Novel PDMS-Based Sensor System for MPWM Measurements of Picoliter Volumes in Microfluidic Devices

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Precise control of microfluidic transport is crucial for automatic microinjection in biomedical and genetic research.
• Existing methods may lack the necessary precision for picoliter-level applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and manufacture a PDMS-based sensor for precise microfluidic control.
• To develop a microfluidic pulse width modulation (MPWM) system for automatic picoliter-level microinjections.

Main Methods:

• Utilized microwire molding to create a PDMS microchannel sensor.
• Integrated computer-aided detection and tracking of fluid elements for sensor control.
• Employed image processing with high-precision equipment (sub-micrometer accuracy) for volume measurement.

Main Results:

• Developed a PDMS microinjection sensor integrated with an MPWM system.
• Achieved precise measurement of microfluidic volumes under visual detection.
• Calibrated the MPWM system to enhance reproducibility and accuracy in microfluidic volume detection.

Conclusions:

• The novel PDMS-based sensor system enables intelligent real-time control for automatic microinjections.
• This advancement contributes to new developments in the design, control, and application of intelligent sensor systems in microfluidics.