Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip characterization of nano- to microparticles suspensions by light extinction spectrometry

Abstract

The analysis of nano-and microparticle suspensions with micro systems affords improved space-time yields, selectivity, reaction residence times and conversions capabilities. These capabilities are of primary importance in various fields of research and industry. The few microfluidic lab-on-a-chip approaches that have been developed are essentially designed to analyse fluid phases or involve the use of benchtop particle sizing instruments. We report a novel microscale approach to characterize the particle size distribution and absolute concentration of colloidal suspensions. The method is based on a photonic lab-on-a-chip with three scale-specific detection channels to record simultaneous light extinction spectra. Experiments carried out on particle standards with sizes ranging from 30 nm to 0.5 µm and volume concentrations of 1 to 1000ppm, clearly demonstrate the value and potential of the proposed method.

On-Chip Photonic Detection Techniques for Non-Invasive In Situ Characterizations at the Microfluidic Scale

“…In principle, LES uses the extinction of a collimated broadband light beam to recover the particle size distribution (PSD) and the absolute concentrations in number or in volume. A novel lab-on-a-chip approach utilizing light extinction spectrometry for measuring particle size distributions and volume concentrations in optically dilute colloidal suspensions has been introduced by Onofri et al [ 136 ]. The photonic lab-on-a-chip platform containing multiple path lengths ( Figure 6 ) offered absolute particle concentration measurements for both stationary and dynamic suspensions, for particle sizes ranging from 30 nm to 0.5 µm and concentrations from 1 to 1000 ppm.…”

“…( f ) Setup with (2) LoC housing cover removed. Reproduced from [ 136 ], from the journal Optics Express published by Optica Publishing group 2022.…”

Time-resolved in-situ nanoparticle size evolution during magnetron sputtering onto liquids

“…36 Then, the PSD in volume can be retrieved using an appropriate data inversion algorithm. The LES technique is employed on various particulate systems: resonant poly-disperse Au NPs suspended in water, 40 mono-disperse polystyrene-water colloids, 43,44 mono-and poly-disperse distributions of KCl submicron particles in aerosols, 45 SiO 2 nanoclusters of complex buckyball shape in aerosols, 46 and growing W dust clouds levitating in plasma in the size range of 5-100 nm. 47…”

Open-loop lab-on-a-chip technology enables remote computer science training in Latinx life sciences students

“…Over the past decade, advances in lab-on-a-chip (LoC) technology have allowed the automatization of several laboratory techniques, especially molecular diagnosis and spectrometry-based characterization and quantification of molecules (Arshavsky-Graham S. and Segal, 2020;Onofri et al, 2022;Sano et al, 2022). Due to their small size and nanoscale volumes required to perform experiments, LoC technologies can drastically reduce the costs of performing PBL experiments (Bridle et al, 2016;Fintschenko, 2011).…”