Integrated Parylene LC-ESI on a Chip

Citation

Xie, Jun (2005) Integrated Parylene LC-ESI on a Chip. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/00KQ-V723. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-03032005-135900

Abstract

In this thesis, several microfluidic devices will be introduced to demonstrate the integration capability of a multilayer parylene surface micromachining technology. Due to its flexibility and versatility, various devices have been developed and integrated onto a single ship. Based on the technology, on-chip LC-ESI was successfully demonstrated.

Based on the technology, an electrostatically actuated micro peristaltic pump has been developed. An AC actuation voltage combined with a peristaltic actuation was used to demonstrate fluid pumping. A reasonable flow rate and pumping pressure were achieved. The pump dynamics and performance were then addressed further by an analysis based on a lumped-parameter model of the system.

Based on the same technology, an entirely surface micromachined electrostatically actuated valve has been demonstrated. A thermal flow sensor was integrated with the valve to be used for feedback control. Two modes, actuation voltage adjustment and PWM were investigated in characterizing the valve to control air flow. The testing results show that PWM has better linearity and performance.

Three types of capacitive fluidic sensors were demonstrated in several microfluidic applications. These include sensors for fluid pressure, flow rate, volume, and composition measurement. The sensors showed great promise for microfluidic applications because of their high sensitivity and easy integration capabilities. The integration of these sensors with abovementioned devices was achieved.

A novel electrochemical pumping system for on-chip LC gradient generation was demonstrated. This pump was able to deliver significant flow rates under high back pressures that are sufficient for many LC applications. On-chip gradient formation with integrated electrospray ionization was demonstrated.

Finally, a complete LC-ESI system was integrated in a chip format. Typical nano-LC reversed-phase gradient elution was demonstrated using on-chip electrolysis pump. Separated analytes from on-chip column were then sprayed into MS for analysis through an integrated ESI-nozzle. Separation results are comparable to those of commercial system. Peptide identification performance using the LC-ESI chip with MS was also very close to those achieved by the commercial system.

Thesis Files