SGER: The Initial Phase of Development of Digital Microfluidic Impactor

本研究将侧重于基于芯片实验室（Lab-on-a-Chip， LOC）技术的环境气溶胶采样系统的开发。这种新技术的优点是采样系统的尺寸，低成本，以及使用比色检测器提供某些化学特性的原位分析的能力。分析探测器将被安置在一个单一的微芯片中，与微流体组件一起，它实际捕获并将气溶胶颗粒输送到探测器中。整个芯片单元放置在气溶胶收集系统（冲击器）中。本研究的目标是生产一个集成单元，可用于环境气溶胶样品的原位分析。虽然在过去的几年里，微流体技术以及探测器技术已经得到了证明，但集成系统还没有尝试过。这个高风险的研究项目对大气科学界具有潜在的变革意义，因为它的成功可能最终导致新一代芯片实验室系统的发展，这些系统将非常小，重量轻，便携，便宜，并且具有快速的原位分析响应时间。

This research will focus on the development of an ambient aerosol sampling system based on Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) technology. The advantage of this new technology is the size of the sampling system, low cost, and the ability to provide in situ analysis of certain chemical characteristics using a colorimetric detector. The analytical detector will be housed in a single microchip, along with the microfluid component that actually captures and transports the aerosol particles to the detector. The entire chip unit is placed in an aerosol collection system (impactor).The goal of this research is to produce an integrated unit that can be used for in situ analysis of ambient aerosol samples. While the technology of microfluidics has been demonstrated over the past several years, as well as that for the detector, an integrated system has not been attempted yet. This high risk research project is potentially transformative to the atmospheric sciences community in that its success may ultimately lead to the development of a new generation of lab-on-a-chip systems that will be extremely small, lightweight, portable, inexpensive, and have fast, in situ analysis response times.