We introduce a novel fluid manipulation technique named "microfluidic drifting" to enable three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic focusing with a simple single-layer planar microfluidic device.

In this work, we report the design, fabrication, and characterization of a tunable optofluidic microlens that focuses light within a microfluidic device. The microlens is generated by the interface of two co-injected miscible fluids of different refractive indices, a 5 M CaCl(2) solution (n(D) = 1.445) and deionized (DI) water (n(D) = 1.335). When the liquids flow through a 90-degree curve in a microchannel, a centrifugal effect causes the fluidic interface to be distorted and the CaCl(2) solution bows outwards into the DI water portion. The bowed fluidic interface, coupled with the refractive index contrast between the two fluids, yields a reliable cylindrical microlens. The optical characteristics of the microlens are governed by the shape of the fluidic interface, which can be altered by simply changing the flow rate. Higher flow rates generate a microlens with larger curvature and hence shorter focal length. The changing of microlens profile is studied using both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and confocal microscopy. The focusing effect is experimentally characterized through intensity measurements and image analysis of the focused light beam, and the experimental data are further confirmed by the results from a ray-tracing optical simulation. Our investigation reveals a simple, robust, and effective mechanism for integrating optofluidic tunable microlenses in lab-on-a-chip systems.

The disassembly of a core-satellite nanostructured substrate is presented as a colorimetric biosensor observable under dark field illumination. The fabrication method described herein utilizes thiol-mediated adsorption and streptavidin-biotin binding to self-assemble core-satellite nanostructures with a sacrificial linking peptide. Biosensing functionality is demonstrated with the protease trypsin and the optical properties of the nanoassemblies are characterized. A figure of merit is presented to determine the optimal core and satellite size for visual detection. Nanoassemblies with 50 nm cores and 30 nm or 50 nm satellites are superior as these structures achieve an orange to green color shift greater than 70 nm that is easily discernible by naked eye. This colorimetric substrate may prove to be a favorable alternative to liquid-based colloidal sensors and a useful visual readout mechanism for microfluidic diagnostic assays.

We have fabricated aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)-functionalized nanoporous polymeric gratings by combining holographic interference patterning and APTES-functionalization of the pre-polymer syrup. The APTES facilitates the immobilization of biomolecules onto the polymeric grating surfaces. The successful detection of multiple biomolecules (biotin, steptavidin, biotinylated anti-rabbit IgG, and rabbit-IgG) indicates that the functionalized nanoporous polymeric gratings can act as biosensing platforms which are label-free, inexpensive, and applicable as high-throughput assays.

We present a systematic theoretical study of core-satellite gold nanoparticle assemblies using the Generalized Multiparticle Mie formalism. We consider the importance of satellite number, satellite radius, the core radius, and the satellite distance, and we present approaches to optimize spectral shift due to satellite attachment or release. This provides clear strategies for improving the sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio for molecular detection, enabling simple colorimetric assays. We quantify the performance of these strategies by introducing a figure of merit. In addition, we provide an improved understanding of the nanoplasmonic interactions that govern the optical response of core-satellite nanoassemblies.