Capillary Wells Microplate with Side Optical Access

Tan, Han; Ng, Tuck Wah; Neild, Adrian; Liew, Oi Wah

doi:10.1177/1087057110381648

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…We show here that the shape of the meniscus in a circular capillary itself reveals the required information to determine the CA. Capillaries have been found to possess useful liquid filling characteristics that render them beneficial for use as alternative types of microplates with improved features. − We also demonstrate a method of lighting up the meniscus in order to facilitate the measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Using the Meniscus in a Capillary for Small Volume Contact Angle Measurement in Biochemical Applications

Cheong

et al. 2011

Langmuir

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The contact angle is a sensitive parameter often used to define wettability. With the increasing movement toward smaller liquid volumes in many biochemical applications, a key challenge lies in how to perform measurements in the retainer holding the reagent for rapid evaluation and limited material loss. Here, we report a simple and robust method to determine the contact angle of small volumes using the microscopic imaging of a capillary meniscus that requires only the radius and meniscus height information. An error analysis of the measurement finds the method to be highly accurate. We also uncovered that illumination delivered from the liquid end of the capillary lights up the interface, thereby facilitating the measurement.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Using the Meniscus in a Capillary for Small Volume Contact Angle Measurement in Biochemical Applications

Cheong

et al. 2011

Langmuir

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“…The evaporation process should also not require any intervening membranes as residues of the analyte (which may be precious or expensive) may be trapped there, resulting in unwanted sample loss. A droplet creation and retraction approach with evaporation 8 was recently reported to take advantage of the ability to work with capillary microplates which have a host of benefits in handling, 9 filling, 10 sensing, [11][12][13] and mixing 14 when dealing with small volumes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaporative preconcentration and cryopreservation of fluorescent analytes using superhydrophobic surfaces

Shao

Liew³

et al. 2012

Soft Matter

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The preconcentration of analytes is important in biochemical analysis as it offers the ability to detect trace species, and increase signal-to-noise ratios when using optical sensing. A strong advantage of the evaporation technique lies in its ability to operate without any external energy source. We have found that the evaporation of droplets on typical surfaces is susceptible to the coffee staining effect that leaves remnant fluorescence on the surface. This is less pronounced with hydrophobic surfaces but shown here to be still significant. The use of a superhydrophobic surface is demonstrated to engender minuscule fluorescent material losses. The difficulty of locating a droplet on this surface is addressed here using wells in which a depth of 0.51 mm with 7 ml analyte volume was found to accommodate a comfortable tilt working range of up to 19 . Experiments revealed preconcentration rates to be faster with lower humidity but maximal concentrations were achieved using 50% relative humidity. We have also shown the ability to attain solid-liquid state changes of the spherical shaped droplets of analytes using subzero temperatures. This allows for tandem preconcentration and cryopreservation without any analyte transfer, leading to the advantages of minimal sample handling loss and contamination. With EGFP used as a model protein, we found no deterioration in fluorescence for up to 8 freeze-thaw cycles.

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“…The second scheme applies to the manipulation of droplets placed on surfaces where sample movement is accomplished using electrowetting, 10 acoustics, 11,12 or gravity. 13,14 Capillaries that serve as liquid receptacles for microplates were first introduced to reduce the demands of precision pipetting 15 and has since been demonstrated to provide a host of other favorable features, such as improved optical sensing, [16][17][18] independence of wetting-geometry effects, 19 bubble and pipetting error detection, 17,18 and mixing. 20 Here, we advance a methodology for accomplishing biochemical processing and analysis using discrete microfluidics by applying gentle liquid transfer between capillaries in order to limit flow to a minimum, thus circumventing the problems mentioned earlier.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discrete microfluidics transfer across capillaries using liquid bridge stability

Lye

Ling

2011

Journal of Applied Physics

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Discrete microfluidics offers distinct advantages over continuous microfluidics since the need for flow presents significant problems. Here, we demonstrate a method of achieving the gentle transfer of liquid samples between two capillaries with the use of air actuation which limits flow and is amenable to automation. Since the stability of liquid bridges is in operation, there is a relationship established between the gap distance and the liquid volume, thereby resulting in three physical response types that were identified. Only one of these allows for efficient liquid transfer. We advance a model for the optimal gap distance and show that it is in good agreement with the experimental data. During the process of liquid transfer, favorable mixing is also achieved.

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Capillary Wells Microplate with Side Optical Access

Cited by 15 publications

References 23 publications

Using the Meniscus in a Capillary for Small Volume Contact Angle Measurement in Biochemical Applications

Using the Meniscus in a Capillary for Small Volume Contact Angle Measurement in Biochemical Applications

Evaporative preconcentration and cryopreservation of fluorescent analytes using superhydrophobic surfaces

Discrete microfluidics transfer across capillaries using liquid bridge stability

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