• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.19-19
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• 2005

This paper reports a novel magnetic force-based microfluidic immunoassay using microbeads and magnetic nanoparticles. The magnetic force-based immunoassay was devised first and successfully applied to detect the rabbit IgG as the model analyte of microfluidic sandwich immunoassay. The microchannels were fabricated by poly(dimethysiloxane) (PDMS) molding processes and bonded on a slide glass by plasma treatment. At the part of the inlet, sample solution was hydrodynamically focused. The focused microbeads of sample solution were flowed through the 150 ${\mu}m$ width channel of outlet. However, when the microbeads are conjugated with the superparamagnetic nanoparticles under the applied magnetic fields, they will switch their flow path and flow through the 95 ${\mu}m$ width channel of outlet. The movements of microbeads conjugated with magnetic nanoparticles were demonstrated by magnetic field $gradients.^{1)}$ High magnetic field gradients using micro electromagnets could be applied to this detection method for high sensitivity and lower detection limit. In addition, the multiplexed $immunoassay^{2)}$ using an encoded microbead which is immobilized with a certain antibody could be possible using this detection principle.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.288-292
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• 2006

Through statistically designed experiments, lysis agents were optimized to effectively disrupt bacterial cells in a microfluidic device. Most surfactants caused the efficient lysis of Gram-positive microbes, but not of Gram-negative bacteria. A Plackett-Burman design was used to select the components that increase the efficiency of the lysis of the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. Using this experimental design, both lysozyme and benzalkonium chloride were shown to significantly increase the cell lysis efficiency, and ATP was extracted in proportion to the lysis efficiency. Benzalkonium chloride affected the cell membrane physically, while lysozyme destroyed the cell wall, and the amount of ATP extracted increased through the synergistic interaction of these two components. The two-factor response-surface design method was used to determine the optimum concentrations of lysozyme and benzalkonium chloride, which were found to be 202 and 99 ppm, respectively. The lysis effect was further verified by microscopic observations in the microchannels. These results indicate that Gram-negative cells can be lysed efficiently in a microfluidic device, thereby allowing the rapid detection of bacterial cells using a bioluminescence-based assay of the released ATP.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.978-986
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• 1999

In this study, the general thermal and flow characteristics of flat tube with micro-channels has been studied and the correlation of Nusselt number and friction factor is proposed. The optimal flat tube geometry is determined by optimal design process. It is assumed to be a three dimensional laminar flow in the analysis of thermal and flow characteristics. The periodic boundary condition is applied since the geometry of flat tube with micro-channels shows uniform cross-section in primary flow direction. Local Nusselt number is examined for thermal characteristics of each membrane, and module average Nusselt number and friction factor are calculated to determine the characteristics of the heat transfer and pressure drop in overall flat tube with microchannels. The correlations between Nusselt number and friction factor are given by Reynolds number, aspect ratio of membranes, and the width of flat tube. ALM (Augmented Lagrangian Multiplier) method is applied to the correlations to determine an optimal shape of flat tube. It is shown that the optimal aspect ratio of flat tube is approximately 1.0, irrespective of the width of flat tube and Reynolds number.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2007

The control of surface properties and spatial presentation of functional molecules within a microfluidic channel is important for the development of diagnostic assays, microreactors, and for performing fundamental studies of cell biology and fluid mechanics. Here, we present soft lithographic methods to create robust microchannels with patterned microstructures inside the channel. The patterned regions were protected from oxygen plasma by controlling the dimensions of the poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PDMS) mold as well as the sequence of fabrication steps. The approach was used to pattern a non-biofouling polyethylene glycol(PEG)-based copolymer or the polysaccharide hyaluronic acid(HA) within microfluidic channels. These non-biofouling patterns were then used to fabricate arrays of fibronectin(FN) and bovine serum albumin(BSA) as well as mammalian cells.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.286-289
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• 2003

We investigated the influence of the properties of substrate material on the separation efficiency in microchip electrophoresis. We fabricated the various microchips and studied separation efficiency in microchannels composed of a single material such as quartz, glass, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and polymethylmetha crylate (PMMA), as well as hybrid micro channels composed of different materials. New fabrication process for glass chip was suggested and some treatment is added to improve fabrication process in other chip. Separation efficiency was compared by measuring migration times and bandwidths of EOF and analytes in each microchip. The efficiency is the function of migration time, which is affected by the electroosmotic flow (EOF), and bandwidth of an analyte. EOF is highly dependent upon the characteristics of a microchannel wall surface. Migration time was more reproducible in silica chips than that of PDMS chip and more band broadening was observed in the microchip composed of hybrid material due to non-uniformity of surface charge density at the walls of the channel.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2004

It is of great interest to enhance mixing performance in a microchannel in which the flow is usually characterized as a low Reynolds number (Re) so that good mixing is quite difficult to be achieved in this laminar flow regime. In this regard, we present a new chaotic passive micromixer, named Barrier Embedded Micromixer (BEM), of which the mixing mechanism is based on chaotic flows. In BEM, chaotic flow is induced by periodic perturbation of the velocity field due to periodically inserted barriers along the channel wall while a helical type of flow is obtained by slanted grooves on the bottom surface of the channel in the pressure driven flow. To experimentally compare the mixing performance, a T-microchannel and a microchannel with only slanted grooves were also fabricated. All microchannels were made of PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) from SU-8 masters that were fabricated by conventional photolithography. Mixing performance was experimentally characterized with respect to an average mixing intensity by means of color change of phenolphthalein as pH indicator. It was found that mixing efficiency decreases as Re increases for all three micromixers. Experimental results obviously indicate that BEM has better mixing performance than the other two. Chaotic mixing mechanism, suggested in this study, can be easily applied to integrated microfluidic systems , such as Micro-Total-Analysis-System, Lab-on-a-chip and so on.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.69-77
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• 2011

A peristaltic micropump with lightweight piezo-composite actuator (LIPCA) membrane valves is presented. The micropump contained three cylinder chambers that were connected by microchannels and two active membrane valves. A circular miniature LIPCA was developed and manufactured to be used as actuating diaphragms. The LIPCA diaphragm acted as an active membrane valve that alternate between open and closed positions at the inlet and outlet in order to produce high pumping pressure. In this LIPCA, a lead zirconium titanate ceramic with a thickness of 0.1 mm was used as an active layer. The results confirmed that the actuator produced a large out-of-plane deflection. During the design process, a coupled field analysis was conducted in order to predict the actuating behavior of the LIPCA diaphragm; the behavior of the actuator was investigated from both a theoretical and experimental perspective. The active membrane valve concept was introduced as a means for increasing pumping pressure, and microelectromechanical system techniques were used to fabricate the peristaltic micropump. The pumping performance was analyzed experimentally in terms of the flow rate, pumping pressure and power consumption.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.587-593
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• 2002

The present research proposes a pressure based approach along with Langmuir slip condition for predicting microscale fluid flows. Using this method, gaseous slip flows in 2 -dimensional microchannels are numerically investigated. Compared to the DSMC simulation, statistical errors could be avoided and computing time is much less than that of the aforementioned molecular approach. Maxwell slip boundary condition is also studied in this research. These two slip conditions give similar results except for the pressure nonlinearity at high Knudsen number regime. However, Langmuir slip condition seems to be more promising because this does not need to calculate the streamwise velocity gradient accurately and to calibrate the empirical accommodation coefficient. The simulation results show that the proposed method using Langmuir slip condition is an effective tool for predicting compressibility and rarefaction in microscale slip flows.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.939-946
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• 2009

Wettability is a critical parameter in micro-scale two-phase system. Several previous results indicate that wettability has influential affect on two-phase flow pattern in a microchannel. However, previous studies conducted using circular microtube, which was made by conventional fabrication techniques. Although most applications for micro thermal hydraulic system has used a rectangular microchannel, data for the rectangular microchannel is totally lack. In this study, a hydrophilic rectangular microchannel was fabricated using a photosensitive glass. And a hydrophobic rectangular microchannel was prepared using silanization of glass surfaces with OTS (octa-dethyl-trichloro-siliane). Experiments of two-phase flow in the hydrophilic and the hydrophobic rectangular microchannels were conducted using water and nitrogen gas. Visualization of twophase flow pattern was carried out using a high-speed camera and a long distance microscope. Visualization results show that the wettability was important for two-phase flow pattern in rectangular microchannel. In addition, two-phase frictional pressure drop was highly related with flow patterns. Finally, Two-phase frictional pressure drop was analyzed with flow patterns.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.320-329
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• 2007

Electrokinesis and dielectrophoresis are important transport phenomena produced by external electric field applied to a microchannel containing a conductive fluid. We developed a CFD code to predict electrokinetic and dielectrophoretic flows in a microchannel with a uniform circular post array. Using the code, we calculated particle velocities driven by electrokinesis and dielectrophoresis, and conducted Monte Carlo simulations to visualize the particle motions. The code was validated by comparing the results with those from previous studies in literature. At a low electric field, electrokinesis and diffusion is the dominant transport mechanism. At a moderate electric field, dielectrophoresis is balanced with electrokinesis and diffusion, resulting in flowing filaments of particles in the microchannels. However, dielectrophoresis overwhelms the flow at a high electric field and traps particles locally. These results provide useful insight for optimizing design parameters of a microfluidic chip for biochemical analysis, especially for development of on-chip sample pretreatment techniques using electrokinetic and dielectrophoretic effects.