Nano/microfluidic device for high-throughput passive trapping of nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Fluid Dynamics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate nanoparticle collection is crucial for various applications, including diagnostics and environmental monitoring.
• Existing methods often face challenges with efficiency, speed, and precise particle isolation.
• Nanofluidic devices offer potential for high-resolution manipulation of micro and nanoparticles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a novel device for rapid and efficient nanoparticle collection from fluid samples.
• To utilize nanofluidic channels as a passive size-based barrier for particle isolation.
• To characterize the trapping efficiency and flow dynamics of the developed device.

Main Methods:

• Device fabrication involved creating nanofluidic channels with a central collection region covered by a thin membrane.
• Nanoparticles were introduced into the fluid flow, and their trapping efficiency was assessed.
• Fluid flow rates were measured under varying pressures and geometries using particle-free fluid.
• The impact of trapped particle concentration on flow rates was investigated.

Main Results:

• The device demonstrated 100% trapping efficiency for particles within a 6-12 µm radius from the central point.
• Particle-free fluid flow rates ranged from 1.88 to 3.69 nl/s.
• High concentrations of trapped nanoparticles significantly affected the observed flow rates.
• For dilute suspensions (30-300 aM), 8-80 particles were captured within 500 seconds.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanofluidic device enables rapid and highly efficient collection of nanoparticles.
• The passive size-based barrier trap effectively isolates particles, offering precise control.
• The findings have implications for microfluidic-based assays, diagnostics, and environmental sensing technologies.