TY - JOUR
T1 - Transitioning streaming to trapping in DC insulator-based dielectrophoresis for biomolecules
AU - Camacho-Alanis, Fernanda
AU - Gan, Lin
AU - Ros, Alexandra
N1 - Funding Information:
The financial support by grants from the National Center for Research Resources ( 5R21RR025826-03 ) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences ( 8R21GM103522-03 ) from the National Institutes of Health is gratefully acknowledged. The authors also thank the LeRoyEyring Center for Solid State Science at ASU for allowing us to use the focused ion beam facilities and Grant Baumgardner for his technical support on the FIBM.
PY - 2012/10
Y1 - 2012/10
N2 - Exploiting dielectrophoresis (DEP) to concentrate and separate biomolecules has recently shown large potential as a microscale bioanalytical tool. Such efforts however require tailored devices and knowledge of all interplaying transport mechanisms competing with dielectrophoresis (DEP). Specifically, a strong DEP contribution to the overall transport mechanism is necessary to exploit DEP of biomolecules for analytical applications such as separation and fractionation. Here, we present improved microfluidic devices combining optical lithography and focused ion beam milling (FIBM) for the manipulation of DNA and proteins using insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) and direct current (DC) electric fields. Experiments were performed on an elastomer platform forming the iDEP microfluidic device with integrated nanoposts and nanopost arrays. Microscale and nanoscale iDEP was studied for λ-DNA (48.5 kbp) and the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). Numerical simulations were adapted to the various tested geometries revealing excellent qualitative agreement with experimental observations for streaming and trapping DEP. Both the experimental and simulation results indicate that DC iDEP trapping for λ-DNA occurs with tailored nanoposts fabricated via FIBM. Moreover, streaming iDEP concentration of BSA is improved with integrated nanopost arrays by a factor of 45 compared to microfabricated arrays.
AB - Exploiting dielectrophoresis (DEP) to concentrate and separate biomolecules has recently shown large potential as a microscale bioanalytical tool. Such efforts however require tailored devices and knowledge of all interplaying transport mechanisms competing with dielectrophoresis (DEP). Specifically, a strong DEP contribution to the overall transport mechanism is necessary to exploit DEP of biomolecules for analytical applications such as separation and fractionation. Here, we present improved microfluidic devices combining optical lithography and focused ion beam milling (FIBM) for the manipulation of DNA and proteins using insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) and direct current (DC) electric fields. Experiments were performed on an elastomer platform forming the iDEP microfluidic device with integrated nanoposts and nanopost arrays. Microscale and nanoscale iDEP was studied for λ-DNA (48.5 kbp) and the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). Numerical simulations were adapted to the various tested geometries revealing excellent qualitative agreement with experimental observations for streaming and trapping DEP. Both the experimental and simulation results indicate that DC iDEP trapping for λ-DNA occurs with tailored nanoposts fabricated via FIBM. Moreover, streaming iDEP concentration of BSA is improved with integrated nanopost arrays by a factor of 45 compared to microfabricated arrays.
KW - DNA
KW - Dielectrophoresis
KW - Numerical simulation
KW - Protein
KW - Trapping condition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84867036954&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84867036954&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.snb.2012.07.080
DO - 10.1016/j.snb.2012.07.080
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84867036954
SN - 0925-4005
VL - 173
SP - 668
EP - 675
JO - Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical
JF - Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical
ER -