scholarly journals The Fusion of Microfluidics and Optics for On-Chip Detection and Characterization of Microalgae

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1137
Author(s):  
Xinqi Zheng ◽  
Xiudong Duan ◽  
Xin Tu ◽  
Shulan Jiang ◽  
Chaolong Song
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Optical Components ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
Metabolic Heterogeneity ◽  
On Chip ◽  
Micro Systems

It has been demonstrated that microalgae play an important role in the food, agriculture and medicine industries. Additionally, the identification and counting of the microalgae are also a critical step in evaluating water quality, and some lipid-rich microalgae species even have the potential to be an alternative to fossil fuels. However, current technologies for the detection and analysis of microalgae are costly, labor-intensive, time-consuming and throughput limited. In the past few years, microfluidic chips integrating optical components have emerged as powerful tools that can be used for the analysis of microalgae with high specificity, sensitivity and throughput. In this paper, we review recent optofluidic lab-on-chip systems and techniques used for microalgal detection and characterization. We introduce three optofluidic technologies that are based on fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy and imaging-based flow cytometry, each of which can achieve the determination of cell viability, lipid content, metabolic heterogeneity and counting. We analyze and summarize the merits and drawbacks of these micro-systems and conclude the direction of the future development of the optofluidic platforms applied in microalgal research.

scholarly journals Advanced Characterisation of a Sensor System for Droplet-Based Microfluidics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Bartunik ◽  
Marco Fleischer ◽  
Werner Haselmayr ◽  
Jens Kirchner
Keyword(s):  
Video Processing ◽  
Data Transmission ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Submillimeter Range ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Droplet Sizes ◽  
On Chip

Droplet-based microfluidics show a large potential for lab-on-chip applications and new data transmission scenarios. Microfluidic chips contain channels in the submillimeter range allowing for flow of droplets. In a previous contribution, a new sensor design for droplet size and colour detection, consisting of an infrared and a colour sensor, was presented and a first proof-of-concept was shown. In this work, an in-depth analysis of both concepts is presented. In particular, we show that a high precision can be achieved when using the sensor to measure droplet sizes while using video processing software as reference. Furthermore, a colour alphabet consisting of 126 individual values is transmitted and detected using a machine learning model. The high specificity of achieved colour measurement allows both for colour coded data transmission scenarios and the analysis of colour reagents in lab-on-chip applications.

scholarly journals Advanced Characterisation of a Sensor System for Droplet-Based Microfluidics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Bartunik ◽  
Marco Fleischer ◽  
Werner Haselmayr ◽  
Jens Kirchner
Keyword(s):  
Video Processing ◽  
Data Transmission ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Submillimeter Range ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Droplet Sizes ◽  
On Chip

Droplet-based microfluidics show a large potential for lab-on-chip applications and new data transmission scenarios. Microfluidic chips contain channels in the submillimeter range allowing for flow of droplets. In a previous contribution, a new sensor design for droplet size and colour detection, consisting of an infrared and a colour sensor, was presented and a first proof-of-concept was shown. In this work, an in-depth analysis of both concepts is presented. In particular, we show that a high precision can be achieved when using the sensor to measure droplet sizes while using video processing software as reference. Furthermore, a colour alphabet consisting of 126 individual values is transmitted and detected using a machine learning model. The high specificity of achieved colour measurement allows both for colour coded data transmission scenarios and the analysis of colour reagents in lab-on-chip applications.

scholarly journals The Rise of the OM-LoC: Opto-Microfluidic Enabled Lab-on-Chip

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1467
Author(s):  
Harry Dawson ◽  
Jinane Elias ◽  
Pascal Etienne ◽  
Sylvie Calas-Etienne
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Optical Components ◽  
New Era ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
On Chip ◽  
Optical Circuits ◽  
Made In

The integration of optical circuits with microfluidic lab-on-chip (LoC) devices has resulted in a new era of potential in terms of both sample manipulation and detection at the micro-scale. On-chip optical components increase both control and analytical capabilities while reducing reliance on expensive laboratory photonic equipment that has limited microfluidic development. Notably, in-situ LoC devices for bio-chemical applications such as diagnostics and environmental monitoring could provide great value as low-cost, portable and highly sensitive systems. Multiple challenges remain however due to the complexity involved with combining photonics with micro-fabricated systems. Here, we aim to highlight the progress that optical on-chip systems have made in recent years regarding the main LoC applications: (1) sample manipulation and (2) detection. At the same time, we aim to address the constraints that limit industrial scaling of this technology. Through evaluating various fabrication methods, material choices and novel approaches of optic and fluidic integration, we aim to illustrate how optic-enabled LoC approaches are providing new possibilities for both sample analysis and manipulation.

Thermal Modeling and Characterization of a Thin-Film Heater on Glass Substrate for Lab-on-Chip Applications

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1098-1098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Scorzoni ◽  
Michele Tavernelli ◽  
Pisana Placidi ◽  
Stefano Zampolli
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Glass Substrate ◽  
Thermal Modeling ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
On Chip

Thermal characterization of thin film heater for lab-on-chip application

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Petrucci ◽  
Domenico Caputo ◽  
Augusto Nascetti ◽  
Nicola Lovecchio ◽  
Emanuele Parisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thermal Characterization ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
On Chip

scholarly journals Determination of HMW – GS in wheat using SDS – PAGE and Lab-on-chip methods

10.5219/995 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 477-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timea Kuťka Hlozáková ◽  
Edita Gregová ◽  
Svetlana Šliková ◽  
Zdenka Gálová ◽  
Milan Chňapek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Wheat Breeding ◽  
The Other ◽  
Gluten Protein ◽  
Gluten Proteins ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
Sds Page ◽  
Novel Complex ◽  
On Chip

SDS-PAGE is widely used to determine the amounts of the different gluten protein types. However, this method is time-consuming, especially at early stages of wheat breeding, when large number of samples needs to be analyzed. On the other hand, LoC (Lab-on-Chip) technique has the potential for a fast, reliable, and automatable analysis of proteins. Benefits and limitations of Lab-on-Chip method over SDS-PAGE method in gluten proteins evaluation were explored in order to determine in which way LoC method should be improved in order to make its results more compliant with the results of SDS-PAGE. Chip electrophoresis provides a very good reproducibility of HMW-GS patterns. Moreover this approach is much faster than the conventional SDS-PAGE methods requiring several hours for an analysis. Another advantage over traditional gel electrophoresis is lower sample and reagent volume requirements, as well as specialized protein standards for accurate reproducibility and quantification. In the present study, we identified novel complex allele located at the locus Glu-1B.

scholarly journals Micro–Macro: Selective Integration of Microfeatures Inside Low-Cost Macromolds for PDMS Microfluidics Fabrication

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Jiménez-Díaz ◽  
Mariel Cano-Jorge ◽  
Diego Zamarrón-Hernández ◽  
Lucia Cabriales ◽  
Francisco Páez-Larios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Single Chip ◽  
Lab On Chip ◽  
Molding Method ◽  
On Chip ◽  
Selective Integration ◽  
Important Progress

Microfluidics has become a very promising technology in recent years, due to its great potential to revolutionize life-science solutions. Generic microfabrication processes have been progressively made available to academic laboratories thanks to cost-effective soft-lithography techniques and enabled important progress in applications like lab-on-chip platforms using rapid- prototyping. However, micron-sized features are required in most designs, especially in biomimetic cell culture platforms, imposing elevated costs of production associated with lithography and limiting the use of such devices. In most cases, however, only a small portion of the structures require high-resolution and cost may be decreased. In this work, we present a replica-molding method separating the fabrication steps of low (macro) and high (micro) resolutions and then merging the two scales in a single chip. The method consists of fabricating the largest possible area in inexpensive macromolds using simple techniques such as plastics micromilling, laser microfabrication, or even by shrinking printed polystyrene sheets. The microfeatures were made on a separated mold or onto existing macromolds using photolithography or 2-photon lithography. By limiting the expensive area to the essential, the time and cost of fabrication can be reduced. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chips were successfully fabricated from the constructed molds and tested to validate our micro–macro method.

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