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Temperature measurements in microfluidic systems: Heat dissipation of negative dielectrophoresis barriers
Author(s) -
SegerSauli Urban,
Panayiotou Marilia,
Schnydrig Silvan,
Jordan Martin,
Renaud Philippe
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.200410358
Subject(s) - joule heating , microfluidics , dielectrophoresis , materials science , dissipation , electrode , rhodamine b , joule effect , optoelectronics , electric field , nanotechnology , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical physics , chemistry , composite material , thermodynamics , chromatography , biochemistry , physics , photocatalysis , quantum mechanics , catalysis
The manipulation of living biological cells in microfluidic channels by a combination of negative dielectrophoretic barriers and pressure‐driven flows is widely employed in lab‐on‐a‐chip systems. However, electric fields in conducting media induce Joule heating. This study investigates if the local temperatures reached under typical experimental conditions in miniaturized systems cause a potential risk for hyperthermic stress or cell damage. Two methods of optical in situ temperature detection have been tested and compared: (i) the exposure of the thermo‐dependent fluorescent dye Rhodamine B to heat sources situated in microfluidic channels, and (ii) the use of thermoprecipitating N ‐alkyl‐substituted acrylamide polymers as temperature threshold probes. Two‐dimensional images of temperature distributions in the vicinity of active negative dielectrophoresis (nDEP)‐barriers have been obtained and local temperature variations of more than 20°C have been observed at the electrode edges. Heat propagation via both buffer and channel walls lead to significant temperature increases within a perimeter of 100 μm and more. These data indicate that power dissipation has to be taken into account when experiments at physiological temperatures are planned.