title: A micro flow-meter for closed-loop management of biological samples.
abstract: The closed-loop management of biological samples in &#956;TAS requires proper flow-sensors to be inserted in the hydraulic path. The optimal choice between hybrid mounting and monolithic fabrication depends on several design variables, one of which is the technological compatibility between the sensor and the pumping mechanism. Monolithic integration appears to be the eligible solution if both pumps and sensors can be fabricated with the same technological process. In this paper we show that it is actually possible to fabricate a flow-sensor, based on streaming potential detection, with the same soft-lithographic process used for the fabrication of electroosmotic pumps. The device has been fabricated in PDMS and experimentally tested, showing a good linearity. Finally, its time-varying response, related to the aging of the PDMS surface, is discussed.
authors.affiliation: CRIM Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libert`a, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy, dino@sssup.it.
authors.forename: Dino
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Accoto
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Damiani
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campisi
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castrataro
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Campolo
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guglielmelli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dario