Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7139014 | Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical | 2018 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Pneumatically-actuated monolithic membrane microvalves are powerful microfluidic tools that can be integrated into programmable microfluidic architectures (PMAs) for multiple portable chemical analysis applications, including point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, environmental science, space exploration, etcâ¦. However, these systems have not seen wide-scale deployment in industry or spaceflight due in part to (1) a concern that these systems may have a limited shelf-life and (2) a concern that performance depends on specific device orientation in a gravitational field. To address these concerns, we functionally tested a Mars Organic Analyzer microdevice fabricated in 2005 after 10 years of storage under ambient conditions. Using a square wave with a 500 millisecond (ms) actuation pulse width and a 1000â¯ms period and operating under vacuum at â980â¯millibar (mbar) from ambient pressure, all pneumatically-actuated valves opened in less than 1â¯h. The vacuum required to actuate an open valve ranged from â218 to â175â¯mbar from ambient pressure. The microvalves were then programmed to transfer fluid through the microdevice for flow rate characterization. Fluidic transfer occurred at a flow rate of 122â¯Â±â¯8 microliters/minute (μL/min) right-side up in Earth's gravitational field and 114â¯Â±â¯14â¯Î¼L/min upside down in Earth's gravitational field, indicating likely successful implementation in an orbital microgravity environment. This demonstration that microdevices retain full functionality after over 10 years of storage combined with successful operation in multiple orientations in Earth's gravitational field further validates the value of microdevices based on these microvalves for fluidic manipulation and sample handling in outer planetary missions.
Keywords
POCMtBSTFASample Analysis at MarsmecAMSLEOAWCLMOAparts-per-trillionRIEASISAMLabVIEWMicrofluidicsPDMSDNAPMAMars Science LaboratoryAstrobiologydeoxyribonucleic acidReactive-ion etchingELISAEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assayCADComputer-aided designLDHpoint of carepolymerase chain reactionPCRPolydimethylsiloxane
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry
Authors
Zachary A. Duca, George K. Tan, Thomas Cantrell, Michelle Van Enige, Max Dorn, Michael Cato, Nicholas C. Speller, Aaron Pital, Richard A. Mathies, Amanda M. Stockton,