微流控芯片中的流体驱动和控制方式

随着微流控芯片分析技术的发展,微流控芯片中的关键技术之一流体的驱动和控制技术逐步成为人们关注和研究的热点。本文主要综述了微流控芯片上的压力驱动、电驱动和其他驱动方式,着重介绍了电驱动方式,并讨论了各种驱动方式的优缺点以及发展前景。     

3D打印微流控芯片技术研究进展

近年来,微流控技术在生命科学和医学诊断等领域得到广泛的应用,显示出了其在检测速度、精度以及试剂损耗等方面相比传统方法的显著优势.然而,使用从半导体加工技术继承而来的微加工技术制作微流控芯片具有比较高的资金和技术门槛,在一定程度上阻碍了微流控技术的推广和应用.近年来随着3D打印技术的兴起,越来越多的研究者尝试使用3D打印技术加工微流控芯片.相比于传统的微加工技术,3D打印微流控芯片技术显示出了其设计加工快速、材料适应性广、成本低廉等优势.本文针对近年来国内外在3D打印微流控芯片领域的最新进展进行了综述,着重介绍了采用微立体光刻、熔融沉积成型以及喷墨打印等3D打印技术加工制作微流控芯片的方法,以及这些微流控芯片在分析化学、生命科学、医学诊断等领域的应用,并对3D打印微流控芯片技术未来的发展进行了展望.     

纸芯片微流控技术的发展及应用

纸芯片微流控技术是一种新型微流控技术。相比于以玻璃、石英、高聚物等为基底的传统微流控芯片,纸芯片具有成本低、易操作、可携带、耗样量小等优点。该文介绍了纸芯片的发展及常用的制作方法,并举例说明了光度法、荧光法、化学发光及电化学发光法和电化学法在纸芯片检测中的应用;归纳了纸芯片技术在临床诊断、环境监控以及食品安全分析等方面的应用;最后对纸芯片微流控的应用前景进行了展望。     

微流控芯片上电驱动在线富集技术的研究进展

微流控芯片上电驱动在线富集技术是一种有效提高分析效率、检测灵敏度和降低对检测器要求的技术和方法。本文针对目前微流控芯片分析系统中生化样品的预处理问题,对芯片上电驱动在线富集技术进行了分析讨论,介绍了等速电泳、等电聚焦、场放大和介电电泳的样品预富集技术在微流控芯片上的实现与应用,并对每一种技术的原理、特点、存在的问题、近年发展的状况和发展趋势进行了综述。     

一种微流控芯片中大体积进样方法及专用芯片

本发明涉及微流控芯片系统的进样方法。在使用固定相的微流控芯片系统中,于芯片分离通道与流动相人口之间设置两个或两个以上的分流通道。通过控制其中流体的切换和截止,实现对微流控芯片系统的大体积进样。该方法适合于微流控芯片中电色谱、加压电色谱和液相色谱模式下的大体积进样。该方法的优点为：可实现微流控芯片中大体积样品的上样;克服了系统中的梯度延迟效应,     

芯片液相色谱技术进展

微型化是现代分析仪器发展的重要趋势。微型化液相色谱仪器在提供与常规尺度液相色谱相同甚至更高分离效率的同时,可以有效减少溶剂和样品的消耗;在液相色谱-质谱联用中,低流速进样可以有效提高质谱离子源的离子化效率,提高质谱检测效率;对于极微量样品的分离,微型化的液相色谱可以有效减少样品稀释;液相色谱的微型化还有利于液相色谱仪器整体的模块化和集成化设计。芯片液相色谱是在微流控芯片上制备色谱柱并集成相应的流体控制系统和检测系统。芯片液相色谱是色谱仪器微型化的一种重要方式,受到学术界和产业界的普遍关注,但是这一方式也充满挑战。液相色谱微流控芯片需要在芯片基底材料、芯片色谱柱的结构设计、微流体控制技术、检测器技术等方面做出创新,使微流控芯片系统适配液相色谱分离技术的需要。目前芯片液相色谱领域面临的主要问题在于芯片基底材料的性质难以满足芯片液相色谱进一步微型化和集成化的需求;因此芯片液相色谱在未来的发展中需要着重关注新型微流控芯片基底材料的开发以及微流控芯片通道结构的统一设计。该文着重介绍了芯片液相色谱技术近年来的研究进展,并简要展示了商品化芯片色谱当前的发展情况。     

微流控芯片电泳的研究进展

该文综述了微流控芯片电泳的制备、结构和应用,比较了不同材料微流控芯片电泳的制备机理、表面改性和性能特点,归纳和总结了不同结构微流控芯片电泳的进样、分离和检测系统以及不同类型微流控芯片电泳在荧光物质、金属离子、糖、药物、核酸、DNA、氨基酸、多肽和蛋白质分析中的应用,并对微流控芯片电泳的未来发展方向做了展望.     

蛋白质/多肽的微流控二维芯片电泳*

在微流控芯片上构建多维分离系统,为蛋白质组学研究提供了一个有发展前景的高效分离分析技术平台。本文介绍了二维芯片电泳系统耦联模式选取及正交性评价的方法;综述了针对蛋白质/多肽分离分析的各种耦联模式微流控二维芯片电泳分析系统,如胶束电动力学色谱（MEKC）与毛细管区带电泳（CZE）,开管电色谱（OECE）与CZE,等电聚焦（IEF）与CZE, IEF与SDS毛细管凝胶电泳（CGE）, SDS-CGE与MEKC等。特别对二维电泳芯片切换接口的类型进行了分类,探讨了用于微流控二维芯片电泳系统的检测技术,并展望了微流控二维电泳芯片在蛋白质组学研究中的应用前景和发展方向。     

数字微流控技术及其在生物分析中的应用

数字微流控技术是一种基于微电极阵列来实现离散液滴精确控制的新型液滴操纵技术。这种基于介电润湿现象实现的液滴电操纵体系,相比于传统微流控芯片具有自动化、可寻址、可动态配置、易集成等特点。该文介绍了数字微流控技术液滴驱动原理,总结了芯片的结构和常用的制作方法,举例阐述了现阶段该技术在生物分析化学领域的应用,并对其应用前景做了展望。     

微流控细胞芯片生命分析应用多元化

微流控芯片是现代生命科学研究领域的重要分析工具.结合研究者近年来开展的研究工作和取得的相关进展,本文主要介绍了微流控细胞芯片的功能特征,同时从动物细胞、植物细胞以及微生物细胞三方面系统阐述了微流控芯片生命分析多元化的发展现状,并对其应用前景进行了展望.     

Fabrication of SU-8 based microchip electrophoresis with integrated electrochemical detection for neurotransmitters

A new SU-8 based microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) device has been developed for the first time with integrated electrochemical detection. Embedded electrophoretic microchannels have been fabricated with a multilayer technology based on bonding and releasing steps of stacked SU-8 films. This technology has allowed the monolithic integration in the device of the electrochemical detection system based on platinum electrodes. The fabrication of the chips presented in this work is totally compatible with reel-to-reel techniques, which guarantee a low cost and high reliability production. The influence of relevant experimental variables, such as the separation voltage and detection potential, has been studied on the SU-8 microchip with an attractive analytical performance. Thus, the effective electrical isolation of the end-channel amperometric detector has been also demonstrated. The good performance of the SU-8 device has been proven for separation and detection of the neurotransmitters, dopamine (DA) and epinephrine (EP). High efficiency (30,000-80,000 N/m), excellent precision, good detection limit (450 nM) and resolution (0.90-1.30) has been achieved on the SU-8 microchip. These SU-8 devices have shown a better performance than commercial Topas (thermoplastic olefin polymer of amorphous structure) microchips. The low cost and versatile SU-8 microchip with integrated platinum film electrochemical detector holds great promise for high-volume production of disposable microfluidic analytical devices.     

高聚物微流控芯片镍阳模的简易加工技术

提出了一种简便快速制作高聚物微流控芯片镍阳模的新方法。采用抛光镍片作为电铸基底,涂覆SU-8光胶层后,光刻得到SU-8微结构。以镍基片作为阳极,用16～30A/dm2的电流密度电解刻蚀5min,清除SU-8微结构间隙底部镍片表面的氧化物,并刻蚀得到10～20μm深的凹坑,有效地提高了随后电沉积镍结构和基底镍片间结合力。利用SU-8微结构作为电铸模板,以镍基片作为阴极,电铸5h后制得了微结构倾角为83°深宽比较大的镍阳模。实现了在普通化学实验室中长寿命镍阳模的制作。用热压法制得500多片聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)聚合物芯片,并成功用于DNA片段的分离。     

Fabrication of SU-8 multilayer microstructures based on successive CMOS compatible adhesive bonding and releasing steps

This paper describes a novel fabrication process based on successive wafer-level bonding and releasing steps for stacking several patterned layers of the negative photoresist EPON SU-8. This work uses a polyimide film to enhance previous low temperature bonding technology. The film acts as a temporary substrate where the SU-8 is photopatterned. The poor adhesion between the polyimide film and SU-8 allows the film to be released after the bonding process, even though the film is still strong enough to carry out photolithography. Using this technique, successive adhesive bonding steps can be carried out to obtain complex 3-D multilayer structures. Interconnected channels with smooth vertical sidewalls and freestanding structures are fabricated. Unlike previous works, all the layers are photopatterned before the bonding process yielding sealed cavities and complex three-dimensional structures without using a sacrificial layer. Adding new SU-8 layers reduces the bonding quality because each additional layer decreases the thickness uniformity and increases the polymer crosslinking level. The effect of these parameters is quantified in this paper. This process guarantees compatibility with CMOS electronics and MEMS. Furthermore, the releasing step leaves the input and the output of the microchannels in contact with the outside world, avoiding the usual slow drilling process of a cover. Hence, in addition to the straightforward integration of electrodes on a chip, this fabrication method facilitates the packaging of these microfluidic devices.     

Integrated microfabricated systems including a purification module and an on-chip nano electrospray ionization interface for biological analysis

We report here on an integrated microfabricated device dedicated to the preparation of biological samples prior to their on-line analysis by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). This microfluidic device is fabricated using the negative photoresist SU-8 by microtechnology techniques. The device includes a chromatographic module plus an ESI interface for MS. The chromatographic module is dedicated to sample purification and is based on a polymer monolithic phase which includes hydrophobic moieties. The ESI interface is integrated onto the chip and is based on a capillary slot. We present here the integration of these different modules onto a single system that is fabricated via a SU-8-based microtechnology route. We present also their testing for the purification of peptide samples. This started with a partial integration step with the combination of at least two of the modules (microsystem + monolith; microsystem + nib) and their test before the fabrication and testing of fully integrated microsystems.     

Design and fabrication of integrated solid-phase extraction-zone electrophoresis microchip

Integrated solid-phase extraction-zone electrophoresis (SPE-ZE) device has been designed and fabricated on microchip. The structures were fabricated by using multiple layers of SU-8 polymer with a novel technique that enables easy alignment and high yield of the chips. SU-8 adhesive bonding has two major advantages: it enables bonding of high aspect ratio pillars and it results in fully SU-8 microchannels with uniform electrokinetic flow properties. The SPE-ZE device has a fluidic reservoir with 15:1 high aspect ratio pillars for bead filters that act as a SPE part in the chip structure. The separation unit is a 25 mm long electrophoresis channel starting from the outlet of SPE reservoir. Argon laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detector was used to monitor simultaneously the SPE reservoir and the detection site at the end of the electrophoresis channel. Flow characteristics and electric field distributions were simulated with Femlab software. Fluorescein was used as the analyte for detecting the operational performance of the chip. Adsorption, bead rinsing, elution and detection were tested to verify functioning of the chip design.     

Fully integrated PDMS/SU-8/quartz microfluidic chip with a novel macroporous poly dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane for isoelectric focusing of proteins using whole-channel imaging detection

A fully integrated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/modified PDMS membrane/SU-8/quartz hybrid chip was developed for protein separation using isoelectric focusing (IEF) mechanism coupled with whole-channel imaging detection (WCID) method. This microfluidic chip integrates three components into one single chip: (i) modified PDMS membranes for separating electrolytes in the reservoirs from the sample in the microchannel and thus reducing pressure disturbance, (ii) SU-8 optical slit to block UV light (below 300?nm) outside the channel aiming to increase detection sensitivity, and (iii) injection and discharge capillaries for continuous operation. Integration of all these components on a single chip is challenging because it requires fabrication techniques for perfect bonding between different materials and is prone to leakage and blockage. This study has addressed all the challenges and presented a fully integrated chip, which is more robust with higher sensitivity than the previously developed IEF chips. This chip was tested by performing protein and pI marker separation. The separation results obtained in this chip were compared with that obtained in commercial cartridges. Side-by-side comparison validated the developed chip and fabrication techniques.     

Rapid prototyping of poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic systems using solvent imprinting and bonding

We have developed a method for rapid prototyping of hard polymer microfluidic systems using solvent imprinting and bonding. We investigated the applicability of patterned SU-8 photoresist on glass as an easily fabricated template for solvent imprinting. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) exposed to acetonitrile for 2 min then had an SU-8 template pressed into the surface for 10 min, which provided appropriately imprinted channels and a suitable surface for bonding. After a PMMA cover plate had also been exposed to acetonitrile for 2 min, the imprinted and top PMMA pieces could be bonded together at room temperature with appropriate pressure. The total fabrication time was less than 15 min. Under the optimized fabrication conditions, nearly 30 PMMA chips could be replicated using a single patterned SU-8 master with high chip-to-chip reproducibility. Relative standard deviations were 2.3% and 5.4% for the widths and depths of the replicated channels, respectively. Fluorescently labeled amino acid and peptide mixtures were baseline separated using these PMMA microchips in <15s. Theoretical plate numbers in excess of 5000 were obtained for a approximately 3 cm separation distance, and the migration time relative standard deviation for an amino acid peak was 1.5% for intra-day and 2.2% for inter-day analysis. This new solvent imprinting and bonding approach significantly simplifies the process for fabricating microfluidic structures in hard polymers such as PMMA.     

Influence of master fabrication techniques on the characteristics of embossed microfluidic channels

We describe protocols for the fabrication of microfluidic devices in plastics using a number of different embossing masters. Masters were fabricated by deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon (100), wet etching of silicon (100) and (110), and SU-8 processing. Structures embossed into a cyclo-olefin polymer were characterized in terms of the quality of pattern transfer as well as of the surface roughness. High quality pattern transfer was achieved with masters containing structures with angled sidewalls. Pattern distortions occurring during de-embossing were minimized by using masters consisting of SU-8 (which has a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of the substrates). Structures embossed with SU-8 masters also exhibited the lowest surface roughness. However, due to structural deformation, the reusability of the masters prepared for this study extended to only five embossing experiments. Masters fabricated on silicon, on the other hand, were more robust, but were subject to breakage during the de-embossing phase of the experiment. The results of this study will guide researchers in choosing master fabrication methods that will provide profile and surface characteristics of embossed microfluidic channels that are advantageous to their specific application.     

Microfluidic chip fabrication using hot embossing and thermal bonding of COP

The application of silicon mold inserts by micro‐hot embossing molding has been explored in microfluidic chip fabrication. For the mold insert, this study employed an SU‐8 photoresist to coat the silicon wafer. Ultraviolet light was then used to expose the pattern on the SU‐8 photoresist surface. This study replicates the microstructure of the silicon mold insert by micro‐hot embossing molding. Different processing parameters (embossing temperature, embossing pressure, embossing time, and de‐molding temperature) for the cycle‐olefin polymer (COP) film of microfluidic chips are evaluated. The results showed that the most important parameter for replication of molded microfluidic chip is embossing temperature. De‐molding temperature is the most important parameter for surface roughness of the molded microfluidic chip. The microchannel is bonded with a cover by thermal bonding processing to form the sealed microfluidic chip. The bonding temperature is the most important factor in the bonding strength of the sealed microfluidic chip. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Beyond PDMS: off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE) based soft lithography for rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices

In this article we introduce a novel polymer platform based on off-stoichiometry thiol-enes (OSTEs), aiming to bridge the gap between research prototyping and commercial production of microfluidic devices. The polymers are based on the versatile UV-curable thiol-ene chemistry but takes advantage of off-stoichiometry ratios to enable important features for a prototyping system, such as one-step surface modifications, tuneable mechanical properties and leakage free sealing through direct UV-bonding. The platform exhibits many similarities with PDMS, such as rapid prototyping and uncomplicated processing but can at the same time mirror the mechanical and chemical properties of both PDMS as well as commercial grade thermoplastics. The OSTE-prepolymer can be cast using standard SU-8 on silicon masters and a table-top UV-lamp, the surface modifications are precisely grafted using a stencil mask and the bonding requires only a single UV-exposure. To illustrate the potential of the material we demonstrate key concepts important in microfluidic chip fabrication such as patterned surface modifications for hydrophobic stops, pneumatic valves using UV-lamination of stiff and rubbery materials as well as micromachining of chip-to-world connectors in the OSTE-materials.