Microfluidics

Introduction:
- the science of manipulating and controlling fluids, usually in the
range of microliters (10-6) to picoliters (10-12), in networks of
channels with dimensions from tens to hundreds of
micrometers.
- the basic idea behind microfluidics is to implement operations
that used to require an entire lab in a single micro-sized device.
 Microfluidics
Introduction:
- It implies a profound knowledge of the physics of fluids at micro
scale and the engineering of device with very small footprints
and microchannels.
- the microchannels forming the microfluidic chip are connected
together in order to achieve the desired features (mix, pump, sort,
or control the biochemical environment).
 Microfluidics
Introduction:
- based on the following behavior of fluids.
• Surface tension
• Laminar flow
• Fast thermal relaxation
• Diffusion
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Introduction:
- Sensing capabilities, usually optical or electrochemical sensors,
can also be integrated into the chip.
- There are four primary areas of science responsible for
contributing to the advancements in the study of microfluidics;
micro analysis, biodefense, molecular biology, and
microelectronics.
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MICROANALYSIS: utilized in micro analytical methods such as gas-phase
chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and capillary
electrophoresis.
BIODEFENSE: designed to serve as detectors for biological and chemical
threats as these types of weapons were a major military and terrorist
threat.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: provided an avenue to surpass problems with high-
throughput DNA sequencing
MICROELECTRONICS: related microfluidics to the technologies used in
silicon microelectronics and in microelectromechanical systems.
 Microfluidics
Background:
- first applied in microbiology as a tool for analytical analysis
- with increased popularity, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency), commissioned microfluidics systems for fast
detections against potential bacteriological threats
- Photolithography (and related manufacturing techniques used in
microelectronics) were highly used in the dawning of microfluidics,
with silicon and glass as raw materials.
 Microfluidics
Background:
- Soon, however, the latter were displaced by polymers due to their
lower cost, higher biocompatibility and physical proprieties.
- Drawbacks of silicon:
- expensive compared to plastic
- opaque to visible and UV radiation and rigid, which makes the
implementation of control units (e.g. pumps and valves) more difficult.
- not permeable to gas, making it not suitable for studies on living cells.
 Microfluidics
Background:
- PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane, a mineral-organic polymer of the
siloxane family, can be found in food as an additive (E900), in
cosmetic products and lubricating oils) are widely used.
- Benefits:
• Transparency
• Elasticity
• Permeability
• Cost
 Microfluidics
Background:
- another polymer used for microfluidic chip is Polystyrene (PS)
which is a polymer of standard use in drug research for cell-culture
dishes.
- Benefits:
• optically transparent
• Biocompatible
• Inert
• Rigid
• its surface can be readily functionalized
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Background:
- Others often used polymers for microfluidic devices are
Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and Polycarbonate (PC)
• PC presents a better thermal resistance than PMMA and thus it can be
used in a wider range of temperature.
- Digital microfluidics, an alternative technology for microfluidic
systems, which aims to create fluid-fluid dispersion into channels
(principally water-in-oil emulsion) was introduced.
 Microfluidics
Components of a microfluidic device:
- Microscale Fluid Handling System
• A solution for conducting microscale reactions (digestion, separation
etc.) and for efficiently transporting microliter to picoliter samples from
a chip to an analytical device and/or a collection device.
- Sample Loading and Injection Device
• A solution for a universal interface device for transferring samples
from a container (e.g. multi-well plates) into channels of a microfluidic
device that can be integrated into or separated from a microchip.
 Microfluidics
Components of a microfluidic device:
- Electro-osmotic Pumping System
• A solution to control fluid dynamics in microfluidic device by using
pump(s) to generate electro-osmotic flow or pressurized flow in the
device.
- Small Volume Transport
• A solution for moving small volumes of sample through the capillary
channels or tubing of a microfluidic device, especially long distances.
 Microfluidics
Components of a microfluidic device:
- Variable Pressure Delivery Chamber
• A solution for more efficient sample transfer from electrophoresis
capillary or microchip to a mass spectrometer through an electrospray
chamber.
• Electrophoresis is a separations technique that is based on the mobility of ions
in an electric field.
• Spectrometer- an instrument used to measure properties of light over a
specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
 Microfluidics
Example Process Flow:
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Example:
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Objectives of micro-fluidic systems:
- Micro-Total-Analysis-Systems (μTAS)
• One system to provide all of the possible required analyses for a given
type problem.
• All processing steps are performed on the chip
• No user interaction required except for initialization
• Portable bedside systems possible
- Lab-on-a-chip
Length scales in micro-fluidic systems
Typical size of a chip
1mm

100mm

Extended lenght of DNA

Micro-channel 10mm
Microstructure and micro-drops
Cellular scale
1mm

Radius of Gyration of DNA

100nm

Colloid and polymer molecular size

10nm
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Advantages of Microfluidics:
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Materials of a microfluidic device:
- Valve
• Electromagnetic Valve
• Hydrogel Valve
- Pump
• Piezoelectric pump
• Thermopneumatic pump
• Braille Display-based pump
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Materials of a microfluidic device:
- Mixer
• Ultrafast micromixer
• Passive Planar mixer
• Gradient generation mixer
- Integrated Device
• Integrated DNA analysis device
• Microfluidic Assembly Blocks
• Large-Scale Integration