Transient deflection response in microcantilever array integrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics

Lab Chip. 2011 Jun 21;11(12):2088-96. doi: 10.1039/c1lc20025a. Epub 2011 May 5.

Abstract

We report the integration of a nanomechanical sensor consisting of 16 silicon microcantilevers with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics. For microcantilevers positioned near the bottom of a microfluidic flow channel, a transient differential analyte concentration for the top versus bottom surface of each microcantilever is created when an analyte-bearing fluid is introduced into the flow channel (which is initially filled with a non-analyte containing solution). We use this effect to characterize a bare (nonfunctionalized) microcantilever array in which the microcantilevers are simultaneously read out with our recently developed high sensitivity in-plane photonic transduction method. We first examine the case of non-specific binding of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to silicon. The average maximum transient microcantilever deflection in the array is -1.6 nm, which corresponds to a differential surface stress of only -0.23 mN m(-1). This is in excellent agreement with the maximum differential surface stress calculated based on a modified rate equation in conjunction with finite element simulation. Following BSA adsorption, buffer solutions with different pH are introduced to further study microcantilever array transient response. Deflections of 20-100 nm are observed (2-14 mN m(-1) differential surface stress). At a flow rate of 5 μL min(-1), the average measured temporal width (FWHM) of the transient response is 5.3 s for BSA non-specific binding and 0.74 s for pH changes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Microfluidics / instrumentation*
  • Microfluidics / methods
  • Protein Binding
  • Serum Albumin, Bovine / chemistry
  • Serum Albumin, Bovine / metabolism*
  • Silicon / chemistry*
  • Silicon / metabolism

Substances

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes
  • Serum Albumin, Bovine
  • Silicon