Microfluidic Cell Co-Culture Platform With Liquid Fluorocarbon as the Cell Separator

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryson M. Brewer ◽  
Mingjian Shi ◽  
Yandong Gao ◽  
Donna J. Webb ◽  
Jon F. Edd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Cellular Communication ◽  
Cell Populations ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Physical Damage ◽  
Precise Control ◽  
Distinct Cell ◽  
Cell Processes

Cell co-culture platforms are essential tools for investigating inter-cellular communication and cellular activities among different cell populations. Microfluidic cell co-culture platforms offer several advantages over their conventional counterparts, including precise control over the cellular microenvironment, low cost, and high throughput. Previously, we have developed microfluidic devices using a hydraulically/pneumatically controlled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) valve barrier to separate distinct cell populations in culture, providing a means for manipulation and specific treatment of each cell type with different reagents [1]. After releasing the barrier, different cell populations can interact with each other while being observed using real-time imaging. However, the solid PDMS valve barrier is not truly reversible, as any cells/cell processes underneath the barrier will likely undergo physical damage when the valve barrier is activated.

A technique for protecting delicate specimens during processing

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 982-983
Author(s):  
R.J. Mount ◽  
R.V. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Basilar Membrane ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Organ Of Corti ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Sensory Epithelium ◽  
Physical Damage ◽  
Air Drying ◽  
Specimen Handling ◽  
Two Component

The sensory end organ of the ear, the organ of Corti, rests on a thin basilar membrane which lies between the bone of the central modiolus and the bony wall of the cochlea. In vivo, the organ of Corti is protected by the bony wall which totally surrounds it. In order to examine the sensory epithelium by scanning electron microscopy it is necessary to dissect away the protective bone and expose the region of interest (Fig. 1). This leaves the fragile organ of Corti susceptible to physical damage during subsequent handling. In our laboratory cochlear specimens, after dissection, are routinely prepared by the O-T- O-T-O technique, critical point dried and then lightly sputter coated with gold. This processing involves considerable specimen handling including several hours on a rotator during which the organ of Corti is at risk of being physically damaged. The following procedure uses low cost, readily available materials to hold the specimen during processing ,preventing physical damage while allowing an unhindered exchange of fluids.Following fixation, the cochlea is dehydrated to 70% ethanol then dissected under ethanol to prevent air drying. The holder is prepared by punching a hole in the flexible snap cap of a Wheaton vial with a paper hole punch. A small amount of two component epoxy putty is well mixed then pushed through the hole in the cap. The putty on the inner cap is formed into a “cup” to hold the specimen (Fig. 2), the putty on the outside is smoothed into a “button” to give good attachment even when the cap is flexed during handling (Fig. 3). The cap is submerged in the 70% ethanol, the bone at the base of the cochlea is seated into the cup and the sides of the cup squeezed with forceps to grip it (Fig.4). Several types of epoxy putty have been tried, most are either soluble in ethanol to some degree or do not set in ethanol. The only putty we find successful is “DUROtm MASTERMENDtm Epoxy Extra Strength Ribbon” (Loctite Corp., Cleveland, Ohio), this is a blue and yellow ribbon which is kneaded to form a green putty, it is available at many hardware stores.

scholarly journals Microfabrication with Very Low-Average Power of Green Light to Produce PDMS Microchips

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 607
Author(s):  
Lucero M. Hernandez-Cedillo ◽  
Francisco G. Vázquez-Cuevas ◽  
Rafael Quintero-Torres ◽  
Jose L. Aragón ◽  
Miguel Angel Ocampo Mortera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Average Power ◽  
Green Light ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Processing Parameters ◽  
Coating Film ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Dimethyl Siloxane ◽  
Visible Laser ◽  
High Absorption

In this article, we show an alternative low-cost fabrication method to obtain poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic devices. The proposed method allows the inscription of micron resolution channels on polystyrene (PS) surfaces, used as a mold for the wanted microchip’s production, by applying a high absorption coating film on the PS surface to ablate it with a focused low-power visible laser. The method allows for obtaining micro-resolution channels at powers between 2 and 10 mW and can realize any two-dimensional polymeric devices. The effect of the main processing parameters on the channel’s geometry is presented.

AMANDA—low-cost production of microfluidic devices

1998 ◽  
Vol 70 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 153-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.K. Schomburg ◽  
R. Ahrens ◽  
W. Bacher ◽  
C. Goll ◽  
S. Meinzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Microfluidic Devices

Microwave-induced, thermally assisted solvent bonding for low-cost PMMA microfluidic devices

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 015026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Rahbar ◽  
Sumanpreet Chhina ◽  
Dan Sameoto ◽  
M Parameswaran
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Solvent Bonding

Measuring Optical Properties of Advanced Nano/Micro-Periodic Structures Fabricated by Multi-Exposure Interference Lithography

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuzo Masui ◽  
Masaki Michihata ◽  
Kiyoshi Takamasu ◽  
Satoru Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Periodic Structures ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Interference Lithography ◽  
High Dispersion ◽  
Optical Elements ◽  
Precise Control ◽  
Periodic Grating ◽  
Interference Fringes ◽  
Multiple Interference

Abstract Functional optical elements based on nano/micro-periodic structures have attracted much attention. Since the fabrication of these dual-periodic structures requires precise control of periodicity, the semiconductor process such as an electron beam lithography has been mainly employed. However, these techniques have problems with expensive and low throughput for industrial applications. Therefore, there remains a need for low cost and high throughput fabrication methods of dual-periodic structures. Then we developed a multi-exposure interference lithography (MEIL) system using rotational Lloyd’s mirror interferometer to overcome these problems. The advantages of interference lithography are a large processing area and low cost. Our developed rotational Lloyd’s mirror setup enables us to a highly precise superposition of multiple interference fringes by multi-exposure. Furthermore, we developed a measurement setup for reflective diffractive elements using a two axial rotating stage and measured the diffraction properties of the fabricated dual-periodic diffraction gratings. In this paper, as a demonstration, we succeeded in the fabrication of high-dispersion diffraction grating with an enhanced diffraction efficiency of the −3rd order light. The fabricated shapes have a periodicity of 1997 nm and 665 nm. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the intensity of the −3rd order light was enhanced by about 10 times compared to the single periodic grating.

A Very Low-Cost, Labor-Efficient, and Simple Method to Block Scattered Ultraviolet Light in PDMS Microfluidic Devices by Inserting Aluminum Foil Strips

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuo Wang ◽  
Peter Shankles ◽  
Scott Retterer ◽  
Yong Tae Kang ◽  
Chang Kyoung Choi
Keyword(s):  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Aluminum Foil ◽  
Material Synthesis ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Micro Particles ◽  
Complex Shapes ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Opto-microfluidic methods have advantages for manufacturing complex shapes or structures of micro particles/hydrogels. Most of these microfluidic devices are made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by soft lithography because of its flexibility of designing and manufacturing. However, PDMS scatters ultraviolet (UV) light, which polymerizes the photocrosslinkable materials at undesirable locations and clogs the microfluidic devices. A fluorescent dye has previously been employed to absorb the scattered UV light and shift its wavelength to effectively solve this issue. However, this method is limited due to the cost of the materials (tens of dollars per microchip), the time consumed on synthesizing the fluorescent material and verifying its quality (two to three days). More importantly, significant expertise on material synthesis and characterization is required for users of the opto-microfluidic technique. The cost of preliminary testing on multiple iterations of different microfluidic chip designs would also be excessive. Alternatively, with a delicate microchannel design, we simply inserted aluminum foil strips (AFS) inside the PDMS device to block the scattered UV light. By using this method, the UV light was limited to the exposure region so that the opto-microfluidic device could consistently generate microgels longer than 6 h. This is a nearly cost- and labor-free method to solve this issue.

THEORETICAL ANALYSES FOR LASER MACHINING MICROCHANNELS AND DEMONSTRATION OF THEIR USES IN MANUFACTURE OF A MICROFLUIDIC OPTICAL SWITCH

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (06) ◽  
pp. 795-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL LIM ◽  
ERNA GONDO SANTOSO ◽  
KIM MING TEH ◽  
STEPHEN WAN ◽  
H. Y. ZHENG
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Optical Switch ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Laser Machining ◽  
Machining Parameters ◽  
Flow Channels ◽  
Cost Effective Method ◽  
Theoretical Analyses

Silicon has been widely used to fabricate microfluidic devices due to the dominance of silicon microfabrication technologies available. In this paper, theoretical analyses are carried out to suggest suitable laser machining parameters to achieve required channel geometries. Based on the analyses, a low-power CO 2 laser was employed to create microchannels in Acrylic substrate for the use of manufacturing an optical bubble switch. The developed equations are found useful for selecting appropriate machining parameters. The ability to use a low-cost CO 2 laser to fabricate microchannels provides an alternative and cost-effective method for prototyping fluid flow channels, chambers and cavities in microfluidic lab chips.

scholarly journals Micropipette-Based Microfluidic Device for Monodisperse Microbubbles Generation

Micromachines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 387
Author(s):  
Carlos Toshiyuki Matsumi ◽  
Wilson José da Silva ◽  
Fábio Kurt Schneider ◽  
Joaquim Miguel Maia ◽  
Rigoberto E. M. Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fields ◽  
Microfluidic Device ◽  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Average Diameter ◽  
Internal Diameter ◽  
Medical Diagnostic ◽  
Average Size

Microbubbles have various applications including their use as carrier agents for localized delivery of genes and drugs and in medical diagnostic imagery. Various techniques are used for the production of monodisperse microbubbles including the Gyratory, the coaxial electro-hydrodynamic atomization (CEHDA), the sonication methods, and the use of microfluidic devices. Some of these techniques require safety procedures during the application of intense electric fields (e.g., CEHDA) or soft lithography equipment for the production of microfluidic devices. This study presents a hybrid manufacturing process using micropipettes and 3D printing for the construction of a T-Junction microfluidic device resulting in simple and low cost generation of monodisperse microbubbles. In this work, microbubbles with an average size of 16.6 to 57.7 μm and a polydispersity index (PDI) between 0.47% and 1.06% were generated. When the device is used at higher bubble production rate, the average diameter was 42.8 μm with increased PDI of 3.13%. In addition, a second-order polynomial characteristic curve useful to estimate micropipette internal diameter necessary to generate a desired microbubble size is presented and a linear relationship between the ratio of gaseous and liquid phases flows and the ratio of microbubble and micropipette diameters (i.e., Qg/Ql and Db/Dp) was found.

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