Active PZT Composite Microfluidic Channel for Bioparticle Manipulation

Tomas Janusas; Kestutis Pilkauskas; Giedrius Janusas; Arvydas Palevicius

doi:10.3390/s19092020

Active PZT Composite Microfluidic Channel for Bioparticle Manipulation

Sensors (Basel). 2019 Apr 29;19(9):2020. doi: 10.3390/s19092020.

Authors

Tomas Janusas¹, Kestutis Pilkauskas², Giedrius Janusas³, Arvydas Palevicius⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentu str. 56, Kaunas LT-51424, Lithuania. tomas.janusas@ktu.edu.
² Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentu str. 56, Kaunas LT-51424, Lithuania. kestutis.pilkauskas@ktu.lt.
³ Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentu str. 56, Kaunas LT-51424, Lithuania. giedrius.janusas@ktu.lt.
⁴ Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentu str. 56, Kaunas LT-51424, Lithuania. arvydas.palevicius@ktu.lt.

Abstract

The concept of active microchannel for precise manipulation of particles in biomedicine is reported in this paper. A novel vibration-assisted thermal imprint method is proposed for effective formation of a microchannel network in the nanocomposite piezo polymer layer. In this method, bulk acoustic waves of different wavelengths excited in an imprinted microstructure enable it to function in trapping-patterning, valve, or free particle passing modes. Acoustic waves are excited using a special pattern of electrodes formed on its top surface and a single electric ground electrode formed on the bottom surface. To develop the microchannel, we first started with lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanopowder [Pb (Zr_x, Ti_1-x) O₃] synthesis. The PZT was further mixed with three different binding materials-polyvinyl butyral (PVB), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and polystyrene (PS)-in benzyl alcohol to prepare a screen-printing paste. Then, using conventional screen printing techniques, three types of PZT coatings on copper foil substrates were obtained. To improve the voltage characteristics, the coatings were polarized. Their structural and chemical composition was analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the mechanical and electrical characteristics were determined using the COMSOL Multiphysics model with experimentally obtained parameters of periodic response of the layered copper foil structure. The hydrophobic properties of the PZT composite were analyzed by measuring the contact angle between the distilled water drop and the three different polymer composites: PZT with PVB, PZT with PMMA, and PZT with PS. Finally, the behavior of the microchannel formed in the nanocomposite piezo polymer was simulated by applying electrical excitation signal on the pattern of electrodes and then analyzed experimentally using holographic interferometry. Wave-shaped vibration forms of the microchannel were obtained, thereby enabling particle manipulation.

Keywords: thermal replication, PZT composite, bioparticle manipulation.

MeSH terms

Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Lead / chemistry*
Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
Microfluidics / methods*
Polymethyl Methacrylate / chemistry
Polystyrenes / chemistry
Polyvinyls / chemistry
Titanium / chemistry*
Ultrasonics
Zirconium / chemistry*

Substances

Polystyrenes
Polyvinyls
lead titanate zirconate
Lead
polyvinylbutyral
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Zirconium
Titanium

Grants and funding

S-MIP-17-102/Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba