Versatile Lock and Key Assembly for Optical Measurements with Microfluidic Platforms and Cartridges

Abstract

A novel and versatile optical reader for microfluidic platforms is presented. The reader includes a modular insertion port based on the lock and key concept for reproducible alignment with a miniaturized optical detection system comprising an interchangeable light emitting diode (LED) and a photodiode. The modular nature of the insertion port allows the use of microfluidic platforms in variable shapes and fluidic configurations. Three different analytical methodologies based on absorbance or fluorescence measurements were used to demonstrate the flexibility and reproducibility of the proposed experimental setup.

Microanalyser Prototype for On-Line Monitoring of Copper(II) Ion in Mining Industrial Processes

“…The miniaturized optical detection [34] module, seen in Figure 1e, was composed of a compact optical reader with integrated housing for a 505 nm LED, used as the light source, and a photodiode, used as a detector. The compact optical reader, also seen in Figure 1e, incorporated an insertion port for the microfluidic platform module, using a lock and key design.…”

“…The miniaturized optical detection module was composed of a compact optical reader [34], fabricated in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) (Ferplast, Spain) with integrated housing for a 505 nm LED (Roithner Lasertechnik B5B-433-B505, Farnell, Spain), and a Hamamatsu S1337-66BR photodiode (Farnell, Spain).…”

Automated analytical microsystem for the spectrophotometric monitoring of titratable acidity in white, rosé and red wines

“…The system consisted of a LED with an emission peak centered at 621 nm (HLMP-EH1A, Avago, Digi-Key Electronics, Thief River Falls, MN, USA) and a Si photodiode with an effective area of 33 mm 2 (S1337-66BR, Hamamatsu Photonics, Hamamatsu, Japan), both mounted into a compact poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) structure where the microanalyzer was inserted into. The insertion structure was based in a "Lock-and-Key" concept [38] for allowing a reproducible positioning of the device with respect to the LED and the photodiode (Fig. 4).…”

“…The external shape of the device was designed to perfectly fit the insertion port of the detection system (see 2.3 Experimental setup), thus guaranteeing an accurate and reproducible alignment of the optical flow cell with respect to the LED and the photodiode [38].…”

Serum/plasma potassium monitoring using potentiometric point-of-care microanalyzers with improved ion selective electrodes

“…The POC microanalyzer was fabricated following a multilayer microfabrication procedure described in detail elsewhere [19][20][21]. It is based on the thermal lamination under pressure of different microstructured COC layers presenting two different glass transition temperatures (Tg): COC 8007 foils with a Tg of 75 • C used as sealing layers and blocks of two previously laminated COC 5013 layers with a Tg of 130 • C, (a sealing foil is used between them), used as structural layers containing all the micromachined structures of the device.…”