Full on-chip nanoliter immunoassay by geometrical magnetic trapping of nanoparticle chains.

We propose an original concept to perform a complete on-chip sandwich immunoassay on magnetic nanoparticles that are self-assembled in chains in a uniform magnetic field. The magnetic chains are retained over periodically enlarged cross sections of a microfluidic channel. Thereby they strongly interact with the flow and rapidly capture the total of a low number of target molecules from nanoliter sample volumes.

Single potential electrophoresis microchip with reduced bias using pressure pulse injection.

We propose two variants of a new injection technique for use in electrophoresis microchips, called "front gate pressure injection" and "back gate pressure injection", that both enable a controlled and reproducible sample introduction with reduced bias compared to electrokinetic gated injection. A continuous flow of a test solution of fluorescein/rhodamine B in 20 mM Tris/boric acid buffer (pH 8.6) sample test solution is electrokinetically driven near to the entrance of the separation channel, using a single voltage (3 kV) that is constant in time.

Pumping of mammalian cells with a nozzle-diffuser micropump.

We discuss the successful transport of jurkat cells and 5D10 hybridoma cells using a reciprocating micropump with nozzle-diffuser elements. The effect of the pumping action on cell viability and proliferation, as well as on the damaging of cellular membranes is quantified using four types of well-established biological tests: a trypan blue solution, the tetrazolium salt WST-1 reagent, the LDH cytotoxicity assay and the calcium imaging ATP test. The high viability levels obtained after pumping, even for the most sensitive cells (5D10), indicate that a micropump with nozzle-diffuser elements can be very appropriate for handling living cells in cell-on-a-chip applications.

Full verification of the liquid exclusion-adsorption chromatography theory using monolithic capillary columns.

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) was used to separate alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs) as model diblock copolymers, with monolithic polymers as stationary phases. The order of elution indicate that the two polymer blocks follow distinct chromatographic modes: size-exclusion for the poly(oxyethylene) group and adsorption interaction for the alkyl part. Therefore, our experimental results were compared to the theory describing liquid exclusion-adsorption chromatography (LEAC).