Microwave Microfluidics is an emerging measurement and analysis approach that can quantify thermo-physical properties of solutions within microfluidic channels using broad-frequency electromagnetic measurement techniques. The flexibility of microfluidic approaches allows for potential integration of multiple measurements for a single fluid sample. Integration of multiple measurement modalities can provide a more detailed understanding of the inter-molecular environment for complex fluid systems.

 

We are actively pursuing integration of acoustic stimuli and measurement modalities with existing Microwave Microfluidics techniques in order to gain a better understanding of the thermo-physical properties of complex fluid samples. This requires the development of new expertise in acoustic measurements of fluids, from bulk samples down to the tiny volumes used in microfluidic devices. The design, fabrication, measurement, and analysis of integrated devices incorporating acoustic techniques is a current project focus, requiring new cross-disciplinary approaches to adapt established acoustic techniques to be compatible with, and provide additional information for, measurements performed using current-generation Microwave Microfluidics devices.

 

References:

A. C. Stelson et al., “Measuring ion-pairing and hydration in variable charge supramolecular cages with microwave microfluidics,” Communications Chemistry, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 54, May 2019, doi: 10.1038/s42004-019-0157-9.

A. C. Stelson et al., “Label-free detection of conformational changes in switchable DNA nanostructures with microwave microfluidics,” Nature Communications, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1174, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09017-z.

Acoustics; Acoustofluidics; Biosensing; Microwave; Microfluidics; Label-free Sensing; On-Chip Measurements;

citizenship

Open to U.S. citizens

level

Open to Postdoctoral applicants