Ultrafast detection in droplet microfluidics using ion mobility spectrometry

该项目致力于开发和评估一种基于液滴的微流体的快速无标记检测方法。因此，微流控液滴芯片将首次与离子迁移率光谱联用，以实现对分段流动中单个液滴的高速实时分析。该项目的核心科学方面是构思和开发一种与液滴同步的超快漂移管离子迁移率光谱仪，用于微流控芯片系统中单个液滴的无标记检测和分析。目标是达到至少300赫兹的离子迁移率光谱的高记录速率，这已经意味着记录速率比最先进的离子迁移率光谱增加了十倍。通过对离子门进行短时多路调制，进一步提高了测量频率。伴随着离子迁移率光谱领域的研究工作，开发了量身定制的微流控液滴芯片系统，以及用于与离子迁移率光谱有效耦合的先进电离和接口策略。将液滴微流控与超快离子迁移率光谱相结合对分段流动中的单个微滴进行化学分析的方法旨在实现一种使能技术，使液滴微流体作为一种前景看好的高通量应用平台技术的应用范围将大大增加。

The project concentrates on the development and evaluation of a fast label-free detection method for droplet-based microfluidics. Therefore, microfluidic droplet chips will be coupled to ion mobility spectrometry for the first time in order to analyze individual droplets in segmented flows at high speed in real time. Central scientific aspects of the project are the conception and instrumental development of an ultrafast drift-tube ion mobility spectrometer synchronized to the droplets for label-free detection and analysis of single droplets in microfluidic chip systems. The objective is to reach high recording rates of ion mobility spectra of at least 300 Hz, which already means a tenfold increase of the recording rate compared to the state of the art in ion mobility spectrometry. A further increase of the measuring frequency will be achieved by modulating the ion gate for short time multiplexing. The research work in the field of ion mobility spectrometry is accompanied by the development of tailored microfluidic droplet chip systems as well as advanced ionization and interface strategies for an efficient coupling with ion mobility spectrometry. The approach of combining droplet microfluidics and ultrafast ion mobility spectrometry for the chemical analysis of individual microdroplets in segmented flows aims at an enabling technology that will significantly increase the range of applications for droplet microfluidics as a promising platform technology for high-throughput applications.