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UM E-Theses Collection (澳門大學電子學位論文庫)

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Title

Electronic-automated intelligent digital microfluidic system and its applications to DNA amplification

English Abstract

The distinct manageability of Digital microfluidics (DMF) has rendered it a promising platform for building large-scale micro-reactors on a single chip for closedloop automation. However, the poor reliability and lifetime of chip has hindered DMF from being utilized. For a reliable chip and low cost control electronics, lower actuation voltage is desired and can be achieved by utilizing a composite-dielectric layer, which unfortunately do not adhere chemically to each other. To surmount this problem, this research proposed a silane-based adhesion promoter transforming the bonding of the dielectric layers from mechanical to chemical. It measured > 100x improvement of chip lifetime and the refined chip-fabrication protocol also allowed low EWOD actuation voltages down to 5 V. Although the DMF chip is reasonably robust, the hydrodynamic complexity of droplets in a digital microfluidic (DMF) system eventually weakens its potential for applications in large-scale chemical/biological micro-reactors. Thus, intelligent control becomes a key feature for managing such a sophisticated system. An intelligent DMF technology is presented here. A wide variety of control-engaged droplet manageability is proposed and demonstrated through the operation of our modular DMF prototype. This work exhibits the first DMF prototype system with built-in electronic-control software-defined intelligence to enhance the fidelity and reliability of each operation, allowing future applications in a wide range of life science chemical analyses. Nucleic Acids analysis has been extremely important in life science for the genetic information it encodes, the amplification of which is often needed for further analysis. Different methods have been invented for DNA amplification including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP). With the LAMP method, unlike PCR, no heating for denaturation of the double-stranded DNA and cooling for primer binding on single-stranded DNA are needed. The whole procedure is very simple and rapid and gene amplification can be visualized by naked eyes. The present study developed an intelligent DMF platform for LAMP-on-chip. LAMP samples are programmably manipulated in DMF. The system provides many advantages in terms of automation, cost and time saving, crosscontamination free, higher amplification efficiency compared with conventional benchtop LAMP instruments.

Issue date

2015.

Author

Gao, Jie

Faculty

Faculty of Science and Technology

Department

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject

Microfluidics

Microfluidic devices

Supervisor

Martins, Rui Paulo

Files In This Item

Full-text (Internet)

Location
1/F Zone C
Library URL
991000828539706306