Title :
Visualization and measurement of dissolved oxygen concentrations in hydrodynamic flow focusing
Author :
Nock, Volker ; Blaikie, Richard J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. for Electr. & Comput. Eng., Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Abstract :
Oxygen is an important parameter with significant effect on cellular development and function. Based on microfluidics, laminar flow and hydrodynamic focusing provide ideal tools for the generation of controlled micro-environments and their application as stimuli to cells. In this paper we demonstrate, for the first time inside a microfluidic device, the generation and characterization of hydrodynamically focused streams with defined dissolved oxygen level. A solid-state oxygen sensor layer was integrated into a PDMS-based microchannel and calibrated. Several combinations of sample and buffer streams with concentrations ranging from 0 to 34 mg/L O2 were generated and measured down to a sample stream width of 20 ¿m. The device has the potential to provide novel insights into cell biology and improve the relevance of in-vitro cell assays.
Keywords :
bioMEMS; biosensors; cellular biophysics; chemical variables measurement; flow visualisation; hydrodynamics; laminar flow; microchannel flow; microsensors; optical sensors; oxygen; O2; PDMS-based microchannel; buffer streams; cell biology; cell stimuli; cellular development; controlled microenvironments; dissolved oxygen concentration measurement; dissolved oxygen concentration visualization; hydrodynamic flow focusing; in-vitro cell assays; laminar flow; microfluidic device; solid-state oxygen sensor layer; Biological cells; Character generation; Fluid flow measurement; Hydrodynamics; Microchannel; Microfluidics; Oxygen; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Solid state circuits; Visualization;
Conference_Titel :
Sensors, 2009 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Christchurch
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-4548-6
Electronic_ISBN :
1930-0395
DOI :
10.1109/ICSENS.2009.5398377