O emprego de sistemas em fluxo com multi-impulsão são destaques quanto ao volume de efluentes gerados e a possibilidade de mecanização, operando em condições dinâmicas. A utilização de microbombas solenoide é potencial em processos de adsorção/dessorção de analitos, pois desempenham o fluxo pulsado, e quando operadas em conjunto com o estabelecimento da condição de leito fluidizado, contribuem para o aumento da eficiência de adsorção/dessorção. O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi desenvolver e avaliar sistemas de extração sólido-líquido e análises química em fluxo, explorando fluxos pulsados e o estabelecimento da condição de leito fluidizado, visando melhorar a eficiência de interação da amostra e reagente. Para tanto, foram desenvolvidos sistemas em fluxo com multi-impulsão associados ao uso de colunas de leito fluidizado. 1) Sistema para determinação da capacidade de adsorção de fósforo; determinação do fósforo remanescente (P-rem) em solos; 2) Sistema para determinação da capacidade de troca catiônica (CTC) de solos, avaliando a adsorção e a dessorção de analitos. Foi demonstrado que o fósforo e o cálcio contidos em solução são eficientemente adsorvidos/dessorvidos pelo solo, reduzindo significativamente os efeitos de aumento de pressão com o estabelecimento do leito fluidizado (fluidização pulsada) nas colunas contendo 50 mg de amostras de solo. A substituição do fluxo pulsado (microbomba solenoide) pelo fluxo contínuo (bomba peristáltica) limitou a interação sólido-líquido, pois estabeleceu caminhos preferenciais, desfavorecendo as condições de mistura. A utilização das microbombas solenoide em conjunto com a fluidização das amostras de solo, apresentou vantagens quanto à diminuição da quantidade de massa de solo requerida (entre 100 e 200 vezes), redução do consumo de reagentes e resíduos gerados (40 vezes), demonstrando o potencial do sistema em fluxo proposto por ser uma alternativa ambientalmente adequada. Os sistemas propostos são versáteis e facilmente adaptados para outros estudos de extração / Multi-pumping flow systems are highlights on the volume of effluents generated and mechanization, operating in dynamic conditions. Solenoid micro-pumps are potential in the analyte adsorption/desorption processes, because they play the pulsed flow and when operated in conjunction with the establishment of the fluidized bed condition, contribute to the increase of the adsorption/desorption efficiency. The objective of this work was to develop and evaluate solid-liquid extraction and flow analysis systems, exploring pulsed flows and establishing the fluidized bed condition in order to improve the solid-liquid interaction efficiency. It was developed multi-pumping flow systems associated with the establishment of the fluidized bed columns. 1) System for determination of phosphorus adsorption capacity; determination of the remaining phosphorus (P-rem) in soils; 2) System to determine the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils, evaluating the adsorption and desorption of analyte. It has been shown that the phosphorus and calcium contained in solution are efficiently adsorbed/desorbed by the soil, significantly reducing the effects of pressure increase with the establishment of the fluidized bed (pulsed fluidization) in the columns containing 50 mg of soil samples. The substitution of the pulsed flow (solenoid micro-pump) by the continuous flow (peristaltic pump) limited the solid-liquid interaction, since it established preferential pathways, undermining the mixing conditions. The use of the solenoid micro-pumps in conjunction with the fluidization of the soil samples presented advantages in terms of decreasing the amount of soil mass required (between 100 and 200-fold time), reducing the consumption of reagents, solutions and waste production (40-fold time), demonstrating the potential of this system to be an environmentally friendly alternative. The proposed systems are versatile and easily adapted to other extraction studies

A tese enfatiza o desenvolvimento e aplicação de amostradores difusionais para pré-concentração de traços de poluentes gasosos e sua conjugação com técnicas de separação e determinação, especialmente, a eletroforese capilar. Foram implementadas novas aplicações para um amostrador com múltiplos filamentos microporosos de polipropileno, previamente desenvolvido pelo grupo de pesquisa, e para o novo dispositivo de coleta de dimensões reduzidas, composto por monofilamento microporoso de polipropileno (CMDS) com volume interno de 30 µL. Para o estabelecimento da vazão estável em 1,0 µL min-1 de fase aceptora pelo capilar poroso, recorreu-se à pressurização do reservatório com uma bomba pneumática de aquário e regulagem de vazão por um capilar de sílica fundida e uma válvula de agulha. Outra bomba pneumática foi utilizada para aspirar o fluxo de ar amostrado. As amostras foram coletadas seqüencialmente em frascos de 200 µL, mantidos sob temperatura reduzida em unidade de refrigeração do tipo Peltier acoplado ao amostrador. O CMDS monofilamentar, mais compacto e robusto, apresentou alta eficiência de coleta para a pré-concentração de formaldeído (CH2O), ácidos fórmico e acético e amônia da fase gasosa da atmosfera. Para as espécies com elevada constante de Henry, água deionizada serviu como fase aceptora, enquanto que para amônia, recorreu-se ao deslocamento do equilíbrio por um aceptor ácido, de modo a reter o analito na forma de NH4 +. A concentração das espécies em fase líquida foi determinada posteriormente por eletroforese capilar com detecção condutométrica sem contato (CE-C4D). Os limites de detecção, em fase líquida, para formiato, acetato, formaldeído (determinado na forma do aduto hidroximetanosulfonato HMS) e amônio foram estimados em 1,0, 1,5, 1,2 e 1,2 µmol L-1, respectivamente (equivalentes à 0,9, 3,0, 1,0 e 0,7 µg m-3 dessas espécies na atmosfera, respectivamente). Para a determinação de CH2O por injeção em fluxo (FIA) acoplada à detecção amperométrica em eletrodo de ouro platinizado, fez-se uso do coletor multifilamentar, por atender melhor à necessidade de volume de amostra. A interferência de espécies comumente presentes na atmosfera, como H2O2 e SO2, pôde ser contornada realizando coletas em presença de peróxido de hidrogênio para promover a oxidação do S(IV) à S(VI) e, posteriormente, destruindo o oxidante em reator contendo enzima catalase imobilizada. A determinação de CH2O foi implementada com sucesso por FIA com detecção por amperometria em eletrodo de ouro platinizado. Um CMDS portátil que funciona à pilha, próprio para amostragens em campo, foi desenvolvido utilizando, para o deslocamento do ar amostrado, uma bomba de pistão retirada de aparelho automático para medida de pressão arterial. O amostrador foi empregado na coleta de H2S, SO2 e alquil-mercaptanas em fase gasosa da atmosfera, utilizando fase aceptora alcalina para promover a desprotonação e conseqüente fixação das espécies em meio líquido. Os analitos foram determinados por CE-C4D ou por microextração em fase sólida (SPME) seguida de determinação por GC. O uso conjunto do antioxidante ascorbato para conservação das amostras e de etanol para fixação dos compostos voláteis em meio aquoso permitiu o estabelecimento de um protocolo completo para coleta e detecção dessas espécies reduzidas de enxofre, com sensibilidade suficiente para monitorar emissões de origem biogênica, o que foi exemplificado na prática coletando amostras próximo a um córrego contaminado com esgoto. A perfeita combinação do diminuto volume de fase aceptora do CMDS com a demanda de nanolitros de amostra da CE-C4D culminou com o desenvolvimento de um sistema de análise total (TAS) com gerenciamento de fluidos baseado em propulsão por bombas de aquário (de baixo custo e alta durabilidade) e válvulas solenóide de estrangulamento, controladas por computador. Como exemplo de aplicação inovador e bem sucedido do TAS desenvolveu-se a análise concomitante e em tempo quase real de ácidos fórmico e acético no ar, com freqüência de 10 pares de dados por hora. As vantagens do sistema CMDS-CE-C4D incluem simplicidade, versatilidade, consumo de reagentes e amostra e geração de resíduos minimizada, robustez e rapidez enquanto uma amostra é coletada, o eletroferograma da anterior é adquirido sem necessidade de bombas de alta pressão ou colunas dispendiosas como as requeridas para HPLC / The development and application of porous membrane diffusion samplers for fast and efficient pre-concentration of an array of trace air pollutants was emphasized in this thesis, in conjunction with compatible separation and determination techniques, especially capillary electrophoresis. New applications were found for a formerly developed diffusion scrubber based on a bundle of microporous hollow polypropylene capillary membranes and for a scaled down version with a single core capillary membrane diffusion scrubber (CMDS) comprising an internal volume of 30 µL, were used for sampling of the trace level pollutants to an adequate liquid acceptor. The low-flow of acceptor solution, 1.0 µL min-1, required by the CMDS was satisfied by pressurization of the reservoir with an aquarium pump combined with flow regulation by a silica capillary as hydrodynamic resistor and a needle valve. Another aquarium pump was used for the aspiration of the sampled air through the sampler. The low volumes collected in the CMDS were stored in 200 µL vials inserted in a cooling plate of a Peltier device. The robust and compact system was used for sampling of formaldehyde (CH2O), formic acid, acetic acid and ammonia in the gaseous phase of the atmosphere. For chemical species with high Henry´s constant, deionized water suffices as acceptor phase. Otherwise, equilibria displacement to a non-volatile ion, like NH4 + for NH3 sampling, promoted quantitative retention in the acceptor phase. The concentrations of the analytes in the liquid phase were determined by capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductometric detection (CEC4D). The detection limits obtained in the liquid phase for formate, acetate, formaldehyde (in the form of the adduct hydroxymethanesulfonate HMS) and ammonium were 1,0, 1,5, 1,2 e 1,2 µmol L-1 respectively (what corresponds to 0,9, 3,0, 1,0 e 0,7 µg m-3 of the respective gaseous species in the air). The higher volume of acceptor phase provided by the sampler with a bundle of microporous membrane capillaries (~600 µL) are in tune with the needs of flow injection analysis (FIA), as demonstrated for amperometric detection of CH2O on a platinized gold electrode. The interferences from SO2 and H2O2 were overcome by adding H2O2 to the acceptor solution to promote the oxidation of S(IV) to S(VI) and destruction of the oxidant afterwards in a column with immobilized catalase enzyme. The aquarium pump used for gas aspiration was substituted to a piston pump, taken from arterial blood pressure meter fed with 8 V D.C., to turn possible field collections with the CMDS device. The system was used for the sampling of H2S, SO2 e alkyl-mercaptans in the gaseous phase of the atmosphere. To succeed on that, the samplings were performed in alkaline media to promote deprotonation of the species (and stabilization in non-volatile forms). The collected analytes were determined by CE-C4D or by solid phase microextraction (SPME) followed by GC analysis. The joint use of the antioxidant ascorbate for sample preservation and ethanol for fixation of the volatile compounds allowed the establishment of a complete protocol for sampling, storage and detection of the sulfur reduced species with enough sensitivity for monitoring biogenic emissions from waste discharge. Perfect matching of the low-volume characteristics of the CMDS device and the CE-C4D equipment led to the conception of a low-cost automatic CMDS-CE-C4D total analysis system (TAS) and its innovative and successful application to near-realtime simultaneous analysis of formic acid and acetic acid in air. During the evaluation of one sample, the TAS collects a new one, with valves, pumps and high voltage delivery under software control. Advantages include rapidity (10 data points per hour for each analyte), high preconcentration efficiency, simplicity and versatility, minimum sample and reagent consumption and residue generation (green analytical method), no need of costly high pressure pumps and separation columns like those used in HPLC

<p>The analysis of low abundant biological molecules is often challenging due to their chemical properties, low concentration and limited sample volumes. Neuropeptides are one group of molecules that fits these criteria. Neuropeptides also play an important role in biological functions, which makes them extra interesting to analyze. A classic chemical analysis involves sampling, sample preparation, separation and detection. In this thesis, an enhanced solid supported microdialysis method was developed and used as a combined sampling- and preparation technique. In general, significantly increased extraction efficiency was obtained for all studied peptides. To be able to control the small sample volumes and to minimize the loss of neuropeptides because of unwanted adsorption onto surfaces, the subsequent analysis steps were miniaturized to a micro total analysis system (µ-TAS), which allowed sample pre-treatment, injection, separation, manipulation and detection. </p><p>In order to incorporate these analysis functions to a microchip, a novel microfabrication protocol was developed. This method facilitated three-dimensional structures to be fabricated without the need of clean room facilities. </p><p>The sample pre-treatment step was carried out by solid phase extraction from beads packed in the microchip. Femtomole levels of neuropeptides were detected from samples possessing the same properties as microdialysates. The developed injection system made it possible to conduct injections from a liquid chromatographic separation into a capillary electrophoresis channel, which facilitated for advanced multidimensional separations. An electrochemical sample manipulation system was also developed. In the last part, different electrospray emitter tip designs made directly from the edge of the microchip substrate were developed and evaluated. The emitters were proven to be comparable with conventional, capillary based emitters in stability, durability and dynamic flow range. Although additional developments remain, the analysis steps described in this thesis open a door to an integrated, on-line µ-TAS for neuropeptides analysis in complex biological samples.</p>

<p>There is a strong trend in fabricating <i>miniaturized total analytical systems</i>, µTAS, for various biochemical and cell biology applications. These miniaturized systems could e.g. gain better separation performances, be faster, consume less expensive reagents and be used for studies that are difficult to access in the macro world. Disposable µTAS eliminate the risk of carry-over and can be fabricated to a low cost.</p><p>This work focused on the development of µTAS modules with the intentional use for miniaturized diagnostics. Modules for blood separation, desalting, enrichment, separation and ESI-MS detection were successfully fabricated. Surface coatings were additionally developed and evaluated for applications in µTAS with complex biological samples. The first heparin coating could be easily immobilized in a one-step-process, whereas the second heparin coating was aimed to form a hydrophilic surface that was able to draw blood or plasma samples into a microfluidic system by capillary forces. </p><p>The last mentioned heparin surface was further utilized when developing a chip-based sensor for performing CD4-count in human blood, an important marker to determine the stage of an HIV-infection.</p><p>All devices in this work were fabricated in PDMS, an elastomeric polymer with the advantage of rapid and less expensive prototyping of the microfabricated master. It was shown that PDMS could be considered as the material of choice for future commercial µTAS. The devices were intentionally produced using a low grade of fabrication complexity. It was however demonstrated that even with low complexity, it is possible to integrate several functional chip modules into a single microfluidic device.</p>

There is a strong trend in fabricating miniaturized total analytical systems, µTAS, for various biochemical and cell biology applications. These miniaturized systems could e.g. gain better separation performances, be faster, consume less expensive reagents and be used for studies that are difficult to access in the macro world. Disposable µTAS eliminate the risk of carry-over and can be fabricated to a low cost. This work focused on the development of µTAS modules with the intentional use for miniaturized diagnostics. Modules for blood separation, desalting, enrichment, separation and ESI-MS detection were successfully fabricated. Surface coatings were additionally developed and evaluated for applications in µTAS with complex biological samples. The first heparin coating could be easily immobilized in a one-step-process, whereas the second heparin coating was aimed to form a hydrophilic surface that was able to draw blood or plasma samples into a microfluidic system by capillary forces. The last mentioned heparin surface was further utilized when developing a chip-based sensor for performing CD4-count in human blood, an important marker to determine the stage of an HIV-infection. All devices in this work were fabricated in PDMS, an elastomeric polymer with the advantage of rapid and less expensive prototyping of the microfabricated master. It was shown that PDMS could be considered as the material of choice for future commercial µTAS. The devices were intentionally produced using a low grade of fabrication complexity. It was however demonstrated that even with low complexity, it is possible to integrate several functional chip modules into a single microfluidic device.

The field of micro total analysis systems (μTAS) aims at developments toward miniaturized and fully integrated lab-on-a-chip systems for applications, such as drug screening, drug delivery, cellular assays, protein analysis, genomic analysis and handheld point-of-care diagnostics. Such systems offer to dramatically reduce liquid sample and reagent quantities, increase sensitivity as well as speed of analysis and facilitate portable systems via the integration of components such as pumps, valves, mixers, separation units, reactors and detectors. Precise microfluidic control for such systems has long been considered one of the most difficult technical barriers due to integration of on-chip fluidic handling components and complicated off-chip liquid control as well as fluidic interconnections. Actuation principles and materials with the advantages of low cost, easy fabrication, easy integration, high reliability, and compact size are required to promote the development of such systems. Within this thesis, liquid displacement in microfluidic applications, by means of expandable microspheres, is presented as an innovative approach addressing some of the previously mentioned issues. Furthermore, these expandable microspheres are embedded into a PDMS matrix, which composes a novel thermally responsive silicone elastomer composite actuator for liquid handling. Due to the merits of PDMS and expandable microspheres, the composite actuator's main characteristic to expand irreversibly upon generated heat makes it possible to locally alter its surface topography. The composite actuator concept, along with a novel adhesive PDMS bonding technique, is used to design and fabricate liquid handling components such as pumps and valves, which operate at work-ranges from nanoliters to microliters. The integration of several such microfluidic components promotes the development of disposable lab-on-a-chip platforms for precise sample volume control addressing, e.g. active dosing, transportation, merging and mixing of nanoliter liquid volumes. Moreover, microfluidic pumps based on the composite actuator have been incorporated with sharp and hollow microneedles to realize a microneedle-based transdermal patch which exhibits on-board liquid storage and active dispensing functionality. Such a system represents a first step toward painless, minimally invasive and transdermal administration of macromolecular drugs such as insulin or vaccines. The presented on-chip liquid handling concept does not require external actuators for pumping and valving, uses low-cost materials and wafer-level processes only, is highly integrable and potentially enables controlled and cost-effective transdermal microfluidic applications, as well as large-scale integrated fluidic networks for point-of care diagnostics, disposable biochips or lab-on-a-chip applications. This thesis discusses several design concepts for a large variety of microfluidic components, which are promoted by the use of the novel composite actuator. Results on the successful fabrication and evaluation of prototype devices are reported herein along with comprehensive process parameters on a novel full-wafer adhesive bonding technique for the fabrication of PDMS based microfluidic devices. / QC 20100817

With the completion of the human genome sequencing project, attention is currently shifting toward understanding how genetic variation, such as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), leads to disease. To identify, understand, and control biological mechanisms of living organisms, the enormous amounts of accumulated sequence information must be coupled to faster, cheaper, and more powerful technologies for DNA, RNA, and protein analysis. One approach is the miniaturization of analytical methods through the application of microfluidics, which involves the manipulation of fluids in micrometer-sized channels. Advances in microfluidic chip technology are expected to play a major role in the development of cost-effective and rapid DNA analysis methods. This thesis presents microfluidic approaches for different DNA genotyping assays. The overall goal is to combine the potential of the microfluidic lab-on-a-chip concept with biochemistry to develop and improve current methods for SNP genotyping. Three genotyping assays using miniaturized microfluidic approaches are addressed. The first two assays are based on primer extension by DNA polymerase. A microfluidic device consisting of a flow-through filter chamber for handling beads with nanoliter liquid volumes was used in these studies. The first assay involved an allelespecific extension strategy. The microfluidic approach took advantage of the different reaction kinetics of matched and mismatched configurations at the 3’-ends of a primer/template complex. The second assay consisted of adapting pyrosequencing technology, a bioluminometric DNA sequencing assay based on sequencing-bysynthesis, to a microfluidic flow-through platform. Base-by-base sequencing was performed in a microfluidic device to obtain accurate SNP scoring data on nanoliter volumes. This thesis also presents the applications of monolayer of beads immobilized by microcontact printing for chip-based DNA analysis. Single-base incorporation could be detected with pyrosequencing chemistry on these monolayers. The third assay developed is based on a hybridization technology termed Dynamic Allele-Specific Hybridization (DASH). In this approach, monolayered beads containing DNA duplexes were randomly immobilized on the surface of a microheater chip. DNA melting-curve analysis was performed by dynamically heating the chip while simultaneously monitoring the DNA denaturation profile to determine the genotype. Multiplexing based on single-bead analysis was achieved at heating rates more than 20 times faster than conventional DASH provides. / QC 20101008

No description available.

The analysis of low abundant biological molecules is often challenging due to their chemical properties, low concentration and limited sample volumes. Neuropeptides are one group of molecules that fits these criteria. Neuropeptides also play an important role in biological functions, which makes them extra interesting to analyze. A classic chemical analysis involves sampling, sample preparation, separation and detection. In this thesis, an enhanced solid supported microdialysis method was developed and used as a combined sampling- and preparation technique. In general, significantly increased extraction efficiency was obtained for all studied peptides. To be able to control the small sample volumes and to minimize the loss of neuropeptides because of unwanted adsorption onto surfaces, the subsequent analysis steps were miniaturized to a micro total analysis system (µ-TAS), which allowed sample pre-treatment, injection, separation, manipulation and detection. In order to incorporate these analysis functions to a microchip, a novel microfabrication protocol was developed. This method facilitated three-dimensional structures to be fabricated without the need of clean room facilities. The sample pre-treatment step was carried out by solid phase extraction from beads packed in the microchip. Femtomole levels of neuropeptides were detected from samples possessing the same properties as microdialysates. The developed injection system made it possible to conduct injections from a liquid chromatographic separation into a capillary electrophoresis channel, which facilitated for advanced multidimensional separations. An electrochemical sample manipulation system was also developed. In the last part, different electrospray emitter tip designs made directly from the edge of the microchip substrate were developed and evaluated. The emitters were proven to be comparable with conventional, capillary based emitters in stability, durability and dynamic flow range. Although additional developments remain, the analysis steps described in this thesis open a door to an integrated, on-line µ-TAS for neuropeptides analysis in complex biological samples.

This thesis summarises work towards a Lab-on-Chip (LOC). The request for faster and more efficient chemical and biological analysis is the motivation behind the development of the LOC-concept. Microfluidic devices tend to become increasingly complex in order to include, e.g. sample delivery, manipulation, and detection, in one chip. The urge for smart and simple design of robust and low-cost microdevices is addressed and discussed. Design, fabrication and characterization of such microdevices have been demonstrated using low-cost polymer and glass microfabrication methods. The manufacturing is feasible, to a large extent, to perform outside the clean-room, and has subsequently been the chosen technique for most of the work. Issues of bonding reliability are solved by using polymer adhesive tapes. A planar electrocapture device with LOC-compatibility is demonstrated where beads are immobilised and released in a flowing stream. Retention of nanoparticles by means of electric field-flow fractionation using transparent indium tin oxide electrodes is presented. Moreover, a cast PDMS 4-way crossing is enabling a combination of liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis to enhance separation efficiency. Sample transport issues and a new flow-cell design in a quartz crystal microbalance bioanalyzer are also investigated. Fast bacteria counting by impedance measurements, much requested by the pharmaceutical industry for biomass monitoring, is carried out successfully. In conclusion, knowledge in micro system technology to build microdevices have been utilised to manipulate and characterise beads and cells, taking one step further towards viable Lab-on-Chip instruments.