Collaborative Research: Guided Electrowetting for Agile Channel Formation in Reconfigurable Lab-on-a-Chip

这项研究的目标是协作创建一个集成和混合的芯片上实验室平台，该平台按需进行电子配置，并在没有电力的情况下保持其编程配置。一块芯片就可以访问大量的微流控函数库。该方法是平衡三维电润湿力和Young-Laplace力，从而实现微通道形成和流体传输的紧急控制。智力上的好处是，将为电流体开发新的科学模型。将创建一个简单的芯片上实验室的图形化编程，并将连续通道微流体和数字电润湿传输领域统一起来。此外，芯片实验室社区将能够利用液晶显示器制造和4位计算机接口的巨大基础设施，部署价格实惠且灵活的芯片实验室产品，以实现快速的化学和生物发现。更广泛的影响包括将该项目与美国国家科学基金会赞助的微流体课程开发相结合，通过辛辛那提大学S研究合作项目激励本科生攻读高级STEM学位，以及继续参与美国国家科学基金会的REU和RET项目。这一拟议项目的重要性源于需要芯片上实验室来全面履行承诺，以广泛降低医疗成本，并提供对患者诊断或环境测试的远程访问。例如，诊所可以在几乎没有实验室支持的情况下进行诊断测试，如免疫分析和核酸分析。这种灵活的芯片实验室模块将允许用户定义对实验室任务的访问，所有这些任务都包含在一个可移植的模块中，该模块可以具有像I-Phone一样简单的人体工程学。

The objective of this research is to collaboratively create an integrated and hybrid lab-on-chip platform that is electronically configured on-demand and maintains its programmed configuration without electrical power. A single chip can access a vast library of microfluidic functions. The approach is balancing 3-D electrowetting and Young-Laplace forces, such that emergent control in microchannel formation and fluid transport can be realized. The intellectual merit is that new scientific models will be developed for electrofluidics. A simple graphical programming of lab-on-chip will be created, and the fields of continuous channel microfluidics and digital electrowetting transport will be united. Furthermore, the lab-on-chip community will be able to leverage the enormous infrastructure for liquid crystal display manufacturing and 4-bit computer interfacing, to deploy highly affordable and agile lab-on-chip products for rapid chemical and biological discovery. Broader impacts include integration of this project with NSF sponsored microfluidics course development, inspiring undergraduates to pursue advanced STEM degrees through the University of Cincinnati?s research co-op program, and continued involvement with NSF REU and RET programs. The significance of this proposed project stems from the need for lab-on-chip to full-fill promises to broadly reduce health-care costs, and provide remote access to patient diagnostics or environmental testing. For example, clinics could perform diagnostic tests such as immunoassays and nucleic acid assays with little laboratory support. Such agile lab-on-chip modules would allow user-defined access to laboratory tasks, all contained in a portable module that could have ergonomics as simple as an i-Phone.