A reconfigurable optofluidic Michelson interferometer using tunable droplet grating.
TL;DR: A novel optofluidic Michelson interferometer based on droplet microfluidics used to create a droplet grating that has a real-time tunability in the grating period through varying the flow rates of the liquids and index variation via different combinations of liquids.
Abstract: This paper presents a novel optofluidic Michelson interferometer based on droplet microfluidics used to create a droplet grating. The droplet grating is formed by a stream of plugs in the microchannel with constant refractive index variation. It has a real-time tunability in the grating period through varying the flow rates of the liquids and index variation via different combinations of liquids. The optofluidic Michelson interferometer is highly sensitive and is suitable for the measurement of biomedical and biochemical buffer solutions. The experimental results show that it has a sensitivity of 66.7 nm per refractive index unit (RIU) and a detection range of 0.086 RIU.
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TL;DR: The results show that the integration of plasmonics and microfluidics allows for new opportunities in developing complex plAsmonic elements with multiple functionalities, high-sensitivity and high-throughput biomedical detection systems, as well as on-chip, all-optical information processing techniques.
Abstract: Plasmonics provides an unparalleled method for manipulating light beyond the diffraction limit, making it a promising technology for the development of ultra-small, ultra-fast and power-efficient optical devices. To date, the majority of plasmonic devices are in the solid state and have limited tunability or configurability. Moreover, individual solid-state plasmonic devices lack the ability to deliver multiple functionalities. Here we utilize laser-induced surface bubbles on a metal film to demonstrate, for the first time, a plasmonic lens in a microfluidic environment. Our ‘plasmofluidic lens’ is dynamically tunable and reconfigurable. We record divergence, collimation and focusing of surface plasmon polaritons using this device. The plasmofluidic lens requires no sophisticated nanofabrication and utilizes only a single low-cost diode laser. Our results show that the integration of plasmonics and microfluidics allows for new opportunities in developing complex plasmonic elements with multiple functionalities, high-sensitivity and high-throughput biomedical detection systems, as well as on-chip, all-optical information processing techniques.
130 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that nuclear deformation is a critical and rate-limiting step for transmigration of highly metastatic human breast cancer cells andTransmigration was significantly reduced following the treatment with a protein methyltransferase inhibitor, suggesting that chromatin condensation might play an important role.
Abstract: Metastasis is the main cause of cancer mortality. During this process, cancer cells dislodge from a primary tumor, enter the circulation and form secondary tumors in distal organs. It is poorly understood how these cells manage to cross the tight syncytium of endothelial cells that lines the capillaries. Such capillary transmigration would require a drastic change in cell shape. We have therefore developed a microfluidic platform to study the transmigration of cancer cells. The device consists of an array of microchannels mimicking the confined spaces encountered. A thin glass coverslip bottom allows high resolution imaging of cell dynamics. We show that nuclear deformation is a critical and rate-limiting step for transmigration of highly metastatic human breast cancer cells. Transmigration was significantly reduced following the treatment with a protein methyltransferase inhibitor, suggesting that chromatin condensation might play an important role. Since transmigration is critical for cancer metastasis, this new platform may be useful for developing improved cancer therapies.
109 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that it is necessary to use pulsatile shear stress to represent the physiological conditions of the blood flow, and the advantage of utilizing this newly developed hemodynamic Lab-on-a-chip system over the conventional non-pulsatile system in the future shear Stress related studies is demonstrated.
Abstract: A hemodynamic Lab-on-a-chip system was developed in this study. This system has two unique features: (1) it consists of a microfluidic network with an array of endothelial cell seeding sites for testing them under multiple conditions, and (2) the flow rate and the frequency of the culture medium in the microchannel are controlled by a pulsation free pump to mimic the flow profile of the blood in the blood vessel under different physiological conditions. The investigated physiological conditions were: (1) the resting condition in a normal shear stress of 15 dyne cm−2 with a normal heart rate of 70 bpm, (2) an exhaustive exercise condition with a high shear stress of 30 dyne cm−2 and a fast heart rate of 140 bpm, and (3) a constant high shear stress of 30 dyne cm−2. Two chemical conditions were investigated (10 mM and 20 mM glucose) to mimic hyperglycemic conditions in diabetes patients. The effects of various shear stresses either alone or in combination with different glucose concentrations on endothelial cells were examined using the developed hemodynamic Lab-on-a-chip system by assessing two parameters. One is the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) determined by a fluorescent probe, H2DCFDA. Another is the mitochondrial morphology revealed with a fluorescent dye, MitoTracker Green FM. The results showed that ROS level was elevated nearly 4-fold after 60 min of exhaustive exercise. We found that the pulsatile nature of the fluid was the determination factor for causing ROS generation in the cells as almost no increase of ROS was detected in the constant shear stress condition. Similarly, much higher level of ROS was detected when 10 mM glucose was applied to the cells under normal or high pulsatile shear stresses compared with under a static condition. These results suggest that it is necessary to use pulsatile shear stress to represent the physiological conditions of the blood flow, and demonstrate the advantage of utilizing this newly developed hemodynamic Lab-on-a-chip system over the conventional non-pulsatile system in the future shear stress related studies.
88 citations
TL;DR: The design enables a refractometer with a low limit of detection, low variability, and high sensitivity, comparable to state-of-the-art optofluidic refractometers that involve complex fabrication processes and/or expensive, bulky optics.
Abstract: We have developed a planar, optofluidic Mach–Zehnder interferometer for the label-free detection of liquid samples. In contrast to most on-chip interferometers which require complex fabrication, our design was realized via a simple, single-layer soft lithography fabrication process. In addition, a single-wavelength laser source and a silicon photodetector were the only optical equipment used for data collection. The device was calibrated using published data for the refractive index of calcium chloride (CaCl2) in solution, and the biosensing capabilities of the device were tested by detecting bovine serum albumin (BSA). Our design enables a refractometer with a low limit of detection (1.24 × 10−4 refractive index units (RIU)), low variability (1 × 10−4 RIU), and high sensitivity (927.88 oscillations per RIU). This performance is comparable to state-of-the-art optofluidic refractometers that involve complex fabrication processes and/or expensive, bulky optics. The advantages of our device (i.e. simple fabrication process, straightforward optical equipment, low cost, and high detection sensitivity) make it a promising candidate for future mass-producible, inexpensive, highly sensitive, label-free optical detection systems.
80 citations
TL;DR: The developed optofluidic imaging system has high potential not only for building up a database of biophysical signatures of waterborne bacteria, but also for developing single-bacterium detection in treated water that is in real-time, label-free and low cost.
Abstract: In this paper, for the first time, an on-chip optofluidic imaging system is innovated to measure the biophysical signatures of single waterborne bacteria, including both their refractive indices and morphologies (size and shape), based on immersion refractometry. The key features of the proposed optofluidic imaging platform include (1) multiple sites for single-bacterium trapping, which enable parallel measurements to achieve higher throughput, and (2) a chaotic micromixer, which enables efficient refractive index variation of the surrounding medium. In the experiments, the distinctive refractive index of Echerichia coli, Shigella flexneri and Vibrio cholera are measured with a high precision of 5 × 10−3 RIU. The developed optofluidic imaging system has high potential not only for building up a database of biophysical signatures of waterborne bacteria, but also for developing single-bacterium detection in treated water that is in real-time, label-free and low cost.
47 citations
References
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TL;DR: Experimental results support the assertion that the dominant contribution to the dynamics of break-up arises from the pressure drop across the emerging droplet or bubble.
Abstract: This article describes the process of formation of droplets and bubbles in microfluidic T-junction geometries. At low capillary numbers break-up is not dominated by shear stresses: experimental results support the assertion that the dominant contribution to the dynamics of break-up arises from the pressure drop across the emerging droplet or bubble. This pressure drop results from the high resistance to flow of the continuous (carrier) fluid in the thin films that separate the droplet from the walls of the microchannel when the droplet fills almost the entire cross-section of the channel. A simple scaling relation, based on this assertion, predicts the size of droplets and bubbles produced in the T-junctions over a range of rates of flow of the two immiscible phases, the viscosity of the continuous phase, the interfacial tension, and the geometrical dimensions of the device.
2,071 citations
TL;DR: D devices in which optics and fluidics are used synergistically to synthesize novel functionalities are described, according to three broad categories of interactions: fluid–solid interfaces, purely fluidic interfaces and colloidal suspensions.
Abstract: We describe devices in which optics and fluidics are used synergistically to synthesize novel functionalities. Fluidic replacement or modification leads to reconfigurable optical systems, whereas the implementation of optics through the microfluidic toolkit gives highly compact and integrated devices. We categorize optofluidics according to three broad categories of interactions: fluid–solid interfaces, purely fluidic interfaces and colloidal suspensions. We describe examples of optofluidic devices in each category.
1,700 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the transmission properties of a guide consisting of a dielectric rod with rectangular cross section, surrounded by several dielectrics of smaller refractive indices.
Abstract: We study the transmission properties of a guide consisting of a dielectric rod with rectangular cross section, surrounded by several dielectrics of smaller refractive indices. This guide is suitable for integrated optical circuitry because of its size, single-mode operation, mechanical stability, simplicity, and precise construction. After making some simplifying assumptions, we solve Maxwell's equations in closed form and find, that, because of total internal reflection, the guide supports two types of hybrid modes which are essentially of the TEM kind polarized at right angles. Their attenuations are comparable to that of a plane wave traveling in the material of which the rod is made. If the refractive indexes are chosen properly, the guide can support only the fundamental modes of each family with any aspect ratio of the guide cross section. By adding thin lossy layers, the guide presents higher loss to one of those modes. As an alternative, the guide can be made to support only one of the modes if part of the surrounding dielectrics is made a low impedance medium. Finally, we determine the coupling between parallel guiding rods of slightly different sizes and dielectrics; at wavelengths around one micron, 3-dB directional couplers, a few hundred microns long, can be achieved with separations of the guides about the same as their widths (a few microns).
1,620 citations
TL;DR: A novel class of highly sensitive sensors based on long-period fiber gratings that can be implemented with simple and inexpensive demodulation schemes are presented.
Abstract: We present a novel class of highly sensitive sensors based on long-period fiber gratings that can be implemented with simple and inexpensive demodulation schemes. Temperature, strain, and refractive-index resolutions of 0.65 °C, 65.75 μ∈, and 7.69 × 10−5, respectively, are demonstrated for gratings fabricated in standard telecommunication fibers.
1,267 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors demonstrate that the change in wavelength of a long period fiber grating attenuation band with changes in external index of refraction can be enhanced by proper selection of the grating period.
Abstract: This paper demonstrates that the change in wavelength of a long period fiber grating attenuation band with changes in external index of refraction can be enhanced by proper selection of the grating period. We calculate and experimentally verify that the wavelength shift caused by changing the external index from n=1 to n=1.44 of the attenuation band which appears in the 1400-1600 nm region in a 200-/spl mu/m period grating is four times that in a 350-/spl mu/m period grating. Changes in the spectrum over a wavelength range from 1100 to 1600 nm and 1
747 citations