Issue 15, 2013
From the journal:

Lab on a Chip

Thermal loading in flow-through electroporation microfluidic devices

Blanca del Rosal,*a   Chen Sun,b   Despina Nelie Loufakis,c   Chang Luc  and  Daniel Jaquea  

* Corresponding authors

a Fluorescence Imaging Group, Departamento de Física de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto Nicolás Cabrera Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
E-mail: daniel.jaque@uam.es

b School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

c Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

Abstract

Thermal loading effects in flow-through electroporation microfluidic devices have been systematically investigated by using dye-based ratiometric luminescence thermometry. Fluorescence measurements have revealed the crucial role played by both the applied electric field and flow rate on the induced temperature increments at the electroporation sections of the devices. It has been found that Joule heating could raise the intra-channel temperature up to cytotoxic levels (>45 °C) only when conditions of low flow rates and high applied voltages are applied. Nevertheless, when flow rates and electric fields are set to those used in real electroporation experiments we have found that local heating is not larger than a few degrees, i.e. temperature is kept within the safe range (<32 °C). We also provide thermal images of electroporation devices from which the heat affected area can be elucidated. Experimental data have been found to be in excellent agreement with numerical simulations that have also revealed the presence of a non-homogeneous temperature distribution along the electroporation channel whose magnitude is critically dependent on both applied electric field and flow rate. Results included in this work will allow for full control over the electroporation conditions in flow-through microfluidic devices.

Graphical abstract: Thermal loading in flow-through electroporation microfluidic devices

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C3LC50382H
Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 Mar 2013
Accepted
14 May 2013
First published
15 May 2013
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Lab Chip, 2013,13, 3119-3127

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Thermal loading in flow-through electroporation microfluidic devices

B. del Rosal, C. Sun, D. N. Loufakis, C. Lu and D. Jaque, Lab Chip, 2013, 13, 3119 DOI: 10.1039/C3LC50382H

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