1
|
Mendes R, Fanzio P, Campo-Deaño L, Galindo-Rosales FJ. Microfluidics as a Platform for the Analysis of 3D Printing Problems. Materials (Basel) 2019; 12:ma12172839. [PMID: 31484404 PMCID: PMC6748073 DOI: 10.3390/ma12172839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fused Filament Fabrication is an extrusion deposition technique in which a thermoplastic filament is melted, pushed through a nozzle and deposited to build, layer-by-layer, custom 3D geometries. Despite being one of the most widely used techniques in 3D printing, there are still some challenges to be addressed. One of them is the accurate control of the extrusion flow. It has been shown that this is affected by a reflux upstream the nozzle. Numerical models have been proposed for the explanation of this back-flow. However, it is not possible to have optical access to the melting chamber in order to confirm the actual behavior of this annular meniscus. Thus, microfluidics seems to be an excellent platform to tackle this fluid flow problem. In this work, a microfluidic device mimicking the 3D printing nozzle was developed, to study the complex fluid-flow behavior inside it. The principal aim was to investigate the presence of the mentioned back-flow upstream the nozzle contraction. As the microfluidic chip was fabricated by means of soft-lithography, the use of polymer melts was restricted due to technical issues. Thus, the working fluids consisted of two aqueous polymer solutions that allowed replicating the printing flow conditions in terms of Elasticity number and to develop a De–Re flow map. The results demonstrate that the presence of upstream vortices, due to the elasticity of the fluid, is responsible for the back-flow problem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Mendes
- CEFT, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Paola Fanzio
- Ultimaker B.V. Watermolenweg 2, 4191 PN Geldermalsen, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Campo-Deaño
- CEFT, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Francisco J Galindo-Rosales
- CEFT, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
- Instituto de Ciência e Inovação em Engenharia Mecânica e Engenharia Industrial, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 400, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
van Dommelen R, Fanzio P, Sasso L. Surface self-assembly of colloidal crystals for micro- and nano-patterning. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2018; 251:97-114. [PMID: 29174673 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The controlled patterning of polymeric surfaces at the micro- and nanoscale offers potential in the technological development of small-scale devices, particularly within the fields of photovoltaics, micro-optics and lab- and organ-on-chip, where the topological arrangement of the surface can influence a system's power generation, optical properties or biological function - such as, in the latter case, biomimicking surfaces or topological control of cellular differentiation. One of the most promising approaches in reducing manufacturing costs and complexity is by exploitation of the self-assembling properties of colloidal particles. Self-assembly techniques can be used to produce colloidal crystals onto surfaces, which can act as replicative masks, as has previously been demonstrated with colloidal lithography, or templates in mold-replication methods with resolutions dependent on particle size. Within this context, a particular emerging interest is focused on the use of self-assembled colloidal crystal surfaces in polymer replication methods such as soft lithography, hot and soft embossing and nano-imprint lithography, offering low-cost and high-resolution alternatives to conventional lithographic techniques. However, there are still challenges to overcome for this surface patterning approach to reach a manufacturing reliability and process robustness comparable to competitive technologies already available in the market, as self-assembly processes are not always 100% effective in organizing colloids within a structural pattern onto the surface. Defects often occur during template fabrication. Furthermore, issues often arise mainly at the interface between colloidal crystals and other surfaces and substrates. Particularly when utilized in high-temperature pattern replication processes, poor adhesion of colloidal particles onto the substrate results in degradation of the patterning template. These effects can render difficulties in creating stable structures with little defect that are well controlled such that a large variety of shapes can be reproduced reliably. This review presents an overview of available self-assembly methods for the creation of colloidal crystals, organized by the type of forces governing the self-assembly process: fluidic, physical, external fields, and chemical. The main focus lies on the use of spherical particles, which are favorable due to their high commercial availability and ease of synthesis. However, also shape-anisotropic particle self-assembly will be introduced, since it has recently been gaining research momentum, offering a greater flexibility in terms of patterning. Finally, an overview is provided of recent research on the fabrication of polymer nano- and microstructures by making use of colloidal self-assembled templates.
Collapse
|
3
|
Angeli E, Volpe A, Fanzio P, Repetto L, Firpo G, Guida P, Savio RL, Wanunu M, Valbusa U. Simultaneous Electro-Optical Tracking for Nanoparticle Recognition and Counting. Nano Lett 2015; 15:5696-5701. [PMID: 26225640 PMCID: PMC5146980 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b01243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
We present the first detailed experimental observation and analysis of nanoparticle electrophoresis through a nanochannel obtained with synchronous high-bandwidth electrical and camera recordings. Optically determined particle diffusion coefficients agree with values extracted from fitting electrical transport measurements to distributions from 1D Fokker-Planck diffusion-drift theory. This combined tracking strategy enables optical recognition and electrical characterization of nanoparticles in solution, which can have a broad range of applications in biology and materials science.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Angeli
- Nanomed Laboratories, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, 16146 Genova, Italy
- Corresponding Authors. ,
| | - Andrea Volpe
- Nanomed Laboratories, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Paola Fanzio
- Nanomed Laboratories, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Luca Repetto
- Nanomed Laboratories, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Firpo
- Nanomed Laboratories, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Patrizia Guida
- Nanomed Laboratories, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Roberto Lo Savio
- Nanomed Laboratories, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Meni Wanunu
- Department of Physics and Chemistry/Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston 02115, Massachusetts, United States
- Corresponding Authors. ,
| | - Ugo Valbusa
- Nanomed Laboratories, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, 16146 Genova, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Manneschi C, Fanzio P, Ala-Nissila T, Angeli E, Repetto L, Firpo G, Valbusa U. Stretching of DNA confined in nanochannels with charged walls. Biomicrofluidics 2014; 8:064121. [PMID: 25553196 PMCID: PMC4265123 DOI: 10.1063/1.4904008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/01/2014] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
There is currently a growing interest in control of stretching of DNA inside nanoconfined regions due to the possibility to analyze and manipulate single biomolecules for applications such as DNA mapping and barcoding, which are based on stretching the DNA in a linear fashion. In the present work, we couple Finite Element Methods and Monte Carlo simulations in order to study the conformation of DNA molecules confined in nanofluidic channels with neutral and charged walls. We find that the electrostatic forces become more and more important when lowering the ionic strength of the solution. The influence of the nanochannel cross section geometry is also studied by evaluating the DNA elongation in square, rectangular, and triangular channels. We demonstrate that coupling electrostatically interacting walls with a triangular geometry is an efficient way to stretch DNA molecules at the scale of hundreds of nanometers. The paper reports experimental observations of λ-DNA molecules in poly(dimethylsiloxane) nanochannels filled with solutions of different ionic strength. The results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions, confirming the crucial role of the electrostatic repulsion of the constraining walls on the molecule stretching.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paola Fanzio
- Nanomed Labs, Department of Physics, University of Genova , via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Tapio Ala-Nissila
- Department of Applied Physics and COMP Center of Excellence, Aalto University School of Science , P.O. Box 11100, FIN-00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland and Department of Physics, Brown University , Providence, Rhode Island 02912-1843, USA
| | - Elena Angeli
- Nanomed Labs, Department of Physics, University of Genova , via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Luca Repetto
- Nanomed Labs, Department of Physics, University of Genova , via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Firpo
- Nanomed Labs, Department of Physics, University of Genova , via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Ugo Valbusa
- Nanomed Labs, Department of Physics, University of Genova , via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Fanzio P, Mussi V, Menotta M, Firpo G, Repetto L, Guida P, Angeli E, Magnani M, Valbusa U. Selective protein detection with a dsLNA-functionalized nanopore. Biosens Bioelectron 2014; 64:219-26. [PMID: 25218776 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2014.08.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2014] [Revised: 08/10/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In the last years, nanopore technology has been increasingly exploited for biomolecule detection and analysis. Recently, the main focus of the research has moved from the study of nucleic acids to the analysis of proteins and DNA-protein complexes. In this paper, chemically functionalized solid-state nanopore has been used to recognize Nuclear Factor-kappa B proteins (NF-κB), that are involved in several disorders and inflammation processes, so that their identification is of crucial importance for prognostic applications. In particular, we show that it is possible to electrically detect the specific interaction between p50, a protein belonging to the NF-κB family, and dsLNA probe molecules covalently attached to the surface of a FIB fabricated SiN pore. The obtained results have been compared with those related to BSA protein, which does not interact with the used probes. Finally, the potential of the device has been further tested by analyzing a whole cell extract. In this case, three principal peaks in the distribution of electrical event duration can be identified, corresponding to different interacting NF-κB complexes, so that the methodology appears to be effective also to study biological samples of considerable complexity. Ultimately, the presented data emphasize the selectivity and versatility of the functionalized nanopore device, demonstrating its applicability in bioanalytics and advanced diagnostics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Fanzio
- Department of Physics, University of Genoa, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Valentina Mussi
- National Research Council, Institute for Complex Systems ISC-CNR, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Michele Menotta
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino 'Carlo Bo', Via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino, PU, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Firpo
- Department of Physics, University of Genoa, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Luca Repetto
- Department of Physics, University of Genoa, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Patrizia Guida
- Department of Physics, University of Genoa, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Elena Angeli
- Department of Physics, University of Genoa, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| | - Mauro Magnani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino 'Carlo Bo', Via Saffi 2, 61029 Urbino, PU, Italy
| | - Ugo Valbusa
- Department of Physics, University of Genoa, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mussi V, Fanzio P, Firpo G, Repetto L, Valbusa U. Size and functional tuning of solid state nanopores by chemical functionalization. Nanotechnology 2012; 23:435301. [PMID: 23060606 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/23/43/435301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate the possibility of using a simple functionalization procedure, based on an initial vapour-phase silanization, to control the size and functionality of solid state nanopores. The presented results show that, by varying the silanization time, it is possible to modify the efficiency of probe molecule attachment, thus shrinking the pore to the chosen size, while introducing a specific sensing selectivity. The proposed method allows us to tune the nanopore biosensor adapting it to the specific final application, and it can be efficiently applied when the pore initial diameter does not exceed a limit dimension related to the mean free path of the silane molecules at the working pressure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Mussi
- Nanomed Labs, Physics Department, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso, 33 Genova, I-16146, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
We present the development and the electrical characterization of a polymeric nanochannel device. Standard microfabrication coupled to Focused Ion Beam (FIB) nanofabrication is used to fabricate a silicon master, which can be then replicated in a polymeric material by soft lithography. Such an elastomeric nanochannel device is used to study DNA translocation events during electrophoresis experiments. Our results demonstrate that an easy and low cost fabrication technique allows creation of a low noise device for single molecule analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Fanzio
- Nanomed Labs, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mussi V, Fanzio P, Repetto L, Firpo G, Stigliani S, Tonini GP, Valbusa U. "DNA-Dressed NAnopore" for complementary sequence detection. Biosens Bioelectron 2011; 29:125-31. [PMID: 21868212 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2011.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2011] [Revised: 07/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Single molecule electrical sensing with nanopores is a rapidly developing field with potential revolutionary effects on bioanalytics and diagnostics. The recent success of this technology is in the simplicity of its working principle, which exploits the conductance modulations induced by the electrophoretic translocation of molecules through a nanometric channel. Initially proposed as fast and powerful tools for molecular stochastic sensing, nanopores find now application in a range of different domains, thanks to the possibility of finely tuning their surface properties, thus introducing artificial binding and recognition sites. Here we show the results of DNA translocation and hybridization experiments at the single molecule level by a novel class of selective biosensor devices that we call "DNA-Dressed NAnopore" (DNA(2)), based on solid state nanopore with large initial dimensions, resized and activated by functionalization with DNA molecules. The presented data demonstrate the ability of the DNA(2) to selectively detect complementary target sequences, that is to distinguish between molecules depending on their affinity to the functionalization. The DNA(2) can thus constitute the basis for the design of integrable parallel devices for mutation DNA analysis, diagnostics and bioanalytic investigations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Mussi
- Nanomed Labs, Physics Department, University of Genova, and Nanobiotechnologies, National Institute for Cancer Research (IST), Largo R. Benzi, 10, Genova 16132, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Mussi V, Fanzio P, Repetto L, Firpo G, Scaruffi P, Stigliani S, Menotta M, Magnani M, Tonini GP, Valbusa U. Electrical characterization of DNA-functionalized solid state nanopores for bio-sensing. J Phys Condens Matter 2010; 22:454104. [PMID: 21339592 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/22/45/454104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We present data concerning the electrical properties of a class of biosensor devices based on bio-functionalized solid state nanopores able to detect different kinds of interactions between probe molecules, chemically attached to the pore surface, and target molecules present in solution and electrophoretically drawn through the nanometric channel. The great potentiality of this approach resides in the fact that the functionalization of a quite large pore (up to 50-60 nm) allows a sufficient diameter reduction for the attainment of a single molecule sensing dimension and selective activation, without the need for further material deposition, such as metal or oxides, or localized surface modification. The results indicate that it will be possible, in the near future, to conceive and design devices for parallel analysis of biological samples made of arrays of nanopores differently functionalized, fabricated by standard lithographic techniques, with important applications in the field of molecular diagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Mussi
- Nanomed Labs, Physics Department, University of Genova, and Nanobiotechnologies, National Institute of Cancer Research (IST), Largo R Benzi, 10 Genova, 16132, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mussi V, Fanzio P, Repetto L, Firpo G, Scaruffi P, Stigliani S, Tonini GP, Valbusa U. DNA-functionalized solid state nanopore for biosensing. Nanotechnology 2010; 21:145102. [PMID: 20220223 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/21/14/145102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The possible use of nanopores for single DNA molecules biosensing has been demonstrated, but much remains to do in order to develop advanced engineered devices with enhanced stability, and controlled geometry and surface properties. Here we present morphological and electrical characterization of solid state silicon nitride nanopores fabricated by focused ion beam direct milling and chemically functionalized by probe oligonucleotides, with the final aim of developing a versatile tool for biosensing and gene expression profiling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Mussi
- Nanomed Labs, Physics Department, University of Genova, Advanced Biotechnology Center, Largo R. Benzi, Genova, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|