title: Use of microelectrodes for electrochemiluminescent detection in microfluidic devices.
abstract: Microfluidic devices allow for fast detection with little reagent consumption. They also offer portability and the ability to mimic biological systems. Currently, many microfluidic devices are a hybrid of the microchip components, such as flow channels and wells, and larger instrumentation. There is a need to develop miniaturized detectors for lab-on-a-chip applications. Electrochemical detection methods have the advantage of ease of miniaturization. The electrochemical method, electrochemiluminescence, has the potential to be miniaturized and incorporated into a lab-on-a-chip device. As in other electrochemical methods, electrochemiluminescence is straightforward to miniaturize, but also possesses the sensitivity of a fluorescence detection method. In our laboratory, we have been developing carbon ink microelectrodes as the working electrode for a miniaturized electrochemiluminescence system. Since the signal is proportional to the electrode area, the challenge has been to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio and maintain low detection limits as the electrode size decreases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178, USA. eringross@creighton.edu
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Fredrick
authors.forename: Erin M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gross
mesh_terms: D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D005453:Fluorescence; D057230:Limit of Detection; D049449:Luminescence; D046208:Microchip Analytical Procedures; D008839:Microelectrodes; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008904:Miniaturization