Introduction
Nanochannel fabrication is still a new area, and there is great need for new production technologies of the channels themselves, and for integrated actuating and sensing/detecting elements. The aim of this project is to develop such technologies. A second and equally important aim is to develop new pumping and ion manipulation and detection techniques using these technologies.
In a first phase of the project we developed all-polyimide nanochannels [1] (figure 1).
We showed that the thin polyimide walls of these channels behaved like membranes, and that processes like pervaporation and osmosis occurred in these chips. Such processes can be used for ionic concentration and pumping [2].
During the project we noticed that nanochannels dried up to 1000 times faster than expected. We investigated this effect and found it to be due to corner flow in the sharp corners of these channels, siphoning water to the channels exits where it then evaporates [3].
A review on nanofluidics was also written [4].
Figure 1: SEM picture of a 100 nm high and 5 mm wide all-polyimide nanochannel
References
[1]J.C.T. Eijkel, J.G. Bomer, N.R. Tas and A. van den Berg
Nanochannels fabricated in polyimide, Lab on a Chip 4 (2004) 161-163
[2]J.C.T. Eijkel, J.G. Bomer and A. van den Berg
Osmosis and pervaporation observed in polyimide sub-micron channels, MicroTAS 2004, Malmö, Sweden, pp.405-407
[3]J.C.T. Eijkel, B.Dan, J.G. Bomer and A. van den Berg
Ultrafast drainage of water from nanochannels, MicroTAS 2005 accepted
[4]J.C.T.Eijkel and A. van den Berg
Nanofluidics: what is it and what can we expect from it?
Microfluidics and Nanofluidics DOI: 10.1007/s10404-004-0012-9
Interested?
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