Pulse Laser Driven Ultrafast Micro and Nanofluidic Systems

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This objective of this research is to investigate micro- and nano-fluidic devices utilizing ultrafast laser cavitation phenomena and their applications for biomedical research. The approach is utilizing laser cavitation effects originating from breakdown of water molecules in high optical intensity regions through nonlinear optical processes. Intellectual Merit:Micro and nanoscale explosive vapor bubbles can be excited in nanoseconds by highly focused laser beams that are spatially patterned and synchronized in time to achieve functional microfluidic devices with ultrahigh speed that could not be achieved by any other physical mechanisms. The proposed laser cavitation based microfluidic devices provide paradigm-shifting performance for high speed microfluidic actuation by harvesting the mechanical energy during rapid vapor bubble explosions. This enables sorting of 10,000~100,000 cells/sec on a single chip for the first time. Ultrafast laser cavitation actuation can be driven by a compact, portable, and electrically pumped two dimensional laser array for parallel pumping of a large scale microfluidic device, solving one of the major miniaturization issue of microfluidic systems by completely eliminating the bulky pumps and control valves. Broader Impacts:Results and expertise developed during the course of this project will be incorporated into the PI?s teaching activities at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Minority graduate and undergraduate students will participate in these projects through the outstanding outreach program at UCLA. Students involved in this project will be exposed to an excellent multidisciplinary training environment between the UCLA Medical School and Engineering School.