An implantable compound-releasing capsule triggered on demand by ultrasound.

Implantable devices have a large potential to improve human health, but they are often made of biofouling materials that necessitate special coatings, rely on electrical connections for external communication, and require a continuous power source. This paper demonstrates an alternative platform, which we call iTAG (implantable thermally actuated gel), where an implanted capsule can be wirelessly controlled by ultrasound to trigger the release of compounds. We constructed a millimeter-sized capsule containing a co-polymer gel (NiPAAm-co-AAm) that contracts above body temperature (i.

Dual photonic-electrochemical lab on a chip for online simultaneous absorbance and amperometric measurements.

A dual lab on a chip (DLOC) approach that enables simultaneous optical and electrochemical detection working in a continuous flow regime is presented. Both detection modes are integrated for the first time into a single detection volume and operate simultaneously with no evidence of cross-talk. The electrochemical cell was characterized amperometrically by measuring the current in ferrocyanide solutions at +0.

Microchip electroseparation of proteins using lipid-based nanoparticles.

Porous liquid crystalline lipid-based nanoparticles are shown here to enable protein analysis in microchip electroseparation by reducing sample adsorption. Additionally, higher stability and reproducibility of the separations were observed. The method was tested by separating green fluorescent protein (GFP) in hot embossed cyclic olefin polymer microchips with integrated fiber grooves for LIF detection.

A cyclo olefin polymer microfluidic chip with integrated gold microelectrodes for aqueous and non-aqueous electrochemistry.

This paper presents an entirely polymeric microfluidic system, made of cyclo olefin polymer (COP), with integrated gold microband electrodes for electrochemical applications in organic media. In the present work, we take advantage of the COP's high chemical stability to polar organic solvents in two different ways: (i) to fabricate gold microelectrodes using COP as a substrate by standard lithographic and lift-off techniques; and (ii) to perform electrochemical experiments in organic media. In particular, fourteen parallel gold microelectrodes with a width of 14 microm and separated from their closest neighbour by 16 microm were fabricated by lithographic and lift-off techniques on a 188 microm thick COP sheet.

Electrophoresis microchip with integrated waveguides for simultaneous native UV fluorescence and absorbance detection.

Simultaneous label-free detection of UV absorbance and native UV-excited fluorescence in an electrophoresis microchip is presented. UV transparent integrated waveguides launch light at a wavelength of 254 nm from a mercury lamp along the length of a 1-mm long detection cell. Transmitted UV light is collected by another waveguide in the opposite end of the detection cell, while visible fluorescence is collected vertically through the lid of the chip.

On-chip electric field driven electrochemical detection using a poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchannel with gold microband electrodes.

An external electric field driven in-channel detection technique for on-chip electrochemical detection in micro fabricated devices is described based on a microfluidic system containing an array of 20 microband electrodes. It is shown that an external electric field induces a potential difference between two gold microband electrodes in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchannel, and that this enables the electrochemical detection of electroactive species such as ascorbic acid and Fe(CN) 6 (4-). The results, which are supported by simulations of the behavior of the microband electrodes in the microfluidic system, show that the induced potential difference between the electrodes can be controlled by altering the external electric field or by using different microbands in the microband array.

A new method for the study of processes at the liquid-liquid interface using an array of microdroplets on a au electrode.

We report the fabrication of partially blocked gold electrodes, with regularly and hexagonally spaced inert hydrophobic blocks on their surface. The hydrophobic blocks, with diameters of 5 mum, are used to support liquid 5-nonyl-salicylaldoxime (Acorga-P50) droplets on the surface. By voltametrically monitoring the transport-controlled reduction rate of Cu(II) (in pH 5 solution) at the unblocked part of the gold surface it is possible to deduce, via simulation, the parameters controlling the rate of uptake of Cu(II) at the droplet-aqueous solution interface as the droplet "fills up" with Cu(II).

Diffusional protection of electrode surfaces using regular arrays of immobilised droplets: overcoming interferences in electroanalysis.

Regular arrays of ca. micron sized droplets on a gold electrode surface can block diffusion to the electrode surface of one metal ion (which binds with the material in the droplet) whilst having no significant effect on another (which does not), so allowing interference effects in electroanalysis to be eliminated.

Gold ultra-microelectrode arrays: application to the steady-state voltammetry of hydroxide ion in aqueous solution.

Gold ultra-microelectrode arrays are used to explore the electrochemical oxidation of hydroxide ions and are shown to be analytical useful. Two types of ultra-microelectrode arrays are used; the first consist of 256 individual electrodes of 5 microm in radius, 170 of which are electrochemically active in a cubic arrangement which are separated from their nearest neighbour by a distance of 100 microm. The second array compromises 2597 electrodes of 2.

Regular arrays of microdisc electrodes: simulation quantifies the fraction of 'dead' electrodes.

Arrays of microdisc electrodes have found widespread use in electroanalysis. These are commonly produced lithographically and practical arrays may contain up to hundreds of individual disc electrodes (e.g.