SGER: Experimental Technique to Characterize Droplet Transport in Nanoscale Channels

提案编号：cct -0424101主要研究者：Jennifer LukesAffiliation: University of pennsylvania提案标题：SGER：表征纳米级通道中液滴运输的实验技术表征通过纳米级流体通道的液滴流动的能力将使生物技术和化学分析取得巨大进步，特别是在DNA测序，药物输送，化学分离和单分子检测领域。这项研究计划的目标是开发一种能够进行这种检测的技术。基于生物科学中广泛用于表征微米级颗粒输运的库尔特计数器方法，并受到近年来表征固体颗粒通过纳米通道输运的成功启发，本实验有望证明检测夹带液滴通过纳米通道输运的可行性。要进行的工作包括制造具有纳米级通道的微芯片样品，用乳液填充通道，局部加热通道以诱导夹带液滴的热毛细运输，并进行纳米通道电导率的时间分辨测量。这些测量结果将用于确定输送液滴的大小和速度。该实验的新颖之处在于纳米通道本身将充当液滴探测器。

Proposal Number: CTS-0424101Principal Investigator: Jennifer LukesAffiliation: University of PennsylvaniaProposal Title: SGER: Experimental technique to characterize droplet transport in nanoscale channelsThe ability to characterize droplet flow through nanoscale fluidic channels will enable tremendous advances in biotechnology and chemical analysis, particularly in the areas of DNA sequencing, drug delivery, chemical separations, and single molecule detection. The goal of this research program is develop a technique capable of such detection. Based on the Coulter counter method widely used to characterize the transport of micron-sized particles in the biological sciences, and inspired by recent successes in characterizing transport of solid particles through nanoscale channels, the proposed experiments are expected to demonstrate the feasibility of detecting the transport of entrained liquid droplets through nanochannels. The work to be performed includes fabricating microchip samples with nanometer-scale channels, filling the channels with an emulsion, locally heating the channel to induce thermocapillary transport of the entrained liquid droplets, and performing time-resolved measurements of the nanochannel electrical conductivity. These measurements will be used to determine the size and velocity of the transported droplets. The novelty of the proposed experiments is that the nanochannels themselves will act as droplet detectors.