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Ma L, Zhao X, Hou J, Huang L, Yao Y, Ding Z, Wei J, Hao N. Droplet Microfluidic Devices: Working Principles, Fabrication Methods, and Scale-Up Applications. SMALL METHODS 2024:e2301406. [PMID: 38594964 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202301406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Compared with the conventional emulsification method, droplets generated within microfluidic devices exhibit distinct advantages such as precise control of fluids, exceptional monodispersity, uniform morphology, flexible manipulation, and narrow size distribution. These inherent benefits, including intrinsic safety, excellent heat and mass transfer capabilities, and large surface-to-volume ratio, have led to the widespread applications of droplet-based microfluidics across diverse fields, encompassing chemical engineering, particle synthesis, biological detection, diagnostics, emulsion preparation, and pharmaceuticals. However, despite its promising potential for versatile applications, the practical utilization of this technology in commercial and industrial is extremely limited to the inherently low production rates achievable within a single microchannel. Over the past two decades, droplet-based microfluidics has evolved significantly, considerably transitioning from a proof-of-concept stage to industrialization. And now there is a growing trend towards translating academic research into commercial and industrial applications, primarily driven by the burgeoning demands of various fields. This paper comprehensively reviews recent advancements in droplet-based microfluidics, covering the fundamental working principles and the critical aspect of scale-up integration from working principles to scale-up integration. Based on the existing scale-up strategies, the paper also outlines the future research directions, identifies the potential opportunities, and addresses the typical unsolved challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Ma
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Xiong Zhao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Junsheng Hou
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Lei Huang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Yilong Yao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Zihan Ding
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Jinjia Wei
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China
| | - Nanjing Hao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China
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2
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Shepherd SJ, Han X, Mukalel AJ, El-Mayta R, Thatte AS, Wu J, Padilla MS, Alameh MG, Srikumar N, Lee D, Weissman D, Issadore D, Mitchell MJ. Throughput-scalable manufacturing of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA lipid nanoparticle vaccines. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303567120. [PMID: 37556502 PMCID: PMC10438381 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303567120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are a potent delivery technology that have made it possible for the recent clinical breakthroughs in mRNA therapeutics and vaccines. A key challenge to the broader implementation of mRNA therapeutics and vaccines is the development of technology to produce precisely defined LNP formulations, with throughput that can scale from discovery to commercial manufacturing and meet the stringent manufacturing standards of the pharmaceutical industry. To address these challenges, we have developed a microfluidic chip that incorporates 1×, 10×, or 256× LNP-generating units that achieve scalable production rates of up to 17 L/h of precisely defined LNPs. Using these chips, we demonstrate that LNP physical properties and potency in vivo are unchanged as throughput is scaled. Our chips are fabricated out of silicon and glass substrates, which have excellent solvent compatibility, compatibility with pharmaceutical manufacturing, and can be fully reset and reused. SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-LNP vaccines formulated by our chips triggered potent antibody responses in a preclinical study. These results demonstrate the feasibility of directly translating microfluidic-generated LNPs to the scale necessary for commercial production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J. Shepherd
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Xuexiang Han
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Alvin J. Mukalel
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Rakan El-Mayta
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Ajay S. Thatte
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Jingyu Wu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Marshall S. Padilla
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | | | - Neha Srikumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Daeyeon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Drew Weissman
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - David Issadore
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Michael J. Mitchell
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Institute for Immunology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
- Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
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3
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Jiang L, Yang H, Cheng W, Ni Z, Xiang N. Droplet microfluidics for CTC-based liquid biopsy: a review. Analyst 2023; 148:203-221. [PMID: 36508171 DOI: 10.1039/d2an01747d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are important biomarkers of liquid biopsy. The number and heterogeneity of CTCs play an important role in cancer diagnosis and personalized medicine. However, owing to the low-abundance biomarkers of CTCs, conventional assays are only able to detect CTCs at the population level. Therefore, there is a pressing need for a highly sensitive method to analyze CTCs at the single-cell level. As an important branch of microfluidics, droplet microfluidics is a high-throughput and sensitive single-cell analysis platform for the quantitative detection and heterogeneity analysis of CTCs. In this review, we focus on the quantitative detection and heterogeneity analysis of CTCs using droplet microfluidics. Technologies that enable droplet microfluidics, particularly high-throughput droplet generation and high-efficiency droplet manipulation, are first discussed. Then, recent advances in detecting and analyzing CTCs using droplet microfluidics from the different aspects of nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites are introduced. The purpose of this review is to provide guidance for the continued study of droplet microfluidics for CTC-based liquid biopsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Jiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Hang Yang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Weiqi Cheng
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Zhonghua Ni
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
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4
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Deng CF, Su YY, Yang SH, Jiang QR, Xie R, Ju XJ, Liu Z, Pan DW, Wang W, Chu LY. Designable microfluidic ladder networks from backstepping microflow analysis for mass production of monodisperse microdroplets. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:4962-4973. [PMID: 36420612 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00771a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Controllable mass production of monodisperse droplets plays a key role in numerous fields ranging from scientific research to industrial application. Microfluidic ladder networks show great potential in mass production of monodisperse droplets, but their design with uniform microflow distribution remains challenging due to the lack of a rational design strategy. Here an effective design strategy based on backstepping microflow analysis (BMA) is proposed for the rational development of microfluidic ladder networks for mass production of controllable monodisperse microdroplets. The performance of our BMA rule for rational microfluidic ladder network design is demonstrated by using an existing analogism-derived rule that is widely used for the design of microfluidic ladder networks as the control group. The microfluidic ladder network designed by the BMA rule shows a more uniform flow distribution in each branch microchannel than that designed by the existing rule, as confirmed by single-phase flow simulation. Meanwhile, the microfluidic ladder network designed by the BMA rule allows mass production of droplets with higher size monodispersity in a wider window of flow rates and mass production of polymeric microspheres from such highly monodisperse droplet templates. The proposed BMA rule provides new insights into the microflow distribution behaviors in microfluidic ladder networks based on backstepping microflow analysis and provides a rational guideline for the efficient development of microfluidic ladder networks with uniform flow distribution for mass production of highly monodisperse droplets. Moreover, the BMA method provides a general analysis strategy for microfluidic networks with parallel multiple microchannels for rational scale-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan-Fu Deng
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
| | - Yao-Yao Su
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
| | - Shi-Hao Yang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
| | - Qing-Rong Jiang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
| | - Rui Xie
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Xiao-Jie Ju
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Zhuang Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Da-Wei Pan
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Liang-Yin Chu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
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5
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Kim HH, Cho Y, Baek D, Rho KH, Park SH, Lee S. Parallelization of Microfluidic Droplet Junctions for Ultraviscous Fluids. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2205001. [PMID: 36310131 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202205001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The parallelization of multiple microfluidic droplet junctions has been successfully achieved so that the production throughput of the uniform microemulsions/particles has witnessed considerable progress. However, these advancements have been observed only in the case of a low viscous fluid (viscosity of 10-2 -10-3 Pa s). This study designs and fabricates a microfluidic device, enabling a uniform micro-emulsification of an ultraviscous fluid (viscosity of 3.5 Pa s) with a throughput of ≈330 000 droplets per hour. Multiple T-junctions of a dispersed oil phase, split from a single inlet, are connected into the single post-crossflow channel of a continuous water phase. In the proposed device, the continuous water phase undergoes a series circuit, wherein the resistances are continuously accumulated. The independent corrugations of the dispersed oil phase channel, under the theoretical guidance, compromise such increased resistances; the ratio of water to oil flow rates at each junction becomes consistent across T-junctions. Owing to the design being based on a fully 2D interconnection, single-step soft lithography is sufficient for developing the full device. This easy-to-craft architecture contrasts with the previous approach, wherein complicated 3D interconnections of the multiple junctions are involved, thereby facilitating the rapid uptake of high throughput droplet microfluidics for experts and newcomers alike.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon Ho Kim
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - YongDeok Cho
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongjae Baek
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Hun Rho
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Hun Park
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungwoo Lee
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
- Department of Integrative Energy Engineering, Department of Biomicrosystem Technology and KU Photonics Center, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
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6
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Design of shear-based microfluidic channels for production and stability assessment of food emulsions. Curr Opin Food Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cofs.2022.100957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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7
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Lee S, de Rutte J, Dimatteo R, Koo D, Di Carlo D. Scalable Fabrication and Use of 3D Structured Microparticles Spatially Functionalized with Biomolecules. ACS NANO 2022; 16:38-49. [PMID: 34846855 PMCID: PMC10874522 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c05857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Microparticles with defined shapes and spatial chemical modification can interface with cells and tissues at the cellular scale. However, conventional methods to fabricate shaped microparticles have trade-offs between the throughput of manufacture and the precision of particle shape and chemical functionalization. Here, we achieved scalable production of hydrogel microparticles at rates of greater than 40 million/hour with localized surface chemistry using a parallelized step emulsification device and temperature-induced phase-separation. The approach harnesses a polymerizable polyethylene glycol (PEG) and gelatin aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) which conditionally phase separates within microfluidically generated droplets. Following droplet formation, phase separation is induced and phase separated droplets are subsequently cross-linked to form uniform crescent and hollow shell particles with gelatin functionalization on the boundary of the cavity. The gelatin localization enabled deterministic cell loading in subnanoliter-sized crescent-shaped particles, which we refer to as nanovials, with cavity dimensions tuned to the size of cells. Loading on nanovials also imparted improved cell viability during analysis and sorting using standard fluorescence activated cell sorters, presumably by protecting cells from shear stress. This localization effect was further exploited to selectively functionalize capture antibodies to nanovial cavities enabling single-cell secretion assays with reduced cross-talk in a simplified format.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohyung Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California- Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Joseph de Rutte
- Partillion Bioscience, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California- Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Robert Dimatteo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California- Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Doyeon Koo
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California- Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Dino Di Carlo
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California- Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California- Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California- Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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8
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Park D, Kim H, Kim JW. Microfluidic production of monodisperse emulsions for cosmetics. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2021; 15:051302. [PMID: 34733378 PMCID: PMC8550801 DOI: 10.1063/5.0057733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Droplet-based microfluidic technology has enabled the production of emulsions with high monodispersity in sizes ranging from a few to hundreds of micrometers. Taking advantage of this technology, attempts to generate monodisperse emulsion drops with high drug loading capacity, ordered interfacial structure, and multi-functionality have been made in the cosmetics industry. In this article, we introduce the practicality of the droplet-based microfluidic approach to the cosmetic industry in terms of innovation in productivity and marketability. Furthermore, we summarize some recent advances in the production of emulsion drops with enhanced mechanical interfacial stability. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of microfluidic technology in accordance with consumers' needs and industrial attributes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daehwan Park
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Hajeong Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Woong Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
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9
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Wu J, Yadavali S, Lee D, Issadore DA. Scaling up the throughput of microfluidic droplet-based materials synthesis: A review of recent progress and outlook. APPLIED PHYSICS REVIEWS 2021; 8:031304. [PMID: 34484549 PMCID: PMC8293697 DOI: 10.1063/5.0049897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The last two decades have witnessed tremendous progress in the development of microfluidic chips that generate micrometer- and nanometer-scale materials. These chips allow precise control over composition, structure, and particle uniformity not achievable using conventional methods. These microfluidic-generated materials have demonstrated enormous potential for applications in medicine, agriculture, food processing, acoustic, and optical meta-materials, and more. However, because the basis of these chips' performance is their precise control of fluid flows at the micrometer scale, their operation is limited to the inherently low throughputs dictated by the physics of multiphasic flows in micro-channels. This limitation on throughput results in material production rates that are too low for most practical applications. In recent years, however, significant progress has been made to tackle this challenge by designing microchip architectures that incorporate multiple microfluidic devices onto single chips. These devices can be operated in parallel to increase throughput while retaining the benefits of microfluidic particle generation. In this review, we will highlight recent work in this area and share our perspective on the key unsolved challenges and opportunities in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyu Wu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | | | - Daeyeon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
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10
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Shepherd SJ, Warzecha CC, Yadavali S, El-Mayta R, Alameh MG, Wang L, Weissman D, Wilson JM, Issadore D, Mitchell MJ. Scalable mRNA and siRNA Lipid Nanoparticle Production Using a Parallelized Microfluidic Device. NANO LETTERS 2021; 21:5671-5680. [PMID: 34189917 PMCID: PMC10726372 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c01353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A major challenge to advance lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for RNA therapeutics is the development of formulations that can be produced reliably across the various scales of drug development. Microfluidics can generate LNPs with precisely defined properties, but have been limited by challenges in scaling throughput. To address this challenge, we present a scalable, parallelized microfluidic device (PMD) that incorporates an array of 128 mixing channels that operate simultaneously. The PMD achieves a >100× production rate compared to single microfluidic channels, without sacrificing desirable LNP physical properties and potency typical of microfluidic-generated LNPs. In mice, we show superior delivery of LNPs encapsulating either Factor VII siRNA or luciferase-encoding mRNA generated using a PMD compared to conventional mixing, with a 4-fold increase in hepatic gene silencing and 5-fold increase in luciferase expression, respectively. These results suggest that this PMD can generate scalable and reproducible LNP formulations needed for emerging clinical applications, including RNA therapeutics and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J. Shepherd
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Claude C. Warzecha
- Gene Therapy Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Sagar Yadavali
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Rakan El-Mayta
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Lili Wang
- Gene Therapy Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Drew Weissman
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - James M. Wilson
- Gene Therapy Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - David Issadore
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States; Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Michael J. Mitchell
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States; Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, Institute for Immunology, Perelman School of Medicine, Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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11
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Scale-up of micro- and milli-reactors: An overview of strategies, design principles and applications. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE: X 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cesx.2021.100097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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12
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Takahara H, Matsushita H, Inui E, Ochiai M, Hashimoto M. Convenient microfluidic cartridge for single-molecule droplet PCR using common laboratory equipment. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2021; 13:974-985. [PMID: 33533381 DOI: 10.1039/d0ay01779e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We have previously established a cost-efficient in-house system for single-molecule droplet polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic cartridge and common laboratory equipment. However, the microfluidic cartridge was only capable of generating monodisperse water-in-oil droplets. Therefore, careful and time-consuming manual droplet handling using a micropipette was required to transfer droplets between the three discrete steps involved in the workflow of droplet PCR-i.e., (1) droplet generation; (2) PCR amplification; and (3) determination of the fluorescence intensity of the thermocycled droplets. In the current study, we developed a new microfluidic cartridge consisting of four layers, with a thin glass slide as the bottom layer. In this cartridge, droplets generated in the uppermost polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic layer are delivered to the glass slide in an online fashion. After the accumulation of many droplets on the glass slide, the cartridge is placed on the flatbed heat block of a thermocycler for PCR amplification. Direct fluorescence imaging of the thermocycled droplets on the glass slide is then carried out using a conventional fluorescence microscope. Efficient heat transfer from the heat block to the settled droplets through the thin glass slide was confirmed by successful PCR amplification inside the droplets, even from single template molecules. The new cartridge eliminates the need for manual droplet transfer between the major steps of droplet PCR analysis, allowing more convenient single-molecule droplet PCR than in our previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirokazu Takahara
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tataramiyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan.
| | - Hiroo Matsushita
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tataramiyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan.
| | - Erika Inui
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tataramiyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan.
| | - Masashi Ochiai
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tataramiyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan.
| | - Masahiko Hashimoto
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tataramiyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan.
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13
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Multiple Emulsions for Enhanced Delivery of Vitamins and Iron Micronutrients and Their Application for Food Fortification. FOOD BIOPROCESS TECH 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11947-021-02586-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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14
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Gelin P, Bihi I, Ziemecka I, Thienpont B, Christiaens J, Hellemans K, Maes D, De Malsche W. Microfluidic Device for High-Throughput Production of Monodisperse Droplets. Ind Eng Chem Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.9b05935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Gelin
- μFlow group, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Ilyesse Bihi
- μFlow group, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Iwona Ziemecka
- μFlow group, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Benoit Thienpont
- μFlow group, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Jo Christiaens
- μFlow group, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Karine Hellemans
- Unit Diabetes Pathology and Therapy, Diabetes Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1000, Belgium
| | - Dominique Maes
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Wim De Malsche
- μFlow group, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
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15
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Cui Y, Li Y, Wang K, Deng J, Luo G. High-throughput preparation of uniform tiny droplets in multiple capillaries embedded stepwise microchannels. J Flow Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s41981-019-00051-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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16
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Kamperman T, Teixeira LM, Salehi SS, Kerckhofs G, Guyot Y, Geven M, Geris L, Grijpma D, Blanquer S, Leijten J. Engineering 3D parallelized microfluidic droplet generators with equal flow profiles by computational fluid dynamics and stereolithographic printing. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:490-495. [PMID: 31841123 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00980a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic droplet generators excel in generating monodisperse micrometer-sized droplets and particles. However, the low throughput of conventional droplet generators hinders their clinical and industrial translation. Current approaches to parallelize microdevices are challenged by the two-dimensional nature of the standard fabrication methods. Here, we report the facile production of three-dimensionally (3D) parallelized microfluidic droplet generators consisting of stacked and radially multiplexed channel designs. Computational fluid dynamics simulations form the design basis for a microflow distributor that ensures similar flow rates through all droplet generators. Stereolithography is the selected technique to fabricate microdevices, which enables the manufacturing of hollow channels with dimensions as small as 50 μm. The microdevices could be operated up to 4 bars without structural damage, including deformation of channels, or leakage of the on-chip printed Luer-Lok type connectors. The printed microdevices readily enable the production of water-in-oil emulsions, as well as polymer containing droplets that act as templates for both solid and core-shell hydrogel microparticles. The cytocompatibility of the 3D printed device is demonstrated by encapsulating mesenchymal stem cells in hydrogel microcapsules, which results in the controllable formation of stem cell spheroids that remain viable and metabolically active for at least 21 days. Thus, the unique features of stereolithography fabricated microfluidic devices allow for the parallelization of droplet generators in a simple yet effective manner by enabling the realization of (complex) 3D designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Kamperman
- Department of Developmental BioEngineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands.
| | - Liliana Moreira Teixeira
- Department of Developmental BioEngineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands. and Regenerative Medicine Utrecht, Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Seyedeh Sarah Salehi
- Department of Developmental BioEngineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands. and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box: 11155-9567, Tehran, Iran
| | - Greet Kerckhofs
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium and Department Materials Engineering, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 44, 3001 LEUVEN, Belgium and Biomechanics Lab - Institute of Mechanics, Materials, and Civil Engineering, UCLouvain, Place du Levant 2/L5.04.02, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium and IREC - Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, UCLouvain, Avenue Hippocrate, 55 bte B1.55.02, 1200 Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Belgium
| | - Yann Guyot
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium and Biomechanics Research Unit, GIGA in silico medicine, Université de Liège, Avenue de l'Hopital 11, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Mike Geven
- Department of Biomaterials Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522NB Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Liesbet Geris
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium and Biomechanics Research Unit, GIGA in silico medicine, Université de Liège, Avenue de l'Hopital 11, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Dirk Grijpma
- Department of Biomaterials Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522NB Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastien Blanquer
- Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier - UMR5253, Université Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Jeroen Leijten
- Department of Developmental BioEngineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands.
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17
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Menezes R, Dramé-Maigné A, Taly V, Rondelez Y, Gines G. Streamlined digital bioassays with a 3D printed sample changer. Analyst 2020; 145:572-581. [DOI: 10.1039/c9an01744e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Off-chip sample changer device increase the sample throughput of droplet digital bioassays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Menezes
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers
- INSERM
- Sorbonne Université
- USPC
- Université Paris Descartes
| | - Adèle Dramé-Maigné
- Laboratoire Gulliver
- UMR7083 CNRS
- ESPCI Paris
- PSL Research University
- 75005 Paris
| | - Valérie Taly
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers
- INSERM
- Sorbonne Université
- USPC
- Université Paris Descartes
| | - Yannick Rondelez
- Laboratoire Gulliver
- UMR7083 CNRS
- ESPCI Paris
- PSL Research University
- 75005 Paris
| | - Guillaume Gines
- Laboratoire Gulliver
- UMR7083 CNRS
- ESPCI Paris
- PSL Research University
- 75005 Paris
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18
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Daly AC, Riley L, Segura T, Burdick JA. Hydrogel microparticles for biomedical applications. NATURE REVIEWS. MATERIALS 2020; 5:20-43. [PMID: 34123409 PMCID: PMC8191408 DOI: 10.1038/s41578-019-0148-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 475] [Impact Index Per Article: 118.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogel microparticles (HMPs) are promising for biomedical applications, ranging from the therapeutic delivery of cells and drugs to the production of scaffolds for tissue repair and bioinks for 3D printing. Biologics (cells and drugs) can be encapsulated into HMPs of predefined shapes and sizes using a variety of fabrication techniques (batch emulsion, microfluidics, lithography, electrohydrodynamic (EHD) spraying and mechanical fragmentation). HMPs can be formulated in suspensions to deliver therapeutics, as aggregates of particles (granular hydrogels) to form microporous scaffolds that promote cell infiltration or embedded within a bulk hydrogel to obtain multiscale behaviours. HMP suspensions and granular hydrogels can be injected for minimally invasive delivery of biologics, and they exhibit modular properties when comprised of mixtures of distinct HMP populations. In this Review, we discuss the fabrication techniques that are available for fabricating HMPs, as well as the multiscale behaviours of HMP systems and their functional properties, highlighting their advantages over traditional bulk hydrogels. Furthermore, we discuss applications of HMPs in the fields of cell delivery, drug delivery, scaffold design and biofabrication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Daly
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- These authors contributed equally: Andrew C. Daly, Lindsay Riley
| | - Lindsay Riley
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- These authors contributed equally: Andrew C. Daly, Lindsay Riley
| | - Tatiana Segura
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Departments of Dermatology and Neurology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jason A Burdick
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Cao C, Dang D, Li Y, Xu J, Cheng Y. Strategy for multiscale numbering-up of microstructured catalytic reactors: A numerical study based on the resistance network model. J Taiwan Inst Chem Eng 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtice.2018.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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20
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Mobile platform for rapid sub-picogram-per-milliliter, multiplexed, digital droplet detection of proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:4489-4495. [PMID: 30765530 PMCID: PMC6410864 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1814110116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Digital assays have enormous untapped potential for diagnostics, environmental surveillance, and biosafety monitoring, but are currently confined to laboratory settings due to the instrumentation necessary to generate, control, and measure millions of droplets. We instead use a mobile phone-based imaging technique that is >100× faster than conventional microfluidic droplet detection, does not require expensive optics, is invariant to flow rate, and can simultaneously measure multiple fluorescent dyes in droplets. By using this time domain modulation with cloud computing, we overcome the low frame rate of digital imaging, and achieve throughputs as high as 1 million droplets per second. We integrate on-chip delay lines and a microbead processing unit, resulting in a robust device, suitable for low-cost implementation, with ultrasensitive measurement capabilities. Digital droplet assays—in which biological samples are compartmentalized into millions of femtoliter-volume droplets and interrogated individually—have generated enormous enthusiasm for their ability to detect biomarkers with single-molecule sensitivity. These assays have untapped potential for point-of-care diagnostics but are currently mainly confined to laboratory settings, due to the instrumentation necessary to serially generate, control, and measure tens of millions of droplets/compartments. To address this challenge, we developed an optofluidic platform that miniaturizes digital assays into a mobile format by parallelizing their operation. This technology is based on three key innovations: (i) the integration and parallel operation of a hundred droplet generators onto a single chip that operates >100× faster than a single droplet generator, (ii) the fluorescence detection of droplets at >100× faster than conventional in-flow detection using time domain-encoded mobile phone imaging, and (iii) the integration of on-chip delay lines and sample processing to allow serum-to-answer device operation. To demonstrate the power of this approach, we performed a duplex digital ELISA. We characterized the performance of this assay by first using spiked recombinant proteins in a complex media (FBS) and measured a limit of detection, 0.004 pg/mL (300 aM), a 1,000× improvement over standard ELISA and matching that of the existing laboratory-based gold standard digital ELISA system. We additionally measured endogenous GM-CSF and IL6 in human serum from n = 14 human subjects using our mobile duplex assay, and showed excellent agreement with the gold standard system (R2=0.96).
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21
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Jeong HH, Chen Z, Yadavali S, Xu J, Issadore D, Lee D. Large-scale production of compound bubbles using parallelized microfluidics for efficient extraction of metal ions. LAB ON A CHIP 2019; 19:665-673. [PMID: 30657155 PMCID: PMC6372331 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc01267a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in microfluidic technologies have enabled production of micro-scale compound bubbles that consist of gaseous cores surrounded by thin liquid shells, achieving control and uniformity not possible using conventional techniques. These compound bubbles have demonstrated enormous utility as functional materials for drug delivery, as ultra-lightweight structural materials, as engineered acoustic materials, and also as separating agents for extraction of metal ions from waste fluid streams. Despite these successful demonstrations, compound bubbles have largely remained at the laboratory-scale due to the slow production rates endemic to microfluidics (<10 mL h-1). Although parallelization approaches have enabled large-scale production of simple emulsions and bubbles, its application to the production of higher order dispersions such as compound bubbles has been limited because the optimal processing window for the production of uniform compound bubbles is relatively narrow and the required channel geometry is quite complex. In this report, we demonstrate the parallelization of multi-stage flow focusing droplet generators that produce compound ternary bubbles. We parallelize 400 multi-stage FFG devices, generating up to 3 L (∼1011 bubbles) of monodispersed (CV < 5%) compound bubbles in less than 1 hour. We show that it is critical to use multi-height channels and operate each individual generator in a flow regime that is minimally sensitive to variations in the flow rate to reliably produce uniform compound bubbles. To demonstrate the utility of our parallelized device, we take advantage of the buoyancy and the high mass transfer rate that comes from the thin shells of gas-in-oil-in-water compound bubbles to rapidly extract Nd ions from a model waste stream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heon-Ho Jeong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
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22
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Gill NK, Ly C, Nyberg KD, Lee L, Qi D, Tofig B, Reis-Sobreiro M, Dorigo O, Rao J, Wiedemeyer R, Karlan B, Lawrenson K, Freeman MR, Damoiseaux R, Rowat AC. A scalable filtration method for high throughput screening based on cell deformability. LAB ON A CHIP 2019; 19:343-357. [PMID: 30566156 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00922h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cell deformability is a label-free biomarker of cell state in physiological and disease contexts ranging from stem cell differentiation to cancer progression. Harnessing deformability as a phenotype for screening applications requires a method that can simultaneously measure the deformability of hundreds of cell samples and can interface with existing high throughput facilities. Here we present a scalable cell filtration device, which relies on the pressure-driven deformation of cells through a series of pillars that are separated by micron-scale gaps on the timescale of seconds: less deformable cells occlude the gaps more readily than more deformable cells, resulting in decreased filtrate volume which is measured using a plate reader. The key innovation in this method is that we design customized arrays of individual filtration devices in a standard 96-well format using soft lithography, which enables multiwell input samples and filtrate outputs to be processed with higher throughput using automated pipette arrays and plate readers. To validate high throughput filtration to detect changes in cell deformability, we show the differential filtration of human ovarian cancer cells that have acquired cisplatin-resistance, which is corroborated with cell stiffness measurements using quantitative deformability cytometry. We also demonstrate differences in the filtration of human cancer cell lines, including ovarian cancer cells that overexpress transcription factors (Snail, Slug), which are implicated in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; breast cancer cells (malignant versus benign); and prostate cancer cells (highly versus weekly metastatic). We additionally show how the filtration of ovarian cancer cells is affected by treatment with drugs known to perturb the cytoskeleton and the nucleus. Our results across multiple cancer cell types with both genetic and pharmacologic manipulations demonstrate the potential of this scalable filtration device to screen cells based on their deformability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navjot Kaur Gill
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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23
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Yadavali S, Jeong HH, Lee D, Issadore D. Silicon and glass very large scale microfluidic droplet integration for terascale generation of polymer microparticles. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1222. [PMID: 29581433 PMCID: PMC5964316 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03515-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic chips can generate emulsions, which can be used to synthesize polymer microparticles that have superior pharmacological performance compared to particles prepared by conventional techniques. However, low production rates of microfluidics remains a challenge to successfully translate laboratory discoveries to commercial manufacturing. We present a silicon and glass device that incorporates an array of 10,260 (285 × 36) microfluidic droplet generators that uses only a single set of inlets and outlets, increasing throughput by >10,000× compared to microfluidics with a single generator. Our design breaks the tradeoff between the number of generators and the maximum throughput of individual generators by incorporating high aspect ratio flow resistors. We test these design strategies by generating hexadecane microdroplets at >1 trillion droplets per h with a coefficient of variation CV <3%. To demonstrate the synthesis of biocompatible microparticles, we generated 8–16 µm polycaprolactone particles with a CV <5% at a rate of 277 g h−1. Microfluidic-generated polymer microparticles have been shown to have superior pharmacological performance; yet, mass production remains a challenge to industrial application. Here, the authors present and test a device that incorporates arrays of microparticle generators for mass production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar Yadavali
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Heon-Ho Jeong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chonnam National University, Jeonnam, Yeosu, 59626, Republic of Korea
| | - Daeyeon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - David Issadore
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. .,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. .,Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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24
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Xu X, Yuan H, Song R, Yu M, Chung HY, Hou Y, Shang Y, Zhou H, Yao S. High aspect ratio induced spontaneous generation of monodisperse picolitre droplets for digital PCR. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2018; 12:014103. [PMID: 29333205 PMCID: PMC5750054 DOI: 10.1063/1.5011240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics, which involves micrometer-sized emulsion droplets on a microfabricated platform, has been demonstrated as a unique system for many biological and chemical applications. Robust and scalable generation of monodisperse droplets at high throughput is of fundamental importance for droplet microfluidics. Classic designs for droplet generation employ shear fluid dynamics to induce the breakup of droplets in a two-phase flow and the droplet size is sensitive to flow rate fluctuations, often resulting in polydispersity. In this paper, we show spontaneous emulsification by a high aspect ratio (>3.5) rectangular nozzle structure. Due to the confinement and abrupt change of the structure, a Laplace pressure difference is generated between the dispersed and continuous phases, and causes the thread thinning and droplet pinch-off without the need to precisely control external flow conditions. A high-throughput droplet generator was developed by parallelization of a massive number of the basic structures. This device enabled facile and rapid partition of aqueous samples into millions of uniform picolitre droplets in oil. Using this device, on-chip droplet-based digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for absolute quantification of rare genes with a wide dynamic range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaonan Xu
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Haojun Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruyuan Song
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Miao Yu
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ho Yin Chung
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Youmin Hou
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuhe Shang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hongbo Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China
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25
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Jeong HH, Yadavali S, Issadore D, Lee D. Liter-scale production of uniform gas bubbles via parallelization of flow-focusing generators. LAB ON A CHIP 2017; 17:2667-2673. [PMID: 28702573 PMCID: PMC5636638 DOI: 10.1039/c7lc00295e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Microscale gas bubbles have demonstrated enormous utility as versatile templates for the synthesis of functional materials in medicine, ultra-lightweight materials and acoustic metamaterials. In many of these applications, high uniformity of the size of the gas bubbles is critical to achieve the desired properties and functionality. While microfluidics have been used with success to create gas bubbles that have a uniformity not achievable using conventional methods, the inherently low volumetric flow rate of microfluidics has limited its use in most applications. Parallelization of liquid droplet generators, in which many droplet generators are incorporated onto a single chip, has shown great promise for the large scale production of monodisperse liquid emulsion droplets. However, the scale-up of monodisperse gas bubbles using such an approach has remained a challenge because of possible coupling between parallel bubbles generators and feedback effects from the downstream channels. In this report, we systematically investigate the effect of factors such as viscosity of the continuous phase, capillary number, and gas pressure as well as the channel uniformity on the size distribution of gas bubbles in a parallelized microfluidic device. We show that, by optimizing the flow conditions, a device with 400 parallel flow focusing generators on a footprint of 5 × 5 cm2 can be used to generate gas bubbles with a coefficient of variation of less than 5% at a production rate of approximately 1 L h-1. Our results suggest that the optimization of flow conditions using a device with a small number (e.g., 8) of parallel FFGs can facilitate large-scale bubble production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heon-Ho Jeong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
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26
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Xu
- Institute of Nuclear and
New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced
Nuclear Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tingliang Xie
- Institute of Nuclear and
New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced
Nuclear Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
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27
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Yelleswarapu VR, Jeong HH, Yadavali S, Issadore D. Ultra-high throughput detection (1 million droplets per second) of fluorescent droplets using a cell phone camera and time domain encoded optofluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2017; 17:1083-1094. [PMID: 28225099 DOI: 10.1039/c6lc01489e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Droplet-based assays-in which ultra-sensitive molecular measurements are made by performing millions of parallel experiments in picoliter droplets-have generated enormous enthusiasm due to their single molecule resolution and robustness to reaction conditions. These assays have great untapped potential for point of care diagnostics but are currently confined to laboratory settings due to the instrumentation necessary to serially generate, control, and measure tens of millions of droplets. To address this challenge, we have developed the microdroplet megascale detector (μMD) that can generate and detect the fluorescence of millions of droplets per second (1000× faster than conventional approaches) using only a conventional cell phone camera. The key innovation of our approach is borrowed from the telecommunications industry, wherein we modulate the excitation light with a pseudorandom sequence that enables individual droplets to be resolved that would otherwise overlap due to the limited frame rate of digital cameras. Using this approach, the μMD measures droplets at a rate of 106 droplets per sec (ϕ = 166 mL h-1) in 120 parallel microfluidic channels and achieves a limit of detection LOD = 1 μM Rhodamine dye, sufficient for typical droplet based assays. We incorporate this new droplet detection technology with our previously reported parallelized droplet production strategy, incorporating 200 parallel droplet makers and only one set of continuous and droplet phase inputs and one output line. By miniaturizing and integrating droplet based diagnostics into a handheld format, the μMD platform can translate ultra-sensitive droplet based assays into a self-contained platform for practical use in clinical and industrial settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkata R Yelleswarapu
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
| | - Heon-Ho Jeong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sagar Yadavali
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
| | - David Issadore
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. and Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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29
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Nisisako T. Recent advances in microfluidic production of Janus droplets and particles. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2016.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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30
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Li M, Li D. Fabrication and electrokinetic motion of electrically anisotropic Janus droplets in microchannels. Electrophoresis 2016; 38:287-295. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201600310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Li
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering; University of Waterloo; Waterloo Canada
| | - Dongqing Li
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering; University of Waterloo; Waterloo Canada
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31
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Jeong HH, Issadore D, Lee D. Recent developments in scale-up of microfluidic emulsion generation via parallelization. KOREAN J CHEM ENG 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11814-016-0041-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Jeong HH, Yelleswarapu VR, Yadavali S, Issadore D, Lee D. Kilo-scale droplet generation in three-dimensional monolithic elastomer device (3D MED). LAB ON A CHIP 2015; 15:4387-92. [PMID: 26428950 DOI: 10.1039/c5lc01025j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Droplet-based microfluidics has led to transformational new approaches in diverse areas including materials synthesis and high-throughput biological assays. However, the translation of droplet microfluidics technology into commercial applications requires scale-up of droplet generation from the laboratory (<10 mL h(-1)) to the industrial (>1 L h(-1)) scale. To address this challenge, we develop a three-dimensional monolithic elastomer device (3D MED) for mass production of monodisperse emulsion droplets. Using double-sided imprinting, 3D microchannels are formed in a single elastomer piece that has 1000 parallel flow focusing generators (k-FFGs). Compared to previous work that parallelizes droplet generation, the 3D MED eliminates the needs for alignment and bonding of multiple pieces and thus makes it possible to achieve the high flow rates and pressure necessary for the kilo-scale generation of droplets. Using this approach, we demonstrate mass production of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion droplets at production rates as high as 1.5 L h(-1) (>30 billion 45 μm diameter droplets per hour), with a coefficient of variation of droplet diameter of only 6.6%. Because of the simplicity, robustness, and manufacturability of our 3D MED architecture, it is well suited to bridge the gap between the continuously growing library of promising microfluidic technologies to generate microparticles that have been demonstrated in laboratory settings and their successful application in industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heon-Ho Jeong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
| | - Venkata R Yelleswarapu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
| | - Sagar Yadavali
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
| | - David Issadore
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. and Electrical and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Daeyeon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
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Femmer T, Jans A, Eswein R, Anwar N, Moeller M, Wessling M, Kuehne AJC. High-Throughput Generation of Emulsions and Microgels in Parallelized Microfluidic Drop-Makers Prepared by Rapid Prototyping. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2015; 7:12635-8. [PMID: 26040198 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b03969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
We describe the preparation of rapid prototyped parallelized microfluidic drop-maker devices. The manufacturing technique facilitates stacking of the drop-makers vertically on top of each other allowing for a reduced footprint and minimized dead-volume through efficient design of the distribution channels. We showcase the potential of the additive manufacturing technique for microfluidics and the performance of the parallelized device by producing large amounts of microgels with a diameter of ca. 500 μm, a size that is inaccessible using traditional synthetic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Femmer
- †DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- ‡Chemical Process Engineering AVT.CVT, RWTH Aachen University, Turmstrasse 46, 52064 Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexander Jans
- †DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Rudi Eswein
- †DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Naveed Anwar
- †DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Martin Moeller
- †DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Matthias Wessling
- †DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- ‡Chemical Process Engineering AVT.CVT, RWTH Aachen University, Turmstrasse 46, 52064 Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexander J C Kuehne
- †DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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A Non-Photolithography Fabrication for a Microfluidic Chip Based on PMMA Polymer. MACHINES 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/machines3020107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Tanaka H, Yamamoto S, Nakamura A, Nakashoji Y, Okura N, Nakamoto N, Tsukagoshi K, Hashimoto M. Hands-Off Preparation of Monodisperse Emulsion Droplets Using a Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Microfluidic Chip for Droplet Digital PCR. Anal Chem 2015; 87:4134-43. [DOI: 10.1021/ac503169h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hironari Tanaka
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Yamamoto
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Arichika Nakamura
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Yuta Nakashoji
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Naoaki Okura
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Norimitsu Nakamoto
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Tsukagoshi
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
| | - Masahiko Hashimoto
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
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36
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Cosson S, Aeberli LG, Brandenberg N, Lutolf MP. Ultra-rapid prototyping of flexible, multi-layered microfluidic devices via razor writing. LAB ON A CHIP 2015; 15:72-6. [PMID: 25373917 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00848k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The fabrication of microfluidic devices is often still a time-consuming and costly process. Here we introduce a very simple and cheap microfabrication process based on "razor writing", also termed xurography, for the ultra-rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices. Thin poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membranes are spin-coated on flexible plastic foil and cut into user-defined shapes with a bench-top cutter plotter. The PDMS membranes can then be assembled into desirable microdevices via plasma bonding. The plastic foil allows manipulation of exceptionally thin (30-300 μm) PDMS layers and can be readily peeled after fabrication. This versatile technique can be used to produce a wide variety of microfluidic device prototypes within just a few hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Cosson
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, EPFL, Station 15, Bldg. AI 1106, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Muluneh M, Kim B, Buchsbaum G, Issadore D. Miniaturized, multiplexed readout of droplet-based microfluidic assays using time-domain modulation. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:4638-46. [PMID: 25311204 PMCID: PMC4418803 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00819g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in microfluidics to generate and control picoliter emulsions of water in oil have enabled ultra-sensitive assays for small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and cells. Unfortunately, the conventional fluorescence detection used to measure the outcome of these droplet-based assays has not proven suited to match the time and space multiplexing capabilities of microfluidic systems. To address this challenge, we developed an in-flow fluorescence detection platform that enables multiple streams of droplets to be monitored using only a single photodetector and no lenses. The key innovation of our technology is the amplitude modulation of the signal from fluorescent droplets using distinct micro-patterned masks for each channel. By taking advantage of the high bandwidth of electronics, our technique enables the velocity-independent recovery of weak fluorescent signals (SNR ≪ 1) using only simple hardware, obviating the need for lasers, bulky detectors, and complex fluid control. We demonstrated a handheld-sized device that simultaneously monitors four independent channels with the capability to be scaled-up to more than sixteen, limited primarily by the droplet density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melaku Muluneh
- Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Bawul Kim
- Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Gershon Buchsbaum
- Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David Issadore
- Bioengineering and Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Muluneh M, Issadore D. A multi-scale PDMS fabrication strategy to bridge the size mismatch between integrated circuits and microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:4552-8. [PMID: 25284502 PMCID: PMC4418800 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00869c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
In recent years there has been great progress harnessing the small-feature size and programmability of integrated circuits (ICs) for biological applications, by building microfluidics directly on top of ICs. However, a major hurdle to the further development of this technology is the inherent size-mismatch between ICs (~mm) and microfluidic chips (~cm). Increasing the area of the ICs to match the size of the microfluidic chip, as has often been done in previous studies, leads to a waste of valuable space on the IC and an increase in fabrication cost (>100×). To address this challenge, we have developed a three dimensional PDMS chip that can straddle multiple length scales of hybrid IC/microfluidic chips. This approach allows millimeter-scale ICs, with no post-processing, to be integrated into a centimeter-sized PDMS chip. To fabricate this PDMS chip we use a combination of soft-lithography and laser micromachining. Soft lithography was used to define micrometer-scale fluid channels directly on the surface of the IC, allowing fluid to be controlled with high accuracy and brought into close proximity to sensors for highly sensitive measurements. Laser micromachining was used to create ~50 μm vias to connect these molded PDMS channels to a larger PDMS chip, which can connect multiple ICs and house fluid connections to the outside world. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we built and demonstrated an in-flow magnetic cytometer that consisted of a 5 × 5 cm(2) microfluidic chip that incorporated a commercial 565 × 1145 μm(2) IC with a GMR sensing circuit. We additionally demonstrated the modularity of this approach by building a chip that incorporated two of these GMR chips connected in series.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melaku Muluneh
- Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David Issadore
- Bioengineering and Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Conchouso D, Castro D, Khan SA, Foulds IG. Three-dimensional parallelization of microfluidic droplet generators for a litre per hour volume production of single emulsions. LAB ON A CHIP 2014; 14:3011-20. [PMID: 24947654 DOI: 10.1039/c4lc00379a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
This paper looks at the design, fabrication and characterization of stackable microfluidic emulsion generators, with coefficients of variation as low as ~6% and with production rates as high as ~1 L h(-1). This work reports the highest throughput reported in the literature for a microfluidic device with simultaneous operation of liquid-liquid droplet generators. The device was achieved by stacking several layers of 128 flow-focusing droplet generators, organized in a circular array. These layers are interconnected via through-holes and fed with designated fractal distribution networks. The proposed layers were milled on poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) sheets and the stack was thermo-compression bonded to create a three-dimensional device with a high density of generators and an integrated hydraulic manifold. The effect of stacking multiple layers was studied and the results show that fabrication accuracy has a greater impact on the dispersity of the emulsion than the addition of more layers to the stack. Particle crystallization of drugs was also demonstrated as a possible application of this technology in industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Conchouso
- Electromechanical Microsystems and Polymer Integration Research Laboratory (EMPIRe Lab) at the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, 4700 KAUST, 23955 Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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