Abstract
We present an on-chip microfluidic sample concentrator and detection triggering system for microparticles based on a combination of insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) and electrical impedance measurement. This platform operates by first using iDEP to selectively concentrate microparticles of interest based on their electrical and physiological characteristics in a primary fluidic channel; the concentrated microparticles are then directed into a side channel configured for particle detection using electrical impedance measurements with embedded electrodes. This is the first study showing iDEP concentration with subsequent sample diversion down an analysis channel and is the first to demonstrate iDEP in the presence of pressure driven flow. Experimental results demonstrating the capabilities of this platform were obtained using polystyrene microspheres and Bacillus subtilis spores. The feasibility of selective iDEP trapping and impedance detection of these particles was demonstrated. The system is intended for use as a front-end unit that can be easily paired with multiple biodetection/bioidentification systems. This platform is envisioned to act as a decision-making component to determine if confirmatory downstream identification assays are required. Without a front end component that triggers downstream analysis only when necessary, bio-identification systems (based on current analytical technologies such as PCR and immunoassays) may incur prohibitively high costs to operate due to continuous consumption of expensive reagents.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D.R. Albrecht, R.L. Sah, S.N. Bhatia, Biophys. J. 87, 2131 (2004)
F. Aldaeus et al., Electrophoresis 26, 4252 (2005)
D.W.E. Allsopp et al., J. Phys. D Appl. Phys. 32, 1066 (1999)
L.M. Barrett et al., Anal. Chem. 77, 6798 (2005)
L. Benguigui, I.J. Lin, J. Appl. Phys. 56, 3294 (1984)
P. Cady et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 7, 265 (1978)
C.-F. Chou et al., Biophys. J. 83, 2170 (2002)
K.S. Cole, Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 8, 110 (1940)
K.S. Cole, R.H. Cole, J. Chem. Phys. 9, 341 (1941)
E.B. Cummings, A.K. Singh, Anal. Chem. 75, 4724 (2003)
R. Davalos, Y. Huang, B. Rubinsky, Microscale Thermophys. Eng. 4, 147 (2000)
R.V. Davalos, et al., in MicroTAS 2004, A performance comparison of post- and ridge-based dielectrophoretic particle sorters (Malmo, Sweden, 2004), p. 650
R.V. Davalos et al., Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 389, 1426 (2007)
R.V. Davalos, B. Rubinsky, D.M. Otten, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 49, 400 (2002)
I. Ermolina, H. Morgan, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 285, 419 (2005)
K.R. Foster, H.P. Schwan, Dielectric properties of tissues, in Handbook of Biological Effects of Electromagnetics Fields, ed. by C.P.A.E. Postow (CRC, Florida, 1986)
H. Fricke, J. Phys. Chem. 59, 168 (1955)
N. Gadish, J. Voldman, Anal. Chem. 78, 7870 (2006)
S. Gawad et al., Lab Chip 4, 241 (2004)
R. Gomez-Sjoberg, D.T. Morisette, R. Bashir, J. Microelectromech. Syst. 14, 829 (2005)
R. Gomez, R. Bashir, A.K. Bhunia, Sens Actuators B 86, 198 (2002)
S. Grimnes, Ø.G. Martinsen, Bioimpedance and Bioelectricity Basics (Academic, New York, 2000)
J. Hong et al., Lab Chip 5, 270 (2005)
Y. Huang, R. Pethig, Meas. Sci. Technol. 2, 1142 (1991)
Y. Huang et al., Biophys. J. 73, 1118 (1997)
M.P. Hughes et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1425, 119 (1998)
C.D. James et al., J. Fluids Eng. 128, 14 (2006)
M. Jonsson et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 110, 10165 (2006)
Y. Kang, et al., Biomed. Microdevices 10, 243–249 (2008)
B.H. Lapizco-Encinas et al., J Microbiol. Methods 62, 317 (2005)
B.H. Lapizco-Encinas et al., Anal. Chem. 76, 1571 (2004)
O. Lazcka, F.J.D. Campo, F.X. Munoz, Biosens. Bioelectron. 22, 1205 (2007)
I.J. Lin, L. Benguigui, J. Electrost. 13, 257 (1982)
P. Linderholm, P. Renaud, Lab Chip 5, 1416 (2005)
Y.-S. Liu et al., Lab Chip 7, 603 (2007)
J. Maxwell, Treatise on electricity and magnetism (Oxford University Press, London, 1873)
H. Morgan, D. Holmes, N.G. Green, Curr. Appl. Phys. 6, 367 (2006)
M. Pavlin, D. Miklavcic, Biophys. J. 85, 719 (2003)
M. Pavlin, T. Slivnik, D. Miklavcic, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 49, 77 (2002)
H. Pohl, Dielectrophoresis (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1978)
A. Sanchis et al., Bioelectromagnetics 28, 393 (2007)
H.P. Schwan, Adv. Biol. Med. Phys. 5, 147 (1957)
B.A. Simmons et al., Mater. Res. Bull. 31, 120 (2006)
J. Suehiro et al., J. Electrost. 57, 157 (2003a)
J. Suehiro et al., J. Electrost. 58, 229 (2003b)
J. Suehiro et al., Sens. Actuators B 96, 144 (2003c)
T. Sun et al., Lab Chip 7, 1034 (2007)
K.W. Wagner, Explanation of the dielectric fatigue phenomenon on the basis of Maxwell’s concept, in Arkiv für Electrotechnik, ed. by H. Shering (Springer, Berlin, 1914)
M. Wawerla et al., J. Food Prot. 62, 1488 (1999)
J. Wu, Y. Ben, H.-C. Chang, Microfluid. Nanofluid. 1, 161 (2005)
X. Xuan, B. Xu, D. Li, Anal. Chem. 77, 4323 (2005)
L. Yang et al., Biosens. Bioelectron. 19, 1139 (2004)
L. Yang, C. Ruan, Y. Li, Biosens. Bioelectron. 19, 495 (2003)
Acknowledgments
The authors thank J. Van de Vreugde, A. Salmi, K. L. Krafcik, J.L. Caldwell, J. Hachman, B. Crocker, J. Brazzle, S. Ferko, Y. Syed, and J. Rognlien for their contributions to this project. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Safety Administration under contract DEAC04-94AL85000.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sabounchi, P., Morales, A.M., Ponce, P. et al. Sample concentration and impedance detection on a microfluidic polymer chip. Biomed Microdevices 10, 661–670 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-008-9177-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-008-9177-4