微流控层流技术的研究

基于微型通道自身的层流特点而发展起来的多相层流技术, 从最初的液-液微萃取开始,由于其结构加工简单、操作方便和分析功能强大,已逐渐发展成为一种加工分析方法,为微流控分析的研究应用打开了一个崭新的局面.本文概述了层流的基本原理,总结了近10年来在这方面的研究,包括层流界面间的分子扩散、转移现象和化学反应,以及层流刻蚀加工技术及其在制备纳米材料和在生命医学方面的应用.具体介绍了应用层流技术进行微芯片的加工制作,微型反应器的制备,离子、分子的分离分析,聚合物薄膜的形成和应用,微通道内有机合成反应的控制,溶液的浓度梯度控制以及在免疫检测中的应用,对细胞、生物大分子的操作控制,以及对生物试剂的预处理分析等.     

微流控层流技术的研究

基于微型通道自身的层流特点而发展起来的多相层流技术，从最初的液-液微萃取开始，由于其结构加工简单、操作方便和分析功能强大，已逐渐发展成为一种加工分析方法，为微流控分析的研究应用打开了一个崭新的局面。本文概述了层流的基本原理，总结了近10年来在这方面的研究，包括层流界面间的分子扩散、转移现象和化学反应，以及层流刻蚀加工技术及其在制备纳米材料和在生命医学方面的应用。具体介绍了应用层流技术进行微芯片的加工制作，微型反应器的制备，离子、分子的分离分析，聚合物薄膜的形成和应用，微通道内有机合成反应的控制，溶液的浓度梯度控制以及在免疫检测中的应用，对细胞、生物大分子的操作控制，以及对生物试剂的预处理分析等。     

微/纳米马达在生物传感中的应用

微/纳米马达是近年来发展的一种可自主运动的新型微/纳米材料,它制备简单、形态多样、可批量化生产,已逐渐应用于生物样品分析及药物运输等领域。由于生物样品成分复杂,传统检测常常需要多步清洗和分离,操作繁琐、耗时较长。微/纳米马达具有自主运动的特性,通过表面生物功能化,可制备成动态的微型生物传感器,实现多种生物分子如核酸、蛋白质、糖蛋白等的实时、快速和灵敏检测。本文总结了近几年微/纳米马达的发展及其在生物传感中的应用,并展望了其在生物分析中的应用前景。     

磁性分子印迹聚合物核壳微球的制备及应用*

分子印迹技术是综合高分子化学、生物化学等学科发展起来的一门边缘学科。通过分子印迹技术制备的聚合物具有吸附选择性好、色谱效率高、便于功能设计等优点,在色谱分离、固相萃取、传感器、药物控释等领域得到了广泛的应用。磁性聚合物微球是近年发展起来的一种新型多功能材料,已广泛应用于生物分离、药物控释、疾病诊断等领域。在磁性粒子表面进行分子印迹制备的磁性分子印迹聚合物核壳微球,兼有良好的超顺磁性和高选择吸附性两大优点,具有广阔的应用前景。本文重点综述了磁性分子印迹聚合物核壳微球的制备方法以及在化学分析、生物分离和药物控释方面应用的研究进展,并指出了该领域工作存在的问题及今后的发展方向。     

纳通道的物质传输特性及应用

近年来,随着材料科学、微纳加工技术和微纳尺度物质传输理论的发展,纳通道技术得到了越来越多的研究和关注。纳通道包括生物纳通道和人工纳通道,其孔径通常为1~100 nm。在这一尺度下,通道表面与通道内物质之间的作用概率大大增强,使得纳通道表现出许多与宏观体系不同的物质传输特性,例如通道表面电荷与通道内离子之间的静电作用产生了离子选择性,通道内电化学势的不对称分布产生了离子整流特性,物质传输过程中占据通道产生了阻塞脉冲特性等。纳通道中的这些物质传输特性在传感、分离、能源等领域具有广泛应用,例如通过对纳通道进行功能化修饰可以实现门控离子传输;利用亚纳米尺度的通道可以实现单分子传感;利用通道与传输物质之间的相互作用可以实现离子、分子、纳米粒子的分离;利用纳通道的离子选择性可以在通道内实现电荷分离,将不同形式的能量（如光、热、压力、盐差等）高效转化为电能。纳通道技术是化学、材料科学、纳米技术等多学科的交叉集合,在解决生物、环境、能源等基本问题方面具有良好的前景。该文综述了近10年来与纳通道物质传输理论以及纳通道技术应用相关的前沿研究,梳理了纳通道技术的发展过程,并对其在各个领域的应用进行了总结与展望。     

微流控芯片液-液萃取-气相色谱联用系统的研究

微流控芯片多相层流技术自Yager等^[1]首次报道以来,已广泛应用于芯片上无膜渗析、过滤和萃取等前处理过程.2000年,Kitamori等^[2]报道了基于多相层流原理的芯片上液-液萃取系统,利用在微通道内形成并行流动的有机相和水相层流体系,通过溶质在液流间的分子扩散作用完成无膜的萃取分离操作.     

微流控芯片技术在生命科学研究中的应用

微流控芯片最初起源于分析化学领域,是一种采用精细加工技术,在数平方厘米的基片,制作出微通道网络结构及其它功能单元,以实现集微量样品制备、进样、反应、分离及检测于一体的快速、高效、低耗的微型分析实验装置.随着微电子及微机械制作技术的不断进步,近年来微流控芯片技术发展迅猛,并开始在化学、生命科学及医学器件等领域发挥重要作用.本文首先简单介绍了微流控芯片制作材料和工艺,然后主要阐述了其在蛋白质分离、免疫分析、DNA分析和测序、细胞培养及检测等方面的应用进展.     

仿生纳米通道的制备、修饰及生物分析应用

纳流控作为一种新兴技术,近年来得到了广泛关注.其产生和发展伴随着新流体现象的发现和新型器件的诞生.纳米流体中独特的物质传输性质和潜在的应用引起了广泛关注.迄今为止,纳米通道器件在DNA测序、单分子传感、能源储存与转换、离子门控等方面显示出了巨大的应用前景.本文总结了仿生纳米通道的设计与制备、纳米通道功能化修饰的策略及其在生物分析中的应用研究,并思考了仿生纳米通道的发展与面临的挑战.     

基于聚合物的轻质微球的制备和应用

具有密度低、比表面积高、稳定性好、表面渗透能力强和负载能力高等特点的轻质微球得到了国内外研究者的关注。本文综述了基于聚合物轻质微球的最新研究进展,详细介绍了中空微球和多孔微球的制备方法,主要包括种子溶胀法、模板法、悬浮聚合法、层层自组装法、表面分子印迹法和液-液相分离法,阐述了轻质微球在生化医学、涂料、废水处理、生物传感器及电子信息领域等方面的应用进展,指出了有效控制中空微球内腔结构,调控多孔微球的孔结构是未来的研究方向。     

电荷耦合器件光度检测-深通道多相层流微流控芯片分析系统

采用精密数控雕刻技术，加工用于微流控多相层流分析的深通道（深度500μm）聚碳酸酯芯片，以提高芯片进行吸收光度检测的灵敏度。建立了无需辅助光学设备的近距离CCD二维图像光度检测系统，应用于三流路并行的多相层流比色分析。该芯片分析系统的特点是芯片加工快捷，检测灵敏度高，检测光程较常规芯片增加1个数量级；系统结构简单，易于推广。     

Rapid method for design and fabrication of passive micromixers in microfluidic devices using a direct-printing process

We developed a facile and rapid one-step technique for design and fabrication of passive micromixers in microfluidic devices using a direct-printing process. A laser printing mechanism was dexterously adopted to pattern the microchannels with different gray levels using vector graphic software. With the present method, periodically ordered specific bas-relief microstructures can be easily fabricated on transparencies by a simple printing process. The size and shape of the resultant microstructures are determined by the gray level of the graphic software and the resolution of the laser printer. Patterns of specific bas-relief microstructures on the floor of a channel act as obstacles in the flow path for advection mixing, which can be used as efficient mixing elements. The mixing effect of the resultant micromixer in microfluidic devices was evaluated using CCD fluorescence spectroscopy. We found that the mixing performance depends strongly on the gray level values. Under optimal conditions, fast passive mixing with our periodic ordered patterns in microfluidic devices has been achieved at the very early stages of the laminar flow. In addition, fabrication of micromixers using the present versatile technique requires less than an hour. The present method is promising for fabrication of micromixers in microfluidic devices at low cost and without complicated devices and environment, providing a simple solution to mixing problems in the micro-total-analysis-systems field.     

Fabrication and characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate) microchannels by in situ polymerization with a novel metal template

A stainless steel template for the fabrication of plastic microfluidic devices has been developed by photolithography and chemical etching technique. The preparation process of the template is simple, rapid, and low-cost. The cross sectional profiles of raised microchannels on the template are trapezoidal. The surface roughness of the templates was controlled down to 190 nm. The template can be used repeatedly to generate devices reproducibly. The microfluidic devices of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were fabricated by in situ polymerization using the templates. The reproducibility of the fabricated microchannel is high and the relative standard deviation is 0.7% by the in situ polymerization approach. Some physical properties of the polymerized microchannels were characterized including the transparency, the thermal deformation temperature, and the dimensional information. Current monitoring was used to evaluate the electroosmotic flow within the microchannels under the electric field strength of 300 V/cm.     

Development of a microfluidic biosensor module for pathogen detection

The development of a microfluidic biosensor module with fluorescence detection for the identification of pathogenic organisms and viruses is presented in this article. The microfluidic biosensor consists of a network of microchannels fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. The microchannels are sealed with a glass substrate and packed in a Plexiglas housing to provide connection to the macro-world and ensure leakage-free flow operation. Reversible sealing permits easy disassembly for cleaning and replacing the microfluidic channels. The fluidic flow is generated by an applied positive pressure gradient, and the module can be operated under continuous solution flow of up to 80 microL min(-1). The biosensor recognition principle is based on DNA/RNA hybridization and liposome signal amplification. Superparamagnetic beads are incorporated into the system as a mobile solid support and are an essential part of the analysis scheme. In this study, the design, fabrication and the optimization of concentrations and amounts of the different biosensor components are carried out. The total time required for an assay is only 15 min including sample incubation time. The biosensor module is designed so that it can be easily integrated with a micro total analysis system, which will combine sample preparation and detection steps onto a single chip.     

重力驱动多相层流分离离子选择性电极检测集成化微流控芯片系统

将微流控芯片多相层流分离技术与离子选择性电极检测技术联用,利用重力驱动的芯片多相层流分离系统,在线净化生物(血液)试样.同时,在芯片上加工微离子选择性电极进行待测物的在线检测,实现整体分析系统的芯片集成化,并将其用于血样中K⁺的测定.对5.5×10^-3mol/L钾溶液5次平行测定的相对标准偏差(RSD)为5.6%,检出限为6.8×10^-5mol/L,线性范围10^-4～10^-1mol/L.     

Numerical analysis of the thermal effect on electroosmotic flow and electrokinetic mass transport in microchannels

Joule heating is present in electrokinetically driven flow and mass transport in microfluidic systems. Nowadays, there is a trend of replacing costly glass-based microfluidic systems by the disposable, cheap polymer-based microfluidic systems. Due to poor thermal conductivity of polymer materials, the thermal management of the polymer-based microfluidic systems may become a problem. In this study, numerical analysis is presented for transient temperature development due to Joule heating and its effect on the electroosmotic flow (EOF) and mass species transport in microchannels. The proposed model includes the coupling Poisson-Boltzmann (P-B) equation, the modified Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations, the conjugate energy equation, and the mass species transport equation. The results show that the time development for both the electroosmotic flow field and the Joule heating induced temperature field are less than 1 s. The Joule heating induced temperature field is strongly dependent on channel size, electrolyte concentration, and applied electric field strength. The simulations reveal that the presence of the Joule heating can result in significantly different characteristics of the electroosmotic flow and electrokinetic mass transport in microchannels.     

Arrays of horizontally-oriented mini-reservoirs generate steady microfluidic flows for continuous perfusion cell culture and gradient generation

This paper describes the use of arrays of horizontally-oriented reservoirs to deliver liquids through microchannels at a constant flow rate over extended periods of time (hours to days). The horizontal orientation maintains a constant hydraulic pressure drop across microfluidic channels even as the volumes of liquids within the reservoirs change over time. For a given channel-reservoir system, the magnitude of the flow velocity depends linearly on the height difference between reservoirs. The simple structure and operation mechanism make this pumping system versatile. A one-inlet-one-outlet system was used to continuously deliver media for perfusion cell culture, and an array of inlet reservoirs coupled to an outlet reservoir via microchannels was used to drive flows of multiple laminar streams. The parallel pumping scheme conveniently generated various smooth and step concentration gradients, and allowed evaluation of the effect of colchicine on myoblasts. Since the reservoir arrays are configured to be compatible with commercialized multichannel pipettors designed for 96 well plate handling, this simple pumping scheme is envisioned to be broadly useful for medium to high throughput microfluidic perfusion cell culture assays, cell migration assays, multiple laminar flow drug tests, and any other applications needing multiple microfluidic streams.     

Microfluidic pool structure for cell docking and rapid mixing

A microfluidic pool structure for cell docking and rapid mixing is described. The pool structure is defined as a microchamber on one structural layer of a bilayer chip and connects with two or more individual microchannels on the other structural layer. In contrast to the turbulent flow in a macroscale pool, laminar streams enter and exit this microfluidic pool structure with definite and controllable direction that may be influenced by the location and geometry of the pool. A simple microfluidic model was used to validate this hypothesis. In this model, a microscale pool structure was made on the lower layer of a chip and connected with three parallel microchannels in the upper layer. Simulation and experimental results indicated that the flow profile within the pool structure was determined by its geometry and location. This could be used as a flow control method and it was simpler than designs based on microvalve, hydraulic pressure, or electrokinetic force, and has some important applications. For example, controllable streams within this structure were used to immobilize biological cells along the microchannel walls. When different solution streams flowed through the pool, rapid diffusion of analytes occurred for short diffusion distance between vertical flow laminas. Furthermore, desired dilution (mixing) ratio could be obtained by controlling the geometry of the microfluidic pool.     

Microfluidic devices fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) for biological studies

This review describes microfluidic systems in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) for biological studies. Properties of PDMS that make it a suitable platform for miniaturized biological studies, techniques for fabricating PDMS microstructures, and methods for controlling fluid flow in microchannels are discussed. Biological procedures that have been miniaturized into PDMS-based microdevices include immunoassays, separation of proteins and DNA, sorting and manipulation of cells, studies of cells in microchannels exposed to laminar flows of fluids, and large-scale, combinatorial screening. The review emphasizes the advantages of miniaturization for biological analysis, such as efficiency of the device and special insights into cell biology.     

Laminar flow mediated continuous single-cell analysis on a novel poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic chip

A novel microfluidic chip with simple design, easy fabrication and low cost, coupled with high-sensitive laser induced fluorescence detection, was developed to provide continuous single-cell analysis based on dynamic cell manipulation in flowing streams. Making use of laminar flows, which formed in microchannels, single cells were aligned and continuously introduced into the sample channel and then detection channel in the chip. In order to rapidly lyse the moving cells and completely transport cellular contents into the detection channel, the angle of the side-flow channels, the asymmetric design of the channels, and the number, shape and layout of micro-obstacles were optimized for effectively redistributing and mixing the laminar flows of single cells suspension, cell lysing reagent and detection buffer. The optimized microfluidic chip was an asymmetric structure of three microchannels, with three microcylinders at the proper positions in the intersections of channels. The microchip was evaluated by detection of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) uptake and membrane surface P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression in single leukemia K562 cells. An average throughput of 6–8 cells min⁻¹ was achieved. The detection results showed the cellular heterogeneity in DOX uptake and surface P-gp expression within K562 cells. Our researches demonstrated the feasibility and simplicity of the newly developed microfluidic chip for chemical single-cell analysis.