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microfluidics (3)

Running on Air...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 23, 2024 at 5:00am

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Running on air Close-up of the air-powered sensing device. (Courtesy: William Grover/UCR)

Topics: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Microfluidics

A device containing a pneumatic logic circuit made from 21 microfluidic valves could be used as a new type of air-powered computer that does not require any electronic components. The device could help make a wide range of important air-powered systems safer and less expensive, according to its developers at the University of California at Riverside.

Electronic computers rely on transistors to control the flow of electricity. But in the new air-powered computer, the researchers use tiny valves instead of transistors to control the flow of air rather than electricity. “These air-powered computers are an example of microfluidics, a decades-old field that studies the flow of fluids (usually liquids but sometimes gases) through tiny networks of channels and valves,” explains team leader William Grover, a bioengineer at UC Riverside.

By combining multiple microfluidic valves, the researchers made air-powered versions of standard logic gates. For example, they combined two valves in a row to make a Boolean AND gate. This gate works because air will flow through the two valves only if both are open. Similarly, two valves connected in parallel make a Boolean OR gate. Here, air will flow if either one or the other of the valves is open.

Air-powered computers make a comeback, Isabelle Dumé, Physics World

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Decoding Sweat...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on August 27, 2019 at 5:00am
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New wearable sensors developed by scientists at UC Berkeley can provide real-time measurements of sweat rate and electrolytes and metabolites in sweat. (Credit: Bizen Maskey, Sunchon National University)

 

Topics: Biophysics, Biotechnology, Microfluidics, Nanotechnology, Research


A new scalable, high-throughput fabrication process that makes use of roll-to-roll printing and laser cutting can produce wearable sweat sensors rapidly and reliably and on a large scale. The devices, which can almost instantly detect and analyse electrolytes, metabolites and other biomolecules contained in sweat, could be employed in real-world applications and not just as laboratory prototypes.

Analyzing sweat is a non-invasive way to monitor a range of biomolecules, from small electrolytes to metabolites and hormones and larger proteins that come from deeper in the body. Indeed, sweat sensing has already been used to medically diagnose diseases like cystic fibrosis and autonomic neuropathy and to assess fluid and electrolyte balance in endurance athletes.

Traditional sweat sensors collect sweat from the body at different times and then analyse it. This means that the devices can’t be used to detect real-time changes in sweat composition – during physical activity, for example, or to monitor glucose levels in diabetic patients. Wearable sensors, which make use of flexible and hybrid electronics, overcome this problem by allowing for in-situ sweat measurements with real-time feedback. However, it is still difficult to reliably make sweat sensor components (including microfluidic chip and sensing electrodes) in large quantities and with good reproducibility.

 

Wearable patches could ‘decode’ sweat, Belle Dumé, Physics World

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SLIPS...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on May 27, 2019 at 5:00am
A novel, highly sensitive molecular sensor together with a first-of-its-kind histamine detector comprise abbieSense, a device that can diagnose and assess the severity of an allergic reaction within five minutes. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

 

Topics: Applied Physics, Fluid Mechanics, Microfluidics, Nanofluidics, Nanotechnology

 


The need for an inexpensive, super-repellent surface cuts across a vast swath of societal sectors—from refrigeration and architecture, to medical devices and consumer products. Most state-of-the-art liquid repellent surfaces designed in the last decade are modeled after lotus leaves, which are extremely hydrophobic due to their rough, waxy surface and the physics of their natural design. However, none of the lotus-inspired materials designed so far has met the mark: they may repel water but they fail to repel oils, fail under physical stress, cannot self-heal – and are expensive to boot.

‘SLIPS’ technology, inspired by the slippery pitcher plant that repels almost every type of liquid and solid, is a unique approach to coating industrial and medical surfaces that is based on nano/microstructured porous material infused with a lubricating fluid. By locking in water and other fluids, SLIPS technology creates slick, exceptionally repellent and robust self-cleaning surfaces on metals, plastics, optics, textiles and ceramics. These slippery surfaces repel almost any fouling challenge a surface may face—whether from bacteria, ice, water, oil, dust, barnacles, or other contaminants.

 

Wyss Institute, Harvard: Slippery Liquid Infused Porous Surfaces

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