title: Microfluidic sensing devices employing in situ-formed liquid crystal thin film for detection of biochemical interactions.
abstract: Although biochemical sensing using liquid crystals (LC) has been demonstrated, relatively little attention has been paid towards the fabrication of in situ-formed LC sensing devices. Herein, we demonstrate a highly reproducible method to create uniform LC thin film on treated substrates, as needed, for LC sensing. We use shear forces generated by the laminar flow of aqueous liquid within a microfluidic channel to create LC thin films stabilized within microfabricated structures. The orientational response of the LC thin films to targeted analytes in aqueous phases was transduced and amplified by the optical birefringence of the LC thin films. The biochemical sensing capability of our sensing devices was demonstrated through experiments employing two chemical systems: dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) dissolved in an aqueous solution, and the hydrolysis of phospholipids by the enzyme phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)).
authors: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors: Ye
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Daming
authors: D
authors: Cheng
authors: I-Hsin
authors: IH
authors: Lin
authors: Nicholas L
authors: NL
authors: Abbott
authors: Hongrui
authors: H
authors: Jiang
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D006868:Hydrolysis; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D054467:Phospholipases A2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D010743:Phospholipids; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014867:Water; D054467:Phospholipases A2; C022806:dodecyltrimethylammonium