Microfluidics

Tarn, Mark D.; Pamme, Nicole

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-409547-2.05351-8

Cited by 33 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 111 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Such droplets are typically generated using a nebuliser (Koop et al 1998 ; Atkinson et al 2013 ; Knopf and Lopez 2009 ; Murray et al 2011 ), a non-trivial technique that produces polydisperse droplets, or via emulsification with a vortex mixer (Hader et al 2014 ; Wright et al 2013 ) that also yields polydisperse populations. Microfluidic technology (Tarn and Pamme 2013 ; Whitesides 2006 ; Sackmann et al 2014 ), on the other hand, enables the generation of very monodisperse droplets at high production rates for a range of applications (Casadevall i Solvas and de Mello 2011 ; Teh et al 2008 ; Song et al 2006 ; Chou et al 2015 ; Zhu and Wang 2017 ). This is typically achieved via the injection of oil and water into a T-junction or flow-focussing junction channel design such that droplets of one phase are generated in the other (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The study of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles via microfluidically generated droplets

Tarn

Sikora

Porter

et al. 2018

Microfluid Nanofluid

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) play a significant role in the climate and hydrological cycle by triggering ice formation in supercooled clouds, thereby causing precipitation and affecting cloud lifetimes and their radiative properties. However, despite their importance, INP often comprise only 1 in 103–106 ambient particles, making it difficult to ascertain and predict their type, source, and concentration. The typical techniques for quantifying INP concentrations tend to be highly labour-intensive, suffer from poor time resolution, or are limited in sensitivity to low concentrations. Here, we present the application of microfluidic devices to the study of atmospheric INPs via the simple and rapid production of monodisperse droplets and their subsequent freezing on a cold stage. This device offers the potential for the testing of INP concentrations in aqueous samples with high sensitivity and high counting statistics. Various INPs were tested for validation of the platform, including mineral dust and biological species, with results compared to literature values. We also describe a methodology for sampling atmospheric aerosol in a manner that minimises sampling biases and which is compatible with the microfluidic device. We present results for INP concentrations in air sampled during two field campaigns: (1) from a rural location in the UK and (2) during the UK’s annual Bonfire Night festival. These initial results will provide a route for deployment of the microfluidic platform for the study and quantification of INPs in upcoming field campaigns around the globe, while providing a benchmark for future lab-on-a-chip-based INP studies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s10404-018-2069-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The study of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles via microfluidically generated droplets

Tarn

Sikora

Porter

et al. 2018

Microfluid Nanofluid

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Microfluidic paper-based analytic devices (microPADs) are a relatively new class of paper-based devices that combine features from microfluidic, lateral flow, and dipstick devices [ 2 , 10 , 11 ]. Traditional microfluidic devices are made by etching or molding channels into glass, silicon, or poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and typically require pumps to move fluids through the device [ 12 , 13 ]. MicroPADs, on the other hand, are made by patterning hydrophilic porous membranes (e.g., paper) with hydrophobic barriers to create networks of hydrophilic channels and test zones in which aqueous samples can wick via capillary action [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Reagent Pencils for Deposition of Reagents onto Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reagent pencils allow for solvent-free deposition of reagents onto paper-based microfluidic devices. The pencils are portable, easy to use, extend the shelf-life of reagents, and offer a platform for customizing diagnostic devices at the point of care. In this work, reagent pencils were characterized by measuring the wear resistance of pencil cores made from polyethylene glycols (PEGs) with different molecular weights and incorporating various concentrations of three different reagents using a standard pin abrasion test, as well as by measuring the efficiency of reagent delivery from the pencils to the test zones of paper-based microfluidic devices using absorption spectroscopy and digital image colorimetry. The molecular weight of the PEG, concentration of the reagent, and the molecular weight of the reagent were all found to have an inverse correlation with the wear of the pencil cores, but the amount of reagent delivered to the test zone of a device correlated most strongly with the concentration of the reagent in the pencil core. Up to 49% of the total reagent deposited on a device with a pencil was released into the test zone, compared to 58% for reagents deposited from a solution. The results suggest that reagent pencils can be prepared for a variety of reagents using PEGs with molecular weights in the range of 2000 to 6000 g/mol.

show abstract

“…The application of microfluidic devices [ 5 , 6 , 7 ], having channel networks with typical dimensions on the order of 1–100 s of micrometres, provides a number of advantages to immunoassays by reducing diffusion distances, reaction and washing time frames, as well as sample and reagent volumes [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Integration of magnetic particles with microfluidics thus combines the benefits of both [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ], and has yielded great success for on-chip bioanalysis [ 12 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic Particle Plug-Based Assays for Biomarker Analysis

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conventional immunoassays offer selective and quantitative detection of a number of biomarkers, but are laborious and time-consuming. Magnetic particle-based assays allow easy and rapid selection of analytes, but still suffer from the requirement of tedious multiple reaction and washing steps. Here, we demonstrate the trapping of functionalised magnetic particles within a microchannel for performing rapid immunoassays by flushing consecutive reagent and washing solutions over the trapped particle plug. Three main studies were performed to investigate the potential of the platform for quantitative analysis of biomarkers: (i) a streptavidin-biotin binding assay; (ii) a sandwich assay of the inflammation biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP); and (iii) detection of the steroid hormone, progesterone (P4), towards a competitive assay. Quantitative analysis with low limits of detection was demonstrated with streptavidin-biotin, while the CRP and P4 assays exhibited the ability to detect clinically relevant analytes, and all assays were completed in only 15 min. These preliminary results show the great potential of the platform for performing rapid, low volume magnetic particle plug-based assays of a range of clinical biomarkers via an exceedingly simple technique.

show abstract

Microfluidics

Cited by 33 publications

References 111 publications

The study of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles via microfluidically generated droplets

The study of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles via microfluidically generated droplets

Characterization of Reagent Pencils for Deposition of Reagents onto Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices

Magnetic Particle Plug-Based Assays for Biomarker Analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About