Microfluidic sterilization

Zhang, Rui; Huang, Jie; Xie, Fei; Wang, Qianqian; Chu, Ming; Wang, Yuedan; Li, Haichao; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Haixia; Wu, Wengang; Li, Zhihong

doi:10.1063/1.4882776

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…In most biological applications, devices, and tools, sterilization is a crucial pre-treatment step to avoid contamination [22]. In the case of lab-on-a-chip applications, the sterilization of chips is the most common critical problem, particularly for cell culture chips and organs-on-chips, to avoid any contamination for the analysis components [23].…”

Section: Autoclaving Endurancementioning

confidence: 99%

Development of epoxy resin-based microfluidic devices using CO2 laser ablation for DNA amplification point-of-care (POC) applications

Mansour

Soliman

El-Bab

et al. 2022

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

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Microfluidic devices are a rising technology to automatize chemical and biological operations. In this context, laser ablation has significant potential for polymer-based microfluidic platforms’ fast and economical manufacturing. Nevertheless, the manufacturing of epoxy-based microfluidic chips is considered highly cost full due to the demand for cleanroom facilities that utilize expensive equipment and lengthy processes. Therefore, this study targeted investigating the feasibility of epoxy resins to be fabricated as a lab-on-chip using carbon dioxide laser ablation. The chemical structural properties and thermal stability of the plain epoxy resins were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Moreover, a specific migration test was performed to quantify potential migrants by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to prove that the cured epoxy resin would not release unreacted monomers to the biological solution test, which caused inhibition of the sensitive biological reactions. By investigating the impact of this process on microchannels’ dimensions and quality, a laser technique using CO2 laser was used in vector mode to engrave into a transparent epoxy resin chip. The resulting microchannels were characterized using 3D laser microscopy. The outcomes of this study showed considerable potential for laser ablation in machining the epoxy-based chips, whereas the microchannels machined by laser processing at an input power of 1.8 W and scanning speed of 5 mm/s have an aspect ratio of about 1.19 and a reasonable surface roughness (Ra) of ~ 15 µm. Meanwhile, the bulge height was 0.027 µm with no clogging, and HAZ was ~ 18 µm. This study validated the feasibility of quick and cost-effective CO2 laser microfabrication to develop epoxy resin-based microfluidic chips without the need for cleanroom facilities that require expensive equipment and lengthy process.

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Section: Autoclaving Endurancementioning

confidence: 99%

Development of epoxy resin-based microfluidic devices using CO2 laser ablation for DNA amplification point-of-care (POC) applications

Mansour

Soliman

El-Bab

et al. 2022

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

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show abstract

“…In most biological applications, sterilization is a crucial sample pre-treatment step to avoid contamination [21]. In micro uidics, the most common problem is sterilizing chips; due to the increase of cell culture chips and organs-on-chips, the sterilization step becomes critical in micro uidics for any equipment in contact with sensitive uids.…”

Section: Autoclavabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Epoxy Resin-Based Elastomeric Microfluidic Devices Using CO2 Laser Ablation for DNA-Amplification Point-Of-Care (POC) Applications: Assessment of Microchannels' Dimensions and Quality

Mansour

El-Bab

Soliman

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Microfluidic devices are a rising technology to automatize chemical and biological operations. In this context, laser ablation has significant potential for polymer-based microfluidic platforms' fast and economical manufacturing. Nevertheless, the manufacturing of epoxy-based microfluidic chips is considered highly cost full due to demand for cleanroom facilities that utilize expensive equipment and lengthy processes. Therefore, this study targeted investigating the feasibility of epoxy resins to be fabricated as a lab-on-chip using carbon dioxide laser ablation. The chemical structural properties and thermal stability of the plain epoxy resins were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Moreover, a specific migration test was performed to quantify potential migrants by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to prove that the cured epoxy resin would not release unreacted monomers to the biological solution test, which caused inhibition of the sensitive biological reactions. By investigating the impact of this process on microchannels' dimensions and quality, a laser technique using CO2 laser was used in vector mode to engrave into a transparent epoxy resin chip. The resulting microchannels were characterized using 3D Laser microscopy. The outcomes of this study showed considerable potential for laser ablation in machining the epoxy-based chips, whereas the microchannels were produced with minor bulges' height (0.027 µm) with no clogging. Moreover, a reasonable depth of 99.31 µm with roughness (Ra) of 14.52 µm was obtained at a laser speed of 5 mm/s and laser power of 1.8 W. This process can produce epoxy resin-based microfluidic chips without the need for cleanroom facilities that require expensive equipment and lengthy process.

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“…The sterilized content would then be flushed out before replenishing the local niche with “fresh” cells. Alternative methods of sterilization rely on one or a combination of physical (autoclaving, UV light) and chemical treatments (ethanol, ethylene oxide, hydrogen peroxide,..) (Skaalure, 2008 ; Horst et al, 2009 ; Zhang et al, 2014 ; Yavuz et al, 2016 ), and could be applied to SLMC, for larger scales (e.g., bioreactors,..), depending on the tolerance of the materials used. Ultimately, in order to limit the risk of the occurrence of adverse events, we suggest the periodic replacement of the cells.…”

Section: Challenges and Opportunitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthetic Microbial Ecology: Engineering Habitats for Modular Consortia

Said

2017

Front. Microbiol.

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The metabolic diversity present in microbial communities enables cooperation toward accomplishing more complex tasks than possible by a single organism. Members of a consortium communicate by exchanging metabolites or signals that allow them to coordinate their activity through division of labor. In contrast with monocultures, evidence suggests that microbial consortia self-organize to form spatial patterns, such as observed in biofilms or in soil aggregates, that enable them to respond to gradient, to improve resource interception and to exchange metabolites more effectively. Current biotechnological applications of microorganisms remain rudimentary, often relying on genetically engineered monocultures (e.g., pharmaceuticals) or mixed-cultures of partially known composition (e.g., wastewater treatment), yet the vast potential of “microbial ecological power” observed in most natural environments, remains largely underused. In line with the Unified Microbiome Initiative (UMI) which aims to “discover and advance tools to understand and harness the capabilities of Earth's microbial ecosystems,” we propose in this concept paper to capitalize on ecological insights into the spatial and modular design of interlinked microbial consortia that would overcome limitations of natural systems and attempt to optimize the functionality of the members and the performance of the engineered consortium. The topology of the spatial connections linking the various members and the regulated fluxes of media between those modules, while representing a major engineering challenge, would allow the microbial species to interact. The modularity of such spatially linked microbial consortia (SLMC) could facilitate the design of scalable bioprocesses that can be incorporated as parts of a larger biochemical network. By reducing the need for a compatible growth environment for all species simultaneously, SLMC will dramatically expand the range of possible combinations of microorganisms and their potential applications. We briefly review existing tools to engineer such assemblies and optimize potential benefits resulting from the collective activity of their members. Prospective microbial consortia and proposed spatial configurations will be illustrated and preliminary calculations highlighting the advantages of SLMC over co-cultures will be presented, followed by a discussion of challenges and opportunities for moving forward with some designs.

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Microfluidic sterilization

Cited by 7 publications

References 14 publications

Development of epoxy resin-based microfluidic devices using CO2 laser ablation for DNA amplification point-of-care (POC) applications

Development of epoxy resin-based microfluidic devices using CO2 laser ablation for DNA amplification point-of-care (POC) applications

Development of Epoxy Resin-Based Elastomeric Microfluidic Devices Using CO2 Laser Ablation for DNA-Amplification Point-Of-Care (POC) Applications: Assessment of Microchannels' Dimensions and Quality

Synthetic Microbial Ecology: Engineering Habitats for Modular Consortia

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