Life Science
Interface (LSI) Group
Dr. Paul Galvin
www.tyndall.ie/lsi/
Introduction:
Microfluidics
is a relatively new area of analytical science that
involves the controlled routing of small volumes of
solutions through miniature capillary networks.
These networks can be produced in a variety of
materials such as glass, plastic and ceramics and
typically have dimensions smaller than that of a human
hair. Optical,
chemical and thermal sensors can be aligned with the
microcapillary networks to allow analysis of fluids such
as blood, urine or water.
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Microfluidic
technologies can be used to develop smaller, faster and
cheaper analysis systems with a wide range of
application areas. Due
to the small size of the fluidic networks, many channels
can be incorporated onto a single microchip allowing
high throughput parallel processing of multiple samples.
The smaller dimensions facilitate faster analysis of
samples and the ability to mass-fabricate microfluidic
networks in low cost polymer substrates also allows the
production of disposable devices.
The surfaces of the microfluidic channels can
also be chemically modified to influence the fluid flow
through the microchannel network as needed. |
Facilities:
Various fabrication substrates can be used for the production of microfluidic networks. These include flexible polymers such as Poly(dimethylsiloxane) [PDMS] and Polyimide. Standard photolithography techniques can be used to pattern photo-definable polymers such as SU8 and other chemical resists for the production of fluidic channels. Hot embossing and injection moulding is used to create microstructures in poly(methylmethacrylate) [PMMA]. Fluidic networks and microwell structures can also be produced in silicon and glass using wet and dry etching techniques. Glass-glass and glass-silicon bonding can then be performed to seal device microfluidic layers together to form a device. Heterogenous integration of sensing elements can be achieved in Tyndall's packaging facility using flip-chip and surface mount techniques.
Tyndall
also has expertise in the control of fluid movement around the
microchannel networks. This
includes the use of pressure and electrokinetic driven flows
along with the use of proprietary pumping and valving
mechanisms developed within the LSI group.
Applications:
Some
examples of the applications of microfluidic technologies
which have been developed within the Life Science Interface
Group at Tyndall National Institute.
