Microfluidic couplers and an in-line osmometer for integrated sample preparation in a cell-based biosensor system

Two novel coupling techniques are presented, demonstrating the capacity for high pressure and re-connectable microfluidic coupling. These interfaces enable the interconnection of standard fused-silica capillaries and microfluidic dice by incorporating coupling features directly into the fluidic substrate with deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technology. The result is microfluidic connections that are easier to use and are compatible with the pressures utilized for the vast majority of microfluidic applications. One of these coupling technologies is then leveraged in the realization of a device for measuring dissolved solute concentration, commonly referred to as an osmometer. A unique feature of the osmometry device is that it that enables serial sample introduction without direct operator intervention, thus is an “in-line” device as defined here. The sample material can move through the system continuously or in a step-wise fashion.; This in-line microfabricated osmometer meets the needs of a deployable sample preparation system which is required for the implementation of modular cell-based chemical and biological systems. Cell-based systems are those that utilize living cells as the primary transducers in a detection system. Dissolved solute concentration affects the osmotic pressure the cells experience, and thus the need for an osmometer. While osmometers have been in commercial production for over thirty years and several devices commercially available exhibit comparable levels of power consumption, evaluation time, size, and accuracy, none offer in-line functionality. The osmometer developed in this body of work consumes less average power than commercial devices while performing comparably otherwise.