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Zhang K, Xiang W, Jia N, Yu M, Liu J, Xie Z. A portable microfluidic device for thermally controlled granular sample manipulation. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:549-560. [PMID: 38168724 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00888f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Effective granular sample manipulation with a portable and visualizable microfluidic device is significant for lots of applications, such as point-of-care testing and cargo delivery. Herein, we report a portable microfluidic device for controlled particle focusing, migration and double-emulsion droplet release via thermal fields. The device mainly contains a microfluidic chip, a microcontroller with a DC voltage control unit, a built-in microscope with a video transmission unit and a smartphone. Five microheaters located at the bottom of the microfluidic chip are used to unevenly heat fluids and then induce thermal buoyancy flow and a thermocapillary effect, and the experiments can be conveniently visualized through a smartphone, which provides convenient sample detection in outdoor environments. To demonstrate the feasibility and multifunctionality of this device, the focusing manipulation of multiple particles is first analyzed by using silica particles and yeast cells as experimental samples. We can directly observe the particle focusing states on the screen of a smartphone, and the particle focusing efficiency can be flexibly tuned by changing the control voltage of the microheater. Then the study focus is transferred to single-particle migration. By changing the voltage combinations applied on four strip microheaters, the single particle can migrate at predetermined trajectory and speed, showing attractiveness for those applications needing sample transportation. Finally, we manipulate the special three-phase flow system of double-emulsion drops in thermal fields. Under the combined effect of the thermocapillary effect and increased instability, the shell of double-emulsion droplets gradually thins and finally breaks, resulting in the release of samples in inner cores. The core release speed can also be flexibly adjusted by changing the control voltage of the microheater. These three experiments successfully demonstrate the effectiveness and multifunctionality of this thermally actuated microfluidic device on granular manipulation. Therefore, this portable microfluidic device will be promising for lots of applications, such as analytical detection, microrobot actuation and cargo release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailiang Zhang
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150040.
| | - Wei Xiang
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150040.
| | - Na Jia
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150040.
| | - Mingyu Yu
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150040.
| | - Jiuqing Liu
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150040.
| | - Zhijie Xie
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin, Heilongjiang, PR China 150040.
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Zhu Y, You M, Shi Y, Huang H, Wei Z, He T, Xiong S, Wang Z, Cheng X. Optofluidic Tweezers: Efficient and Versatile Micro/Nano-Manipulation Tools. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:1326. [PMID: 37512637 PMCID: PMC10384111 DOI: 10.3390/mi14071326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Optical tweezers (OTs) can transfer light momentum to particles, achieving the precise manipulation of particles through optical forces. Due to the properties of non-contact and precise control, OTs have provided a gateway for exploring the mysteries behind nonlinear optics, soft-condensed-matter physics, molecular biology, and analytical chemistry. In recent years, OTs have been combined with microfluidic chips to overcome their limitations in, for instance, speed and efficiency, creating a technology known as "optofluidic tweezers." This paper describes static OTs briefly first. Next, we overview recent developments in optofluidic tweezers, summarizing advancements in capture, manipulation, sorting, and measurement based on different technologies. The focus is on various kinds of optofluidic tweezers, such as holographic optical tweezers, photonic-crystal optical tweezers, and waveguide optical tweezers. Moreover, there is a continuing trend of combining optofluidic tweezers with other techniques to achieve greater functionality, such as antigen-antibody interactions and Raman tweezers. We conclude by summarizing the main challenges and future directions in this research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Zhu
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Digital Optics, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Minmin You
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro and Nano Manufacture Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yuzhi Shi
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Digital Optics, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Haiyang Huang
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Digital Optics, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Zeyong Wei
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Digital Optics, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Tao He
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Digital Optics, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Sha Xiong
- School of Automation, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Zhanshan Wang
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Digital Optics, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xinbin Cheng
- Institute of Precision Optical Engineering, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Digital Optics, Shanghai 200092, China
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Flexible on-chip droplet generation, switching and splitting via controllable hydrodynamics. Anal Chim Acta 2022; 1229:340363. [PMID: 36156234 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.340363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Flexible droplet preparation and manipulation are significant for lots applications such as immunoreaction and monocellular culture. Herein, we present a novel method for effective on-chip droplet generation, splitting and switching via controllable hydrodynamics. The microchannel of the designed chip has 6 inlets and 3 three outlets. The water solution is injected from a specific inlet (inlet d), and the other 5 inlets are used to inject oil fluids. Under the shearing effect of immiscible oils, the water phase breaks into dispersed droplets first, and the generated droplets can be further split into daughter drops or switched into side outlets from the middle outlet. To investigate the hydrodynamic droplet manipulation behaviors, a two-dimensional simulation model based on phase-field method is established. Utilizing the computational model, we systematically analyze the influences of the flow rates of continuous and dispersed fluids and the manipulation modes on droplet generation, splitting and switching. The numerical results indicate that the droplets can be generated with controlled sizes. For instance, at Qd = 5 μL/min and Qc1,2 = 5 μL/min, the droplet diameter decreases from 89.2 μm to 49.2 μm as Qs1,2 gradually rises from 15 μL/min to 40 μL/min. Moreover, the prepared droplets can realize on-demand splitting and switching. When Qd, Qc1,2, and Qs1,2 are fixed at 5 μL/min, 5 μL/min and 25 μL/min, respectively, the generated droplet is split into different proportional daughter drops with the rising of Qs3 (or Qs4) at first, and finally it is switched into the side-outlets when Qs3 (or Qs4) is higher than 80 μL/min. Therefore, this proposed droplet manipulation approach will be promising for various applications, and the numerical simulations can provide useful guidelines on the design and operation of droplet-based microfluidic systems.
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Edri E, Armon N, Greenberg E, Hadad E, Bockstaller MR, Shpaisman H. Assembly of Conductive Polyaniline Microstructures by a Laser-Induced Microbubble. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:22278-22286. [PMID: 32297505 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c00904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Micropatterns of conductive polymers are key for various applications in the fields of flexible electronics and sensing. A bottom-up method that allows high-resolution printing without additives is still lacking. Here, such a method is presented based on microprinting by the laser-induced microbubble technique (LIMBT). Continuous micropatterning of polyaniline (PANI) was achieved from a dispersion of the emeraldine base form of PANI (EB-PANI) in n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). A focused laser beam is absorbed by the EB-PANI nanoparticles and leads to formation of a microbubble, followed by convection currents, which rapidly pin EB-PANI nanoparticles to the bubble/substrate interface. Micro-Raman spectra confirmed that the printed patterns preserve the molecular structure of EB-PANI. A simple transformation of the printed lines to the conducting emeraldine salt form of PANI (ES-PANI) was achieved by doping with various acid solutions. The hypothesized deposition mechanism was verified, and the resulting structures were characterized by microscopic methods. The microstructures displayed conductivities of 3.8 × 10-1 S/cm upon HCl doping and 1.5 × 10-1 S/cm upon H2SO4 doping, on par with state-of-the-art patterning methods. High fidelity control over the width of the printed lines down to ∼650 nm was accomplished by varying the laser power and microscope stage velocity. This straightforward bottom-up method using low-power lasers offers an alternative to current microfabrication techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eitan Edri
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Nina Armon
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Ehud Greenberg
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Elad Hadad
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Michael R Bockstaller
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Hagay Shpaisman
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
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