School of Materials Science & Engineering, Clemson University, 161 Sirrine Hall, Clemson, SC 29634-0971, USA.
Nanoscale. 2011 Nov;3(11):4685-95. doi: 10.1039/c1nr10773a. Epub 2011 Oct 13.
We describe a method of fabrication of nanoporous flexible probes which work as artificial proboscises. The challenge of making probes with fast absorption rates and good retention capacity was addressed theoretically and experimentally. This work shows that the probe should possess two levels of pore hierarchy: nanopores are needed to enhance the capillary action and micrometer pores are required to speed up fluid transport. The model of controlled fluid absorption was verified in experiments. We also demonstrated that the artificial proboscises can be remotely controlled by electric or magnetic fields. Using an artificial proboscis, one can approach a drop of hazardous liquid, absorb it and safely deliver it to an analytical device. With these materials, the paradigm of a stationary microfluidic platform can be shifted to the flexible structures that would allow one to pack multiple microfluidic sensors into a single fiber.
我们描述了一种制造纳米多孔柔性探针的方法，这种探针可以作为人工喙。我们从理论和实验两方面解决了制造具有快速吸收率和良好保留能力的探针的难题。这项工作表明，探针应该具有两个层次的孔结构：纳米孔用于增强毛细作用，而微米孔用于加速流体传输。受控流体吸收模型在实验中得到了验证。我们还证明，人工喙可以通过电场或磁场进行远程控制。使用人工喙，人们可以接近一滴危险液体，将其吸收，并安全地将其输送到分析设备中。有了这些材料，固定的微流控平台的范例可以转移到灵活的结构上，这将允许人们将多个微流控传感器包装到单个纤维中。
