#labonachip

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Microfluidic gadgets can take basic medical laboratory treatments and condense each down to a microchip that balances on top of a water bottle cover. A group from Michigan Technological University, studying chemical engineering, electrical engineering and products science, improve the style of microfluidic gadgets to be transparent to observe their inner operations. Using hair-thin tunnels and similarly small electrodes, these gadgets funnel fluids through an electrical present to sort cells, discover illness and run diagnostic tests.

The issue is that biological samples are not inert– they’re charged and all set to communicate. When fluids can be found in contact with microdevice electrodes, surges can occur. Tiny ones. But blowing up red cell– brought on by an ion imbalance that bursts cell membranes in a procedure called lysis– beat the point of screening blood glucose levels or blood type. In other tests, like those for cancer or contagious illness, tinkering the sample chemistry can lead to faIse negatives or incorrect positives. Interactions in between samples and electrodes, called Faradaic responses, can be an undesirable adverse effects in microfluidics.

To protect the stability of samples and preserve a clear surface area to observe what’s going on inside the gadget, Michigan Tech engineers information how thin hafnium oxide layers imitate a cell phone screen protector for microdevices. Their work was just recently released in ThinSolid Films( DOI: 10.1016/ j.tsf.201807024) and a video of one gadget demonstrates how the protective layer works.

Designinga Lab- on-a- chip

JeanaCollins, speaker of chemical engineering, studied microfluidics for her doctoral research study at Michigan Tech and is the very first author on the paper. She discusses how the lab-on-a- chip usages a procedure called dielectrophoresis.

“The dielectrophoretic response is a movement,” she states. “And how can you tell it moved? By watching it move.”

Collins goes on to discuss that a non-uniform electrical field from the electrodes communicates with the charge on the particles or cells in a sample, triggering them to move. Many biological lab-on-a- chip gadgets depend on this type of electrical action.

“As chemical engineers, we deal more with the fluidics side,”Collins states, including that the electronic devices are likewise crucial and a blood sugar meter is a prime example. “You’ve got the blood—that’s your fluid—and it goes in, you have a test done, then you get a digital readout. So it’s a combination of fluidics and electronics.”

Hafnium oxide coats the left gadget and supplies both sample defense and optical openness to aid enhance the research study of microfluidic medical gadgets. Credit: Sanaz Habibi

Even though a advertised lab-on-a- chip like a glucose meter is covered, Collins and other engineers require to see what’s going on to get a clear photo under a microscopic lense. That’s why hafnium oxide, which leaves just a minor shade, works in their microdevice style advancement.

Also, the technology does not use to a single gadget. Because of its simpleness, the hafnium oxide layer deals with a variety of electrode styles, keeps a constant dielectric constant of 20.32and is hemocompatible– that is, it lessens the Faradaic responses that can trigger cell lysis so less red cells blow up when they come near the electrodes.

Collinsand her group evaluated 3 various densities of hafnium oxide–58 nanometers, 127 nanometers and 239 nanometers. They discovered that depending upon the deposition time– 6.5 minutes, 13 minutes and 20 minutes– the grain size and structure can be fine-tuned for the requirements of particular gadgets. The just prospective concern would be for fluorescence-based microdevices since the hafnium oxide does disrupt particular wavelengths. However, the layer’s optical openness makes it a excellent option for numerous biological lab-on-a- chip tests.

Clear,Biocompatible and Interdisciplinary

Collins explains that the job’s success is straight connected to the group’s complementary abilities. By combining chemical engineers, electrical engineers, products researchers and the Michigan Tech MicrofabricationShared User Facility, they were able to press the limits of all their fields.

“Microdevice design has tended toward increasing levels of complexity; each level of complexity increases probability of failure,” states AdrienneMinerick, dean of the School of Technology, teacher of chemical engineering and Collins’ doctoral advisor. “Simple solutions—while challenging to find—can provide robust, failure-resistant solutions for a wide range of applications. We explored numerous polymeric and inorganic films.”

“It took an interdisciplinary team to reveal the chemical structure and behaviors to provide an elegant option for wide ranging lab-on-a chip problems.”

AdrienneMinerick

The other co-authors consist of Hector Moncada Hernandez, Sanaz Habibi, Zhichao Wang from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chito Kendrick, Nupur Bihari, Paul Bergstrom from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Source: MichiganTechnological University

. . . .

Microfluidic gadgets can take basic medical laboratory treatments and condense each down to a microchip that balances on top of a water bottle cover. A group from Michigan Technological University, studying chemical engineering, electrical engineering and products science, improve the style of microfluidic gadgets to be transparent to observe their inner operations. Using hair-thin tunnels and similarly small electrodes, these gadgets funnel fluids through an electrical present to sort cells, discover illness and run diagnostic tests.

The issue is that biological samples are not inert– they’re charged and all set to communicate. When fluids can be found in contact with microdevice electrodes, surges can occur. Tiny ones. But blowing up red cell– brought on by an ion imbalance that bursts cell membranes in a procedure called lysis– beat the point of screening blood glucose levels or blood type. In other tests, like those for cancer or contagious illness, tinkering the sample chemistry can lead to faIse negatives or incorrect positives. Interactions in between samples and electrodes, called Faradaic responses, can be an undesirable adverse effects in microfluidics.

To protect the stability of samples and preserve a clear surface area to observe what’s going on inside the gadget, Michigan Tech engineers information how thin hafnium oxide layers imitate a cell phone screen protector for microdevices. Their work was just recently released in ThinSolid Films( DOI: 10.1016/ j.tsf.201807024) and a video of one gadget demonstrates how the protective layer works.

Designinga Lab- on-a- chip

JeanaCollins, speaker of chemical engineering, studied microfluidics for her doctoral research study at Michigan Tech and is the very first author on the paper. She discusses how the lab-on-a- chip usages a procedure called dielectrophoresis.

“The dielectrophoretic response is a movement,” she states. “And how can you tell it moved? By watching it move.”

Collins goes on to discuss that a non-uniform electrical field from the electrodes communicates with the charge on the particles or cells in a sample, triggering them to move. Many biological lab-on-a- chip gadgets depend on this type of electrical action.

“As chemical engineers, we deal more with the fluidics side,”Collins states, including that the electronic devices are likewise crucial and a blood sugar meter is a prime example. “You’ve got the blood—that’s your fluid—and it goes in, you have a test done, then you get a digital readout. So it’s a combination of fluidics and electronics.”

Hafnium oxide coats the left gadget and supplies both sample defense and optical openness to aid enhance the research study of microfluidic medical gadgets. Credit: Sanaz Habibi

Even though a advertised lab-on-a- chip like a glucose meter is covered, Collins and other engineers require to see what’s going on to get a clear photo under a microscopic lense. That’s why hafnium oxide, which leaves just a minor shade, works in their microdevice style advancement.

Also, the technology does not use to a single gadget. Because of its simpleness, the hafnium oxide layer deals with a variety of electrode styles, keeps a constant dielectric constant of 20.32and is hemocompatible– that is, it lessens the Faradaic responses that can trigger cell lysis so less red cells blow up when they come near the electrodes.

Collinsand her group evaluated 3 various densities of hafnium oxide–58 nanometers, 127 nanometers and 239 nanometers. They discovered that depending upon the deposition time– 6.5 minutes, 13 minutes and 20 minutes– the grain size and structure can be fine-tuned for the requirements of particular gadgets. The just prospective concern would be for fluorescence-based microdevices since the hafnium oxide does disrupt particular wavelengths. However, the layer’s optical openness makes it a excellent option for numerous biological lab-on-a- chip tests.

Clear,Biocompatible and Interdisciplinary

Collins explains that the job’s success is straight connected to the group’s complementary abilities. By combining chemical engineers, electrical engineers, products researchers and the Michigan Tech MicrofabricationShared User Facility, they were able to press the limits of all their fields.

“Microdevice design has tended toward increasing levels of complexity; each level of complexity increases probability of failure,” states AdrienneMinerick, dean of the School of Technology, teacher of chemical engineering and Collins’ doctoral advisor. “Simple solutions—while challenging to find—can provide robust, failure-resistant solutions for a wide range of applications. We explored numerous polymeric and inorganic films.”

“It took an interdisciplinary team to reveal the chemical structure and behaviors to provide an elegant option for wide ranging lab-on-a chip problems.”

AdrienneMinerick

The other co-authors consist of Hector Moncada Hernandez, Sanaz Habibi, Zhichao Wang from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chito Kendrick, Nupur Bihari, Paul Bergstrom from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Source: MichiganTechnological University

Lab-on-a-chip may help identify new treatments for liver disease — ScienceDaily

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) — the accumulation of liver fat in people who drink little or no alcohol — is increasingly common around the world, and in the United States, it affects between 30 and 40 percent of adults. Currently, there are no approved drugs for the treatment of NAFLD, which is predicted to soon become the main cause of chronic liver problems and the need for liver…

Microfluidic devices can take standard medical lab procedures and condense each down to a microchip that balances on top of a water bottle lid. A team from Michigan Technological University, studying chemical engineering, electrical engineering and materials science, streamline the design of microfluidic devices to be see-through to observe their inner workings. Using hair-thin tunnels and equally tiny electrodes, these devices funnel fluids through an electric current to sort cells, find diseases and run diagnostic tests.

The problem is that biological samples are not inert—they’re charged and ready to interact. When fluids come in contact with microdevice electrodes, explosions can happen. Tiny ones. But exploding red blood cells—caused by an ion imbalance that bursts cell membranes in a process called lysis—defeat the point of testing blood sugar levels or blood type. In other tests, like those for cancer or infectious disease, messing with the sample chemistry can lead to faIse negatives or false positives. Interactions between samples and electrodes, called Faradaic reactions, can be an unwanted side effect in microfluidics.

To preserve the integrity of samples and maintain a clear surface to observe what’s going on inside the device, Michigan Tech engineers detail how thin hafnium oxide layers act like a cell phone screen protector for microdevices. Their work was recently published in Thin Solid Films (DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2018.07.024) and a video of one device shows how the protective layer works.

Designing a Lab-on-a-chip

Jeana Collins, lecturer of chemical engineering, studied microfluidics for her doctoral research at Michigan Tech and is the first author on the paper. She explains how the lab-on-a-chip uses a process called dielectrophoresis.

“The dielectrophoretic response is a movement,” she says. “And how can you tell it moved? By watching it move.”

Collins goes on to explain that a non-uniform electric field from the electrodes interacts with the charge on the particles or cells in a sample, causing them to migrate. Many biological lab-on-a-chip devices rely on this kind of electrical response.

“As chemical engineers, we deal more with the fluidics side,” Collins says, adding that the electronics are also key and a blood glucose meter is a prime example. “You’ve got the blood—that’s your fluid—and it goes in, you have a test done, then you get a digital readout. So it’s a combination of fluidics and electronics.”

Hafnium oxide coats the left device and provides both sample protection and optical transparency to help improve the study of microfluidic medical devices. Credit: Sanaz Habibi

Even though a commercialized lab-on-a-chip like a glucose meter is covered, Collins and other engineers need to see what’s going on to get a clear picture under a microscope. That’s why hafnium oxide, which leaves only a slight hue, is useful in their microdevice design development.

Also, the technology does not apply to a single device. Because of its simplicity, the hafnium oxide layer works with a number of electrode designs, maintains a consistent dielectric constant of 20.32 and is hemocompatible—that is, it minimizes the Faradaic reactions that can cause cell lysis so fewer red bloods cells explode when they come near the electrodes.

Collins and her team tested three different thicknesses of hafnium oxide—58 nanometers, 127 nanometers and 239 nanometers. They found that depending on the deposition time—6.5 minutes, 13 minutes and 20 minutes—the grain size and structure can be tweaked for the needs of specific devices. The only potential issue would be for fluorescence-based microdevices because the hafnium oxide does interfere with certain wavelengths. However, the layer’s optical transparency makes it a good solution for many biological lab-on-a-chip tests.

Clear, Biocompatible and Interdisciplinary

Collins points out that the project’s success is directly tied to the team’s complementary skills. By bringing together chemical engineers, electrical engineers, materials scientists and the Michigan Tech Microfabrication Shared User Facility, they were able to push the boundaries of all their fields.

“Microdevice design has tended toward increasing levels of complexity; each level of complexity increases probability of failure,” says Adrienne Minerick, dean of the School of Technology, professor of chemical engineering and Collins’ doctoral adviser. “Simple solutions—while challenging to find—can provide robust, failure-resistant solutions for a wide range of applications. We explored numerous polymeric and inorganic films.”

“It took an interdisciplinary team to reveal the chemical structure and behaviors to provide an elegant option for wide ranging lab-on-a chip problems.”

Adrienne Minerick

The other co-authors include Hector Moncada Hernandez, Sanaz Habibi, Zhichao Wang from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chito Kendrick, Nupur Bihari, Paul Bergstrom from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Source : Michigan Technological University

Twisters Inside a Lab-on-a-Chip Trap Viruses, DNA, Biomolecules

Twisters Inside a Lab-on-a-Chip Trap Viruses, DNA, Biomolecules

At Purdue University engineers have developed a new type of optical nanotweezers that can be used to grab onto and inspect viruses, DNA strings, and other important biomolecules.

The innovative lab-on-a-chip device relies on a “nanostructured plasmonic metafilm” created out of a very thin gold sheet with nano-scale holes drilled…

Twisters Inside a Lab-on-a-Chip Trap Viruses, DNA, Biomolecules

Twisters Inside a Lab-on-a-Chip Trap Viruses, DNA, Biomolecules

At Purdue University engineers have developed a new type of optical nanotweezers that can be used to grab onto and inspect viruses, DNA strings, and other important biomolecules.

The innovative lab-on-a-chip device relies on a “nanostructured plasmonic metafilm” created out of a very thin gold sheet with nano-scale holes drilled…

Twisters Inside a Lab-on-a-Chip Trap Viruses, DNA, Biomolecules

Twisters Inside a Lab-on-a-Chip Trap Viruses, DNA, Biomolecules

At Purdue University engineers have developed a new type of optical nanotweezers that can be used to grab onto and inspect viruses, DNA strings, and other important biomolecules.

The innovative lab-on-a-chip device relies on a “nanostructured plasmonic metafilm” created out of a very thin gold sheet with nano-scale holes drilled…