1. A dynamically deformable microfilter for selective separation of specific substances in microfluidics
- Author
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Masaaki Iwatsuki, Hideo Baba, Yusuke Kitamura, Seitaro Kumamoto, Yuta Nakashima, Souichiro Fukuyama, Kenshiro Nakatake, Keiichiro Yasuda, Yoshitaka Nakanishi, and Toshihiro Ihara
- Subjects
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes ,Materials science ,Hydrodynamic forces ,Aptamer ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Microfluidics ,Biomedical Engineering ,02 engineering and technology ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,law.invention ,Colloid and Surface Chemistry ,law ,General Materials Science ,Deformation (engineering) ,Photolithography ,Composite material ,0210 nano-technology ,Electroplating ,Solution flow ,Filtration ,Regular Articles - Abstract
To study an environmental or biological solution, it is essential to separate its constituents. In this study, a 3D-deformable dynamic microfilter was developed to selectively separate the target substance from a solution. This microfilter is a fine metallic nickel structure fabricated using photolithography and electroplating techniques. It is gold-coated across its entire surface with multiple slits of 10–20 μm in width. Its two-dimensional shape is deformed into a three-dimensional shape when used for fluid separation due to hydrodynamic forces. By adjusting the pressure applied to the microfilter, the size of the gap created by deformation can be changed. To effectively isolate the target substance, the relationship between the solution flow rate and the extent of microfilter deformation was investigated. The filtration experiments demonstrated the microfilter’s ability to isolate the target substance with elastic deformation without undergoing plastic deformation. Additionally, modification of the microfilter surface with nucleic acid aptamers resulted in the selective isolation of the target cell, which further demonstrates the potential application of microfilters in the isolation of specific components of heterogeneous solutions.
- Published
- 2020