All-optical microfluidic chips for reconfigurable dielectrophoretic trapping through SLM light induced patterning

Year: 2012

Authors: Miccio L., Memmolo P., Grilli S., Ferraro P.

Autors Affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Ottica del CNR (CNR-INO), U.O.S. di Napoli, Via Campi Flegrei, 34 – 80078, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy; Center for Advanced Biomaterials for Health Care@CRIB, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy

Abstract: We explore a novel approach for fabricating polymeric microfluidic-channelled dielectrophoretic (DEP) chips by direct laser projection through a holographic Spatial-Light-Modulator (SLM) onto photorefractive crystal substrates. As the first step, an all-optical mould-free approach was used to fabricate the PDMS microfluidic channel, by exploiting the light induced space charge field in Fe-doped lithium niobate crystals, with the aim of integrating a microfluidic channel directly onto the functionalized substrate. Subsequently, as the second step, geometrical flexible DEP traps can be created onto the substrate by the same SLM holographic projection system. The experimental verification shows the trapping of flowing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the formation of chaining effects with graphite nanofibers. The main feature of the SLM is the ability to display an arbitrary light intensity pattern that is used here for fabricating the channels. Moreover, the reconfigurable trapping of CNTs is possible simply by the optical writing/erasing of various light intensity patterns projected by the SLM.

Journal/Review: LAB ON A CHIP

Volume: 12 (21)      Pages from: 4449  to: 4454

KeyWords: Microfluidics; Dielectrophoresis; Lithium Niobate properties
DOI: 10.1039/c2lc40789b

Citations: 39
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