TY - JOUR

T1 - Miniaturized free-flow electrophoresis

T2 - production, optimization, and application using 3D printing technology

AU - Preuss, John Alexander

AU - Nguyen, Gia Nam

AU - Berk, Virginia

AU - Bahnemann, Janina

N1 - Funding Information: This research was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) via the Emmy Noether Programme, project ID 346772917

PY - 2021/2

Y1 - 2021/2

N2 - The increasing resolution of three-dimensional (3D) printing offers simplified access to, and development of, microfluidic devices with complex 3D structures. Therefore, this technology is increasingly used for rapid prototyping in laboratories and industry. Microfluidic free flow electrophoresis (μFFE) is a versatile tool to separate and concentrate different samples (such as DNA, proteins, and cells) to different outlets in a time range measured in mere tens of seconds and offers great potential for use in downstream processing, for example. However, the production of μFFE devices is usually rather elaborate. Many designs are based on chemical pretreatment or manual alignment for the setup. Especially for the separation chamber of a μFFE device, this is a crucial step which should be automatized. We have developed a smart 3D design of a μFFE to pave the way for a simpler production. This study presents (1) a robust and reproducible way to build up critical parts of a μFFE device based on high-resolution MultiJet 3D printing; (2) a simplified insertion of commercial polycarbonate membranes to segregate separation and electrode chambers; and (3) integrated, 3D-printed wells that enable a defined sample fractionation (chip-to-world interface). In proof of concept experiments both a mixture of fluorescence dyes and a mixture of amino acids were successfully separated in our 3D-printed μFFE device.

AB - The increasing resolution of three-dimensional (3D) printing offers simplified access to, and development of, microfluidic devices with complex 3D structures. Therefore, this technology is increasingly used for rapid prototyping in laboratories and industry. Microfluidic free flow electrophoresis (μFFE) is a versatile tool to separate and concentrate different samples (such as DNA, proteins, and cells) to different outlets in a time range measured in mere tens of seconds and offers great potential for use in downstream processing, for example. However, the production of μFFE devices is usually rather elaborate. Many designs are based on chemical pretreatment or manual alignment for the setup. Especially for the separation chamber of a μFFE device, this is a crucial step which should be automatized. We have developed a smart 3D design of a μFFE to pave the way for a simpler production. This study presents (1) a robust and reproducible way to build up critical parts of a μFFE device based on high-resolution MultiJet 3D printing; (2) a simplified insertion of commercial polycarbonate membranes to segregate separation and electrode chambers; and (3) integrated, 3D-printed wells that enable a defined sample fractionation (chip-to-world interface). In proof of concept experiments both a mixture of fluorescence dyes and a mixture of amino acids were successfully separated in our 3D-printed μFFE device.

KW - 3D printing

KW - Chip-to-world interface

KW - Free-flow electrophoresis

KW - Lab-on-a-chip

KW - Microfluidic

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85097024731&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/elps.202000149

DO - 10.1002/elps.202000149

M3 - Article

C2 - 33128392

AN - SCOPUS:85097024731

VL - 42

SP - 305

EP - 314

JO - ELECTROPHORESIS

JF - ELECTROPHORESIS

SN - 0173-0835

IS - 3

ER -