NSF-CGP Fellowship: Dispensing and Metering of Nanoliter Liquid Volumes

9819282琼斯该奖项提供资金，支持罗切斯特大学电气和计算机工程系托马斯·拜伦·琼斯博士与日本京都大学机械工程系瓦水正雄博士进行为期9个月的研究访问。他们的研究目标是开发和测试微电极系统，用于使用介电泳力操纵和控制纳升大小的液体体积。DEP液体控制为IOTAS(微型全分析系统)提供了增强功能的前景，用于化学和细胞/生物过程，特别是在可用液体或细胞样本非常小、有毒或对生物有害，或必须严格隔离样本的应用中。一个长期的目标将是可编程系统，在该系统中，通过微吸管注入的液体被可重复地分配到纳升液滴中，以便一次一个地通过基质传输，用于激光-光学或介电测量、混合或分离等处理。本研究中的实验方法将整合由东道主开发的新的电场驱动的液滴传输方案，与DEP液体处理相结合，以计量和分配液体形式的水溶液和化合物。一旦成功演示了电压驱动的液滴分配，合作者将把电极结构与液滴传输方案相结合，创建一个非常基本的m-TAS设备。最终目标将是一种电压控制结构，它从储液器中(可能通过介电虹吸)吸收微升体积的液体，然后将其分散成纳升液滴。该项目将是互惠互利的，因为合作者的互补专业知识将有助于为这项研究计划的思想、技能和技术的双向交流。该项目由国家科学基金会和日本基金会全球伙伴关系中心之间的科学奖学金计划资助。*

9819282JonesThis award provides funds to support a 9-month research visit by Dr. Thomas Byron Jones, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester, for collaboration with Dr. Masao Washizu, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan. The goal of their research is to develop and test microelectrode systems for manipulation and control of nanoliter-sized liquid volumes using dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces. DEP liquid control offers the prospect of enhanced functionality for IOTAS (micro total analysis systems) for chemical and cellular/biological processes, especially in applications where available liquid or cell samples are very small, toxic, or biologically hazardous, or where strict isolation of samples must be maintained. A long-term objective would be programmable systems where liquid injected by a micropipette is dispensed reproducibly into nanoliter droplets for transport one-at-a-time across a substrate for such processing as laser-optical or dielectrometric assay, mixing, or separation.The experimental approach in this research will integrate the new electric field-actuated droplet transport scheme, developed by the host, with DEP liquid handling to meter and dispense aqueous solutions and chemical compounds in liquid form. Once successful in demonstrating voltage-actuated droplet dispensing, the collaborators will integrate the electrode structure with the droplet transport scheme to create a very basic m-TAS device. The ultimate objective will be a voltage-controlled structure that draws a microliter volume of liquid from a reservoir (probably via a dielectric siphon) and then dispenses this into nanoliter droplets. The project will be mutually beneficial because of the complementary expertise of the collaborators which will contribute to the two-way exchanges of ideas, skills, and techniques planned for this research. This project is supported under the Science Fellowship Program between the National Science Foundation and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.***