We present a novel centrifugal microfluidic approach for fast and accurate Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis based on the use of standard laboratory equipment. The herein presented workflow can directly be integrated...
Liquids on-chip describes a reagent storage concept for disposable pressure driven Lab-on-Chip (LoC) devices, which enables liquid storage in reservoirs without additional packaging. On-chip storage of liquids can be considered as one of the major challenges for the commercial break through of polymer-based LoC devices. Especially the ability for long-term storage and reagent release on demand are the most important aspects for a fully developed technology. On-chip storage not only replaces manual pipetting, it creates numerous advantages: fully automated processing, ease of use, reduction of contamination and transportation risks. Previous concepts for on-chip storage are based on liquid packaging solutions (e.g. stick packs, blisters, glass ampoules), which implicate manufacturing complexity and additional pick and place processes. That is why we prefer on-chip storage of liquids directly in reservoirs. The liquids are collected in reservoirs, which are made of high barrier polymers or coated by selected barrier layers. Therefore, commonly used polymers for LoC applications as cyclic olefin polymer (COP) and polycarbonate (PC) were investigated in the context of novel polymer composites. To ensure long-term stability the reservoirs are sealed with a commercially available barrier film by hot embossing. The barrier film is structured by pulsed laser ablation, which installs rated break points without affecting the barrier properties. A flexible membrane is actuated through pneumatic pressure for reagent release on demand. The membrane deflection breaks the barrier film and leads to efficient cleaning of the reservoirs in order to provide the liquids for further processing.
On-chip storage of liquids is one of the major challenges of polymer-based lab-on-a-chip (LoC) devices. To ensure long-term storage of even highly volatile reagents in polymer disposal LoC cartridges, robust reagent storage concepts are necessary. Tubular bags, so-called stick packs, are widely used in the packaging industry. They offer sufficient vapor barrier properties for liquid storage. Here we present a polymer multilayer LoC-stack with integrated stick packs for the long-term storage of liquid reagents required for diagnostic applications. The storage concept fulfils two main requirements: firstly, the long-term storage of reagents in stick packs without significant losses or interaction with the surroundings and secondly, the on-demand release of liquids, which is realized by the delamination of a stick pack’s peel seam through pneumatic pressure. Furthermore, effects on the opening behavior of stick packs through accelerated aging were investigated after different storage conditions to proof repeatability. This concept enables on-chip storage of liquid reagents at room temperature and allows the implementation in different pressure driven LoC devices or similar applications. Since liquid storage in stick packs is well-established, emerging fields such as lab-on-a-chip combined with novel reagent release mechanisms should be of great interest for the commercialization of life science products.
We report on a novel rapid prototyping approach for the manufacturing of highly individualized lab-on-chip (LoC) cartridges from generic polymer parts by laser micromachining and laser welding. The approach allows an immediate implementation of microfluidic networks, components, and functionalities into an existing LoC platform without the need for an expensive and time-consuming fabrication of production tools like molds or masks. We comprehensively describe the individual process steps of the rapid prototyping procedure including a wet-chemical treatment for an easy and effective surface polishing of laser micromachined polymer parts. For laying out, we introduce a generalized diagrammatic description of microfluidic functional units in order to design application-specific cartridges for molecular diagnostic workflows. We demonstrate the usability of our prototyped cartridges by performing microfluidic experiments within. Due to the use of generic polymer parts, our rapid prototyping approach combines a high degree of freedom with an intrinsic compatibility to an established and highly developed LoC system. By enabling an experimental testing within one day, the rapid prototyping procedure shortens development cycles and boosts the evolution of microfluidic networks as well as the implementation of novel microfluidic components and functionalities.
A novel assembly approach for the integration of metal structures into polymeric microfluidic systems is described. The presented production process is completely based on a single solid-state laser source, which is used to incorporate metal foils into a polymeric multi-layer stack by laser bonding and ablation processes. Chemical reagents or glues are not required. The polymer stack contains a flexible membrane which can be used for realizing microfluidic valves and pumps. The metal-to-polymer bond was investigated for different metal foils and plasma treatments, yielding a maximum peel strength of R ps = 1.33 N mm −1 . A minimum structure size of 10 μm was determined by 3D microscopy of the laser cut line. As an example application, two different metal foils were used in combination to micromachine a standardized type-T thermocouple on a polymer substrate. An additional laser process was developed which allows metal-to-metal welding in close vicinity to the polymer substrate. With this process step, the reliability of the electrical contact could be increased to survive at least 400 PCR temperature cycles at very low contact resistances.
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