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Thermal Microfluidic Devices; Design, Fabrication And Applications, Benyamin Davaji

Dissertations (1934 -)

This thesis investigates the thermal actuation and temperature measurement methods in microfluidic devices. We designed and fabricated microfluidic devices with various functionalities such as: bio sensing, particle counting, microscale calorimetry, and cellular temperature measurement. All of these functionalities use thermal measurement methods. When quantitative measurements are required, the label-free nature of thermal measurement methods, along with its simple readout, make it a powerful candidate for lab on a chip and bio sensing/detection applications. In this work, thermal measurement methods are used to characterize bio-samples, measure concentrations, study thermal responses, and even perform particle cytometry. However, thermal measurement methods are known …

Detection Of Specific Biological Antigens Using Ac Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Darrel Angelo Mazzari

Dissertations (1934 -)

When certain antigens are present in our environment, a rapid, on-site, accurate, selective, and repeatable detection method can be invaluable in preventing illness or saving lives. Rapid detection of these antigens is important to avert spreading infections.

Currently, capturing a sample and sending it to a laboratory can take weeks to get results, which can be much too long. Conventional sensing methodologies include various electrical measurements as capacitive, potentiometric, piezoelectric, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Of particular power and interest is Alternating Current (AC) Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) which provides for the characterization of the electrical …