapid thermal carbonization in a dilute acetylene (C(2)H(2)) atmosphere has been used to chemically modify and precisely tune the pore size of ultrathin porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si). The magnitude of size reduction was controlled by varying the process temperature and time. Under certain conditions, the carbon coating displayed atomic ordering indicative of graphene layer formation conformal to the pore walls. Initial experiments show that carbonized membranes follow theoretical predictions for hydraulic permeability and retain the precise separation capabilities of untreated membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Z. Fang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Box 270231, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
| | - Christopher C. Striemer
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Box 270231, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
- SiMPore, Inc. 150 Lucius Gordon Dr., West Henrietta, NY 14586
| | | | - James L. McGrath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Box 270168, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
| | - Philippe M. Fauchet
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Box 270231, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
- Corresponding author:
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