Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological Applications
The ability to control and manipulate biological fluids within microchannels is a fundamental challenge in biological diagnosis and pharmaceutical analyses, particularly when buffers with very high ionic strength are used. In this study, we investigate the numerical and experimental study of fluidic...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Reza Hadjiaghaie Vafaie Ali Fardi-Ilkhchy Sobhan Sheykhivand Sebelan Danishvar |
| author_facet | Reza Hadjiaghaie Vafaie Ali Fardi-Ilkhchy Sobhan Sheykhivand Sebelan Danishvar |
| author_sort | Reza Hadjiaghaie Vafaie |
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| description | The ability to control and manipulate biological fluids within microchannels is a fundamental challenge in biological diagnosis and pharmaceutical analyses, particularly when buffers with very high ionic strength are used. In this study, we investigate the numerical and experimental study of fluidic biochips driven by ac electrothermal flow for controlling and manipulating biological samples inside a microchannel, e.g., for fluid-driven and manipulation purposes such as concentrating and mixing. By appropriately switching the voltage on the electrode structures and inducing AC electrothermal forces within the channel, a fluidic network with pumping and manipulation capabilities can be achieved, enabling the control of fluid velocity/direction and also fluid rotation. By using finite element analysis, coupled physics of electrical, thermal, fluidic fields, and molecular diffusion transport were solved. AC electrothermal flow was studied for pumping and mixing applications, and the optimal model was extracted. The microfluidic chip was fabricated using two processes: electrode structure development on the chip and silicon mold fabrication in a cleanroom. PDMS was prepared as the microchannel material and bonded to the electrode structure. After implementing the chip holder and excitation circuit, a biological buffer with varying ionic strengths (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 [S/m]) was prepared, mixed with fluorescent particles, and loaded into the microfluidic chip. Experimental results demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed chip for biological applications, showing that stronger flows were generated with increasing fluid conductivity and excitation voltage. The system behavior was characterized using an impedance analyzer. Frequency response analysis revealed that for a solution with an electrical conductivity of 0.6 [S/m], the fluid velocity remained almost constant within a frequency range of 100 kHz to 10 MHz. Overall, the experimental results showed good agreement with the simulation outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f187af348d3142dfb820fbed88409cae |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2313-7673 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Biomimetics |
| spelling | doaj-art-f187af348d3142dfb820fbed88409cae2025-01-24T13:24:45ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732025-01-011015610.3390/biomimetics10010056Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological ApplicationsReza Hadjiaghaie Vafaie0Ali Fardi-Ilkhchy1Sobhan Sheykhivand2Sebelan Danishvar3Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab 5551761167, IranDepartment of Material Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab 5551761167, IranDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab 5551761167, IranCollege of Engineering, Design, and Physical Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UKThe ability to control and manipulate biological fluids within microchannels is a fundamental challenge in biological diagnosis and pharmaceutical analyses, particularly when buffers with very high ionic strength are used. In this study, we investigate the numerical and experimental study of fluidic biochips driven by ac electrothermal flow for controlling and manipulating biological samples inside a microchannel, e.g., for fluid-driven and manipulation purposes such as concentrating and mixing. By appropriately switching the voltage on the electrode structures and inducing AC electrothermal forces within the channel, a fluidic network with pumping and manipulation capabilities can be achieved, enabling the control of fluid velocity/direction and also fluid rotation. By using finite element analysis, coupled physics of electrical, thermal, fluidic fields, and molecular diffusion transport were solved. AC electrothermal flow was studied for pumping and mixing applications, and the optimal model was extracted. The microfluidic chip was fabricated using two processes: electrode structure development on the chip and silicon mold fabrication in a cleanroom. PDMS was prepared as the microchannel material and bonded to the electrode structure. After implementing the chip holder and excitation circuit, a biological buffer with varying ionic strengths (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 [S/m]) was prepared, mixed with fluorescent particles, and loaded into the microfluidic chip. Experimental results demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed chip for biological applications, showing that stronger flows were generated with increasing fluid conductivity and excitation voltage. The system behavior was characterized using an impedance analyzer. Frequency response analysis revealed that for a solution with an electrical conductivity of 0.6 [S/m], the fluid velocity remained almost constant within a frequency range of 100 kHz to 10 MHz. Overall, the experimental results showed good agreement with the simulation outcomes.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/1/56microfluidic chipMEMSbiological solutionelectrokineticsmicromanipulationconcentrator |
| spellingShingle | Reza Hadjiaghaie Vafaie Ali Fardi-Ilkhchy Sobhan Sheykhivand Sebelan Danishvar Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological Applications Biomimetics microfluidic chip MEMS biological solution electrokinetics micromanipulation concentrator |
| title | Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological Applications |
| title_full | Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological Applications |
| title_fullStr | Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological Applications |
| title_short | Theoretical and Experimental Study of an Electrokinetic Micromanipulator for Biological Applications |
| title_sort | theoretical and experimental study of an electrokinetic micromanipulator for biological applications |
| topic | microfluidic chip MEMS biological solution electrokinetics micromanipulation concentrator |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/1/56 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rezahadjiaghaievafaie theoreticalandexperimentalstudyofanelectrokineticmicromanipulatorforbiologicalapplications AT alifardiilkhchy theoreticalandexperimentalstudyofanelectrokineticmicromanipulatorforbiologicalapplications AT sobhansheykhivand theoreticalandexperimentalstudyofanelectrokineticmicromanipulatorforbiologicalapplications AT sebelandanishvar theoreticalandexperimentalstudyofanelectrokineticmicromanipulatorforbiologicalapplications |