Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Construction and characterisation of a modular microfluidic system: coupling magnetic capture and electrochemical detection

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Microfluidics and Nanofluidics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This work presents the fabrication and characterisation of a versatile lab-on-a-chip system that combines magnetic capture and electrochemical detection. The system comprises a silicon chip featuring a series of microband electrodes, a PDMS gasket that incorporates the microfluidic channels, and a polycarbonate base where permanent magnets are hosted; these parts are designed to fit so that wire bonding and encapsulation are avoided. This system can perform bioassays over the surface of magnetic beads and uses only 50 μL of bead suspension per assay. Following detection, captured beads are released simply by sliding a thin iron plate between the magnets and the chip. Particles are captured upstream from the detector and we demonstrate how to take further advantage of the system fluidics to determine enzyme activities or concentrations, as flow velocity can be adjusted to the rate of the reactions under study. We used magnetic particles containing β-galactosidase and monitored the enzyme activity amperometrically by the oxidation of 4-aminophenol, enzymatically produced from 4-aminophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside. The system is able to detect the presence of enzyme down to approximately 50 ng mL−1.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Scheme 1
Scheme 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alden JA, Feldman MA, Hill E, Prieto F, Oyama M, Coles BA, Compton RG, Dobson PJ, Leigh PA (1998) Channel microband electrode arrays for mechanistic electrochemistry. Two-dimensional voltammetry: transport-limited currents. Anal Chem 70:1707–1720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amatore C, Da Mota N, Sella C, Thouin L (2008) General concept of high-performance amperometric detector for microfluidic (bio)analytical chips. Anal Chem 80:4976–4985

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baldrich E, Muñoz FX (2008) Enzyme shadowing: using antibody-enzyme dually labeled magnetic particles for fast bacterial detection. Analyst 133:1009–1012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bard AJ, Faulkner LR (2001) Electrochemical methods: fundamentals and applications. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi JW, Oh KW, Thomas JH, Heineman WR, Halsall HB, Nevin JH, Helmicki AJ, Henderson HT, Ahn CH (2002) An integrated microfluidic biochemical detection system for protein analysis with magnetic bead-based sampling capabilities. Lab Chip 2:27–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Compton RG, Banks CE (2007) Understanding voltammetry. World Scientific Publishing, Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Compton RG, Fisher AC, Wellington RG, Dobson PJ, Leigh PA (1993) Hydrodynamic voltammetry with microelectrodes. Channel microband electrodes: theory and experiment. J Phys Chem 97:10410–10415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conant JB, Pratt MF (1926) The irreversible oxidation of organic compounds I. The oxidation of aminophenols by reagents of definite potential. JACS 48:3178–3192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper JA, Compton RG (1998) Channel electrodes—a review. Electroanalysis 10:141–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Do J, Ahn CH (2008) A polymer lab-on-a-chip for magnetic immunoassay with on-chip sampling and detection capabilities. Lab Chip 8:542–549

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy DC, Mcdonald JC, Schueller OJA, Whitesides GM (1998) Rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems in poly(dimethylsiloxane). Anal Chem 70:4974–4984

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farrell S, Ronkainen-Matsuno NJ, Halsall HB, Heineman WR (2004) Bead-based immunoassays with microelectrode detection. Anal Bioanal Chem 379:358–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis PS, Lewis SW, Lim KF, Carlsson K, Karlberg B (2002) Flow analysis based on a pulsed flow of the solution: theory, instrumentation and applications. Talanta 58:1029–1042

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gabig-Ciminska M, Holmgren A, Andresen H, Bundvig Barken K, Wümpelmann M, Albers J, Hintsche R, Breitenstein A, Neubauer P, Los M, Czyz A, Wegrzyn G, Silfversparre G, Jürgen B, Schweder T, Enfors SO (2004) Electric chips for rapid detection and quantification of nucleic acids. Biosens Bioelectron 19:537–546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gijs MAM (2004) Magnetic bead handling on-chip: new opportunities for analytical applications. Microfluid Nanofluid 1:22–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Goncalves D, Faria RC, Yonashiro M, Bulhoes LOS (2000) Electrochemical oxidation of o-aminophenol in aqueous acidic medium: formation of film and soluble products. J Electroanal Chem 487:90–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goral VN, Zaytseva NV, Baeumner AJ (2006) Electrochemical microfluidic biosensor for the detection of nucleic acid sequences. Lab Chip 6:414–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Llopis X, Pumera M, Alegret S, Merkoçi A (2009) Lab-on-a-chip for ultrasensitive detection of carbofuran by enzymatic inhibition with replacement of enzyme using magnetic beads. Lab Chip 9:213–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lund-Olesen T, Bruus H, Hansen MF (2007) Quantitative characterization of magnetic separators: comparison of systems with and without integrated microfluidic mixers. Biomed Microdev 9:195–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Másson M, Liu Z, Haruyama T, Kobatake E, Ikariyama Y, Aizawa M (1995) Immunosensing with amperometric detection, using galactosidase as label and p-aminophenyl-B-d-galactopyranoside as substrate. Anal Chim Acta 304:353–359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mcdonald JC, Whitesides GM (2002) Poly(dimethylsiloxane) as a material for fabricating microfluidic devices. Acc Chem Res 35:491–499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mikkelsen C, Fougt Hansen M, Bruus H (2005) Theoretical comparison of magnetic and hydrodynamic interactions between magnetically tagged particles in microfluidic systems. J Magn Magn Mater 293:578–583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morland PD, Compton RG (1999) Heterogeneous and homogeneous EC and ECE processes at channel electrodes: analytical wave shape theory. J Phys Chem B 103:8951–8959

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicholson RS, Shain I (1964) Theory of stationary electrode polarography single scan and cyclic methods applied to reversible, irreversible, and kinetic systems. Anal Chem 36:706–723

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niwa O, Xu Y, Brian Halsall H, Heineman WR (1993) Small-volume voltammetric detection of 4-aminophenol with interdigitated array electrodes and its application to electrochemical enzyme immunoassay. Anal. Chem. 65:1559–1563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plichon V, Faure G (1973) Thin-layer electrochemistry—applications to chemical-kinetics—example of para-aminophenol. J Electroanal Chem 44:275–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rees NV, Compton RG (2008) Hydrodynamic microelectrode voltammetry. Russ J Electrochem 44:368–389

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rossier JS, Girault HH (2001) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on a microchip with electrochemical detection. Lab Chip 1:153–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shinohara H, Mizuno J, Shoji S (2007) Low-temperature direct bonding of poly(methyl methacrylate) for polymer microchips. IEE J Trans Elect Electron Eng 2:301–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smistrup K, Bu M, Wolff A, Bruus H, Hansen MF (2008) Theoretical analysis of a new, efficient microfluidic magnetic bead separator based on magnetic structures on multiple length scales. Microfluid. Nanofluid. 4:565–573

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snakenborg D, Perozziello G, Klank H, Geschke O, Kutter JP (2006) Direct milling and casting of polymer-based optical waveguides for improved transparency in the visible range. J Micromech Microeng 16:375–381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas JH, Kim SK, Hesketh PJ, Halsall HB, Heineman WR (2004) Microbead-based electrochemical immunoassay with interdigitated array electrodes. Anal Biochem 328:113–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tokuda K, Matsuda H (1974) Theory of stationary current–voltage curves of redox-electrode reactions in hydrodynamic voltammetry. IX. Double electrodes in channel flow. J Electroanal Chem 52:421–431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsao CW, Hromada L, Liu J, Kumar P, Devoe DL (2007) Low temperature bonding of PMMA and COC microfluidic substrates using UV/ozone surface treatment. Lab Chip 7:499–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verpoorte E (2003) Beads and chips: new recipes for analysis. Lab Chip 3:60N

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voet D, Voet JG (1995) Biochemistry. John Wiley & Sons, New York

  • Wilke CR, Chang P (1955) A I Ch E J 1:264

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamaguchi S, Mitsugi S (1997) Sensitive amperometry of 4-aminophenol (4AP) based on the catalytic current produced by the 4AP-diphorase-NADH system at a glassy carbon electrode and its application to enzyme assay. Effect of the inhibition of diaphorase by NADH. Anal Sci 13:307–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge funding from the Spanish ministry of Science and Innovation through the Microbactometer Project. NG was supported by CSIC’s JAE Program and JdC was supported by a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona, IMB-CNM (CSIC), Esfera UAB, Campus Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Neus Godino, F. Xavier Muñoz & F. Javier del Campo

  2. Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Oersteds Plads, Building 345 east, room no. 254, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

    Detlef Snakenborg, Jörg P. Kutter, Jenny Emnéus & Mikkel Fougt Hansen

Authors
  1. Neus Godino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Detlef Snakenborg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jörg P. Kutter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jenny Emnéus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mikkel Fougt Hansen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. F. Xavier Muñoz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. F. Javier del Campo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Javier del Campo.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (JPEG 441 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Godino, N., Snakenborg, D., Kutter, J.P. et al. Construction and characterisation of a modular microfluidic system: coupling magnetic capture and electrochemical detection. Microfluid Nanofluid 8, 393–402 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-009-0468-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-009-0468-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation