scholarly journals Label-Free, Color-Indicating, Polarizer-Free Dye-Doped Liquid Crystal Microfluidic Polydimethylsiloxane Biosensing Chips for Detecting Albumin

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2587
Author(s):  
Fu-Lun Chen ◽  
Hui-Tzung Luh ◽  
Yu-Cheng Hsiao
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Sequential Order ◽  
Alignment Layer ◽  
Polarized Microscopy ◽  
Pressure Driven Flow ◽  
Novel Design

We reveal a novel design for dye-doped liquid crystal (DDLC) microfluidic biosensing chips in the polydimethylsiloxane material. With this design chip, the orientation of DDLCs was affected by the interface between the walls of the channels and DDLCs. When the inside of a channel was coated with an N,N-dimethyl-n-octadecyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilyl chloride (DMOAP) alignment layer, the DDLCs oriented homeotropically in a homeotropic (H) state under cross-polarized microscopy. After immobilization of antigens with antibodies on the alignment layer-coated microchannel walls, the optical intensity of the DDLC change from the dark H state to the bright planar (P) state. Using pressure-driven flow, the binding of antigens/antibodies to the DDLCs could be detected in an experimental sequential order. The microfluidic DDLCs were tested by detecting bovine serum albumin (BSA) and its immune-responses of antigens/antibodies. We proved that this immunoassay chip was able to detect BSA antigens/antibodies pairs with the detection limit about 0.5 µg/mL. The novel DDLC chip was shown to be a simple, multi-detection device, and label-free microfluidic chips are presented.

scholarly journals Label-Free Multi-Microfluidic Immunoassays with Liquid Crystals on Polydimethylsiloxane Biosensing Chips

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Jui Fan ◽  
Fu-Lun Chen ◽  
Jian-Chiun Liou ◽  
Yu-Wen Huang ◽  
Chun-Han Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Label Free ◽  
Sequential Order ◽  
Alignment Layer ◽  
Optical Signals ◽  
Naked Eye ◽  
Immobilized Antibodies ◽  
Microfluidic Immunoassay ◽  
Antigen Antibody ◽  
Pressure Driven Flow ◽  
Naked Eye Detection

We developed a new format for liquid crystal (LC)-based multi-microfluidic immunoassays, hosted on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate. In this design, the orientations of the LCs were strongly affected by the interface between the four microchannel walls and surrounding LCs. When the alignment layer was coated inside a microchannel, the LCs oriented homeotropically and appeared dark under crossed polarizers. After antigens bound to the immobilized antibodies on the alignment layer were coated onto the channel walls, the light intensity of the LC molecules changed from dark to bright because of disruption of the LCs. By employing pressure-driven flow, binding of the antigen/antibody could be detected by optical signals in a sequential order. The multi-microfluidic LC biosensor was tested by detecting bovine serum albumin (BSA) and an immunocomplex of BSA antigen/antibody pairs, a protein standard commonly used in labs. We show that this multi-microfluidic immunoassay was able to detect BSA and antigen/antibody BSA pairs with a naked-eye detection limitation of −0.01 µg/mL. Based on this new immunoassay design, a simple and robust device for LC-based label-free microfluidic immunodetection was demonstrated.

scholarly journals Color-Indicating, Label-Free, Dye-Doped Liquid Crystal Organic-Polymer-Based-Bioinspired Sensor for Biomolecule Immunodetection

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2294
Author(s):  
Haw-Ming Huang ◽  
Er-Yuan Chuang ◽  
Fu-Lun Chen ◽  
Jia-De Lin ◽  
Yu-Cheng Hsiao
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Organic Polymer ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Home Test ◽  
Sensing Technology ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Vertically Aligned ◽  
Alignment Layers

The highly sensitive interfacial effects between liquid crystal (LC) and alignment layers make LC-bioinspired sensors an important technology. However, LC-bioinspired sensors are limited by quantification requiring a polarized microscope and expensive equipment, which makes it difficult to commercialize LC-bioinspired sensors. In this report, we first demonstrate that dye-doped LC (DDLC) chips coated with vertically aligned layers can be employed as a new LC-bioinspired sensing technology. The DDLC-bioinspired sensor was tested by detecting bovine serum albumin (BSA) and immunocomplexes of BSA pairs. The intensities of the dye color of the DDLC-bioinspired sensor can be changed with the concentrations of biomolecules and immunocomplexes. A detection limit of 0.5 µg/mL was shown for the color-indicating DDLC-bioinspired sensors. We also designed a new method to use the quantitative DDLC-bioinspired sensor with a smart-phone for potential of home test. The novel DDLC-bioinspired sensor is cheap, label-free, and easy to use, furthering the technology for home and field-based disease-related detection.

scholarly journals LIQUID CRYSTAL MATERIALS ORIENTATION USING NEW APPROACH

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 933-937
Author(s):  
Natalia Kamanina
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Surface Relief ◽  
Switching Time ◽  
Conducting Layer ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Alignment Layer ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Fullerene Concentration ◽  
Display Technique ◽  
Fullerene Content

It is well known that the liquid crystal (LC) mesophase is actively used in display technique and biomedicine devices. Unfortunately, the switching time of the devices based on the LCs is not fast enough; thus, it is very important to find novel perspective ways to obtain the good switching time of the LC dipoles used in these devices. Initial orientation of the LC molecules influences the dynamic parameters, for example, the switch-on and switch-off characteristics and the diffraction efficiency of the final devices. Among the different methods and approaches to find the optimized orientation of the inertial LC molecules a nanotechnology approach has shown the best results. This approach allows increasing the transparency, to decrease the resistivity and the number of the functional layers in the sandwich LC structures. Thus, it results in a decrease in the applied bias voltage. The effect is based on the fact that the ITO coating can be considered as the conducting layer and as the orienting (alignment) layer simultaneously. In the current paper, we continue our steps in the direction to find the best way of the LC molecules orientation. It is proposed to consider the LC media sensitization process as the method to change the surface relief when this relief is prepared from the polymeric orienting materials doped with the carbon nano-objects. Based on the solid fullerene-doped polyimide thin films and other organics it can be shown that the content of the fullerenes influences the wetting angle significantly. The fullerene concentration is correlated with the different surface relief view applied in the aligning of the LC molecules. The switching of the LC can be improved; furthermore the novel relief depended on the fullerene content can be used for the optical limiting of the laser irradiation.

scholarly journals Sensitive, Color-Indicating and Labeling-Free Multi-Detection Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Biosensing Chips for Detecting Albumin

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1463
Author(s):  
I-Te Wang ◽  
Yen-Hua Lee ◽  
Er-Yuan Chuang ◽  
Yu-Cheng Hsiao
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Detection Limit ◽  
Bovine Serum Albumin ◽  
Light Intensity ◽  
Cholesteric Liquid Crystal ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Alignment Layer ◽  
Novel Device ◽  
Antigen Antibody ◽  
Immune Detection

A novel device for cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC)-based microfluidic chips, accommodated in a polydimethylsiloxane material, was invented. In this device, the reorientation of the CLCs was consistently influenced by the surface of the four channel walls and adjacent CLCs. When the inside of the microchannel was coated with the alignment layer, the CLCs oriented homeotropically in a focal conic state under cross-polarizers. Once antigens had bound onto antibodies immobilized onto the orientation sheet-coated channel walls, the light intensity of the CLC molecules converted from a focal conic state to a bright planar state caused by disrupting the CLCs. By means of utilizing pressure-propelling flow, the attachment of antigen/antibody to the CLCs should be detectable within consecutive sequences. The multi-microfluidic CLC-based chips were verified by measuring bovine serum albumin (BSA) and immune complexes of pairs of BSA antigen/antibody. We showed that the multiple microfluidic immunoassaying can be used for measuring BSA and pairs of antigen/antibody BSA with a detection limit of about 1 ng/mL. The linear range is 0.1 μg/mL–1 mg/mL. A limit of immune detection of pairs of BSA antigens/antibodies was 10 ng/mL of BSA plus 1000 ng/mL of the anti-BSA antibodies was observed. According to this innovative creation of immunoassaying, an unsophisticated multi-detection device with CLC-based labeling-free microfluidic chips is presented.

Enhancement of Contrast Ratio by Using Ferroelectric Nanoparticles in the Alignment Layer of Liquid Crystal Display

2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 4751-4754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudarshan Kundu ◽  
Mitsuhiro Akimoto ◽  
Itaru Hirayama ◽  
Masaru Inoue ◽  
Shunsuke Kobayashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Crystal Display ◽  
Contrast Ratio ◽  
Alignment Layer

scholarly journals From Protein to Pandemic: The Transdisciplinary Approach Needed to Prevent Spillover and the Next Pandemic

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1298
Author(s):  
Raina K. Plowright ◽  
Peter J. Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Reservoir Host ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Receptor Protein ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Innate Immune Responses ◽  
Transdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Global Spread

Pandemics are a consequence of a series of processes that span scales from viral biology at 10−9 m to global transmission at 106 m. The pathogen passes from one host species to another through a sequence of events that starts with an infected reservoir host and entails interspecific contact, innate immune responses, receptor protein structure within the potential host, and the global spread of the novel pathogen through the naive host population. Each event presents a potential barrier to the onward passage of the virus and should be characterized with an integrated transdisciplinary approach. Epidemic control is based on the prevention of exposure, infection, and disease. However, the ultimate pandemic prevention is prevention of the spillover event itself. Here, we focus on the potential for preventing the spillover of henipaviruses, a group of viruses derived from bats that frequently cross species barriers, incur high human mortality, and are transmitted among humans via stuttering chains. We outline the transdisciplinary approach needed to prevent the spillover process and, therefore, future pandemics.

scholarly journals Photocontrollable Resistivity Change in Nanoparticle-Doped Liquid Crystal Alignment Layer: Voltage Holding and Discharging Properties of Fringe-Field Switching Liquid Crystal Modes

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Jeong-Hoon Ko ◽  
Jun-Chan Choi ◽  
Dong-Jin Lee ◽  
Jae-Won Lee ◽  
Hak-Rin Kim
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Power Saving ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Fringe Field ◽  
Resistance Level ◽  
Alignment Layer ◽  
Experimental Scheme ◽  
Tunable Range ◽  
Crystal Alignment ◽  
Operation Frequency

In liquid crystal (LC) displays, deriving an optimum resistance level of an LC alignment polyimide (PI) layer is important because of the trade-off between the voltage holding and surface-discharging properties. In particular, to apply a power-saving low-frequency operation scheme to fringe-field switching (FFS) LC modes with negative dielectric LC (n-LC), delicate material engineering is required to avoid surface-charge-dependent image flickering and sticking problems, which severely degrade with lowering operation frequency. Therefore, this paper proposes a photocontrolled variable-resistivity PI layer in order to systematically investigate the voltage holding and discharging properties of the FFS n-LC modes, according to the PI resistivity (ρ) levels. By doping fullerene into the high-ρ PI as the photoexcited charge-generating nanoparticles, the ρ levels of the PI were continuously controllable with a wide tunable range (0.95 × 1015 Ω∙cm to 5.36 × 1013 Ω∙cm) through Ar laser irradiation under the same LC and LC alignment conditions. The frequency-dependent voltage holding and discharge behaviors were analyzed with photocontrolled ρ variation. Thus, the proposed experimental scheme is a feasible approach in PI engineering for a power-saving low-frequency FFS n-LC mode without the image flickering and image sticking issues.

scholarly journals Microfluidics-Based Plasmonic Biosensing System Based on Patterned Plasmonic Nanostructure Arrays

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 826
Author(s):  
Yanting Liu ◽  
Xuming Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Plasmon Resonance ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Simultaneous Detection ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Plasmonic Nanostructure ◽  
Point Of Care Diagnostics ◽  
Surface Enhanced Raman ◽  
Nanostructure Arrays

This review aims to summarize the recent advances and progress of plasmonic biosensors based on patterned plasmonic nanostructure arrays that are integrated with microfluidic chips for various biomedical detection applications. The plasmonic biosensors have made rapid progress in miniaturization sensors with greatly enhanced performance through the continuous advances in plasmon resonance techniques such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and localized SPR (LSPR)-based refractive index sensing, SPR imaging (SPRi), and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Meanwhile, microfluidic integration promotes multiplexing opportunities for the plasmonic biosensors in the simultaneous detection of multiple analytes. Particularly, different types of microfluidic-integrated plasmonic biosensor systems based on versatile patterned plasmonic nanostructured arrays were reviewed comprehensively, including their methods and relevant typical works. The microfluidics-based plasmonic biosensors provide a high-throughput platform for the biochemical molecular analysis with the advantages such as ultra-high sensitivity, label-free, and real time performance; thus, they continue to benefit the existing and emerging applications of biomedical studies, chemical analyses, and point-of-care diagnostics.

scholarly journals Alignment Layer of Liquid Crystal Using Plant-Based Isoeugenol-Substituted Polystyrene

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 547
Author(s):  
DaEun Yang ◽  
Kyutae Seo ◽  
Hyo Kang
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Polymer Film ◽  
Uv Irradiation ◽  
Molar Content ◽  
Polymer Modification ◽  
Alignment Layer ◽  
Energy Value ◽  
Alignment System ◽  
Molar Percent

We synthesized a series of renewable and plant-based isoeugenol-substituted polystyrenes (PIEU#, # = 100, 80, 60, 40, and 20, where # is the molar percent content of isoeugenol moiety), using polymer modification reactions to study their liquid crystal (LC) alignment behavior. In general, the LC cells fabricated using polymer film with a higher molar content of isoeugenol side groups showed vertical LC alignment behavior. This alignment behavior was well related to the surface energy value of the polymer layer. For example, vertical alignments were observed when the polar surface energy value of the polymer was smaller than approximately 3.59 mJ/m2, generated by the nonpolar isoeugenol moiety with long and bulky carbon groups. Good alignment stability at 100 °C and under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of 15 J/cm2 was observed for the LC cells fabricated using PIEU100 as a LC alignment layer. Therefore, renewable isoeugenol-based materials can be used to produce an eco-friendly vertical LC alignment system.

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