Microfluidics

NinjaRMS

We specialize in interfacing microfluidics with electrodes for sensing, actuation, and data collection. The electrical contacts in our research are used both as inputs (for instance, manipulating particles or driving fluid flows in a microreactor) and outputs (for instance, resistive sensing of particles or chemicals within a microreactor, or data transmission to a faraway receiver via a wireless chip.) Sometimes, we use compliant structures as electrodes.

Induced charge electroosmosis (ICEO) is an approach explored by our group and several others for generating microvortices which enable rapid mixing at a very small scale. Microscopic channels on silicon, glass or polymer chips are used in bioanalysis and chemical detection, and as microreactors. Microfluidic mixing is a crucial sample preparation step needed for autonomous chemical sensors and reactors, especially for large molecules or particles which are slow to mix by diffusion.

We also investigate lab-on-a-chip particle counters and microreactors in the gas, liquid, plasma, and solid phases. Besides applications in biotechnology, these systems can potentially produce and analyze micro-and nanomaterials needed for advanced sensors and actuators.

Islam, M S, and C K Harnett. 2019. “Miniaturized Systems for Evaluating Enzyme Activity in Polymeric Membrane Bioreactors.” Eng. Life Sci., August.
Islam, M. S. 2018. “Experimental Study in Optimizing Enzyme-Based Polymeric Membrane Bioreactors.” Presentation presented at the 71st Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD), Atlanta, GA, November 19. https://www.slideshare.net/MohammadShafquatulIs/experimental-study-in-optimizing-enzymebased-polymeric-membrane-bioreactors.
“Experimental Study of AC-Driven Flow through Nanopores with Single-Side Conductive Coatings.” 2018. Poster presented at the 71st Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics, Atlanta, GA, November 18. https://issuu.com/harnettlab/docs/dfdharnett.
Islam, M. S. 2018. “Electrochemical Study of Trametes Versicolor Laccase Activity On Screen-Printed Electrodes.” Poster presented at the 9th International Conference on Microtechnologies in Medicine and Biology (MMB), Monterey, CA, March 26. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324417723_Electrochemical_Study_of_Trametes_Versicolor_Laccase_Activity_On_Screen-Printed_Electrodes.
Beharic, J. 2016. “Alternating Current Electro-Osmotic Pumping at Asymmetrically Metallized Porous Membranes.” Presented at the AES Electrophoresis Society section of AIChE Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 15. http://www.slideshare.net/JasminBeharic/alternating-current-electroosmotic-pumping-at-asymmetrically-metallized-porous-membranes.
Beharic, J. 2016. “Simulation and Validation of Induced-Charge Electrokinetic Flow at Porous Membranes with Conductive Coatings.” Presented at the NANO 2016 conference, Quebec City, QC, August 7.
Beharic, J. 2015. “Experimental and Analytical Investigation of Metalized Porous Membranes for Induced-Charge Electrokinetic Flows.” Presented at the Gordon Research Conference on the Physics and Chemistry of Microfluidics, Mt. Snow, West Dover, VT, June 31.
Harnett, C. K. 2014. “Asymmetric Conductive Coatings on Porous Membranes for Induced-Charge Electrokinetic Flows.” Presented at the Gordon Research Conference on Membranes: Materials and Processes, New London, NH, June 6. http://issuu.com/harnettlab/docs/grc_membranes_ckh_poster.
Zhang, Muheng. 2012. “Numerical Simulation for Detecting Particles in Micro Coulter Counter.” Poster presented at the Kentucky Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference, Louisville, KY, June 1.
Harnett, Cindy K. 2012. “Folding and Flowing: Applications of Micro- and Nanostructures in Biotechnology.” Presented at the Kentucky Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference, Louisville, KY, May 31.
Senousy, Yehya M. 2012. “Soft Lithography at the University of Louisville Cleanroom.” Poster presented at the 17th Annual KY EPSCoR Conference, Lexington, KY, May 17.
Kona, Silpa. 2012. “Graphene on Plastic: A Low Cost Substrate for Vapor Sensors.” Poster presented at the 17th Annual Kentucky EPSCoR Conference, Lexington, KY, May 17.
Senousy, Yehya M. 2012. “Fabrication of Out-of-Plane Electrodes for ACEO Pumps.” Poster presented at the American Physical Society Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, February 27.
Kona, Silpa, and Cindy K. Harnett. 2012. “A Low Cost Construction Method for Graphene Based Resistive Chemical Sensors.” Presented at the American Physical Society Annual Meeting, Boston, MA. http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR12/Session/H12.14.
Zhang, Muheng, Yongsheng Lian, Cindy Harnett, and Ellen Brehob. 2012. “Investigation of Hydrodynamic Focusing in a Microfluidic Coulter Counter Device.” Transactions of the ASME-K-Journal of Biomechanical Engineering 134 (8): 081001. http://asmedl.org/data/Journals/JBENDY/29000/081001_1.pdf.
Kona, Silpa, and Cindy K. Harnett. 2012. “Graphene in Plastic Packages: A Low Cost Construction Method for Resistive Chemical Sensors.” In MRS Proceedings, 1407:mrsf11-1407. http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1946427412006616.
Lucas, T. M., and C. K. Harnett. 2011. “Control of Electrolysis-Generated Microbubbles for Sensor Surface Passivation.” Applied Physics Letters 98 (1): 011915–011915. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3541448.
Moiseeva, E. V., A. A. Fletcher, and C. K. Harnett. 2011. “Thin-Film Electrode Based Droplet Detection for Microfluidic Systems.” Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical 155 (1): 408–14. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092540051000897X.
Senousy, Y. M., and C. K. Harnett. 2010. “Fast Three Dimensional Ac Electro-Osmotic Pumps with Nonphotolithographic Electrode Patterning.” Biomicrofluidics 4 (3). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3463719.
Harnett, C. K., E. V. Moiseeva, B. A. Casper, and L. J. Wilson. 2010. “Microscopic Containers for Sample Archiving in Environmental and Biomedical Sensors.” In Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), 2010 IEEE, 328–31. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=5488211.
Moiseeva, E. V., Harnett, C. K. 2009. “Shear-Based Droplet Production for Biomaterial Printing.” In Proceedings of International Conference on Digital Printing Technologies and Digital Fabrication, 2009. Louisville, KY. http://www.imaging.org/IST/store/epub.cfm?abstrid=43397.
Kona, S., J. H. Kim, C. K. Harnett, and M. K. Sunkara. 2009. “Carbon Nanotube Growth Studies Using an Atmospheric, Microplasma Reactor.” Nanotechnology, IEEE Transactions On 8 (3): 286–90. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4711097.
Harnett, Cindy K., Katherine A. Dunphy-Guzman, Yehya M. Senousy, Michael P. Kanouff, and A. Templeton, Jeremy. 2008. “Design, Fabrication, and Testing of an Induced Charge Electroosmotic Mixer.” In Proceedings of Eighth International Electrokinetics Conference. Santa Fe, NM, USA. http://www.ece.louisville.edu/c0harn01/documents/ICEOElkinAbstract.pdf.
Liu, T., Moiseeva, E. V., and Harnett, C. K. 2008. “Lab on a Chip: Chips and Tips: Integrated Reservoirs for PDMS Microfluidic Chips.” Chips and Tips: Integrated Reservoirs for PDMS Microfluidic Chips. 2008. http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/lc/Chips_and_Tips/integrated_reservoirs.asp.
Scott, R., P. Sethu, and C. K. Harnett. 2008. “Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Focusing in a Microfluidic Coulter Counter.” Review of Scientific Instruments 79 (4): 046104–046104. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=5004605.
Harnett, Cindy K., Jeremy Templeton, Katherine A. Dunphy-Guzman, Yehya M. Senousy, and Michael P. Kanouff. 2008. “Model Based Design of a Microfluidic Mixer Driven by Induced Charge Electroosmosis.” Lab on a Chip 8 (4): 565–72. http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2008/lc/b717416k.
Kona, S., Harnett, C. K., and Sunkara, M. K. 2007. “Catalyst Aided Nanomaterial Growth in Microreactor Chamber under Extreme Conditions.” In Proceedings of American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Meeting. Salt Lake City, UT. http://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2007/techprogram/P98186.HTM.
Harnett, Cindy K, Robert W Crocker, Bruce P Mosier, Pamela F Caton, and James F Stamps. 2007. Composition pulse time-of-flight mass flow sensor. 7,225,683, issued June 2007.
Mosier, Bruce P, Robert W Crocker, Kamlesh D Patel, and Cindy K Harnett. 2007. Sample preparation system for microfluidic applications. 7,213,473, issued May 2007.
Crocker, Robert W, Cindy K Harnett, and Judith L Rognlien. 2006. Electrodes for microfluidic applications. 7,094,326, issued August 2006.
Kanouff, M. P., Harnett, C. K., Dunphy-Guzman, K., Templeton, J., Senousy, Y., and Skulan. A. 2006. “Science-Based Engineering of a Sample Preparation Device for Biological Agent Detection.” SAND2006-7722. http://www.ca.sandia.gov/8700/projects/content.php?cid=195.
Lee, Eunice S., David Robinson, Judith L. Rognlien, Cindy K. Harnett, Blake A. Simmons, C. R. Bowe Ellis, and Rafael V. Davalos. 2006. “Microfluidic Electroporation of Robust 10-Μm Vesicles for Manipulation of Picoliter Volumes.” Bioelectrochemistry 69 (1): 117–25. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567539405001453.
Harnett, Cindy K, Tyrone F Hill, and Michael P Kanouff. 2005. Coated metal structures and methods of making and using thereof. App. 11/240,396, issued October 2005.
Hill, Tyrone F., Blake Alexander Simmons, Louis C. Barrett, Eric B. Cummings, Gregory J. Fiechtner, Cindy K. Harnett, and Andrew J. Skulan. 2005. “Patterning Electrohydrodynamic Flows with Conductive Obstacles in Microfluidic Channels.” Sandia National Laboratories. http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=948215.
Morales, Alfredo M., John D. Brazzle, Robert W. Crocker, Linda A. Domeier, Eric B. Goods, John T. Hachman Jr, Cindy K. Harnett, Marion C. Hunter, Seethambal S. Mani, and Bruce P. Mosier. 2005. “Fabrication and Characterization of Polymer Microfluidic Devices for Bio-Agent Detection.” In MOEMS-MEMS Micro & Nanofabrication, 89–94. http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=859608.
Harnett, C. K., A. J. Skulan, T. F. Hill, L. M. Barrett, G. J. Fiechtner, and E. B. Cummings. 2005. “Microparticle Mixing and Separation by Nonlinear Electrokinetic Effects in Microfluidic Channels.” In Proceedings of Ninth International Conference on MicroTotal Analysis Systems, 1:82–85. Boston, MA. http://www.ece.louisville.edu/c0harn01/documents/ICEOUTAS2005Manu.pdf.
Harnett, Cindy K, Harold G Craighead, and Geoff Coates. 2004. Method of using heat-depolymerizable polycarbonate sacrificial layer to create nano-fluidic devices. 6,743,570, issued June 2004.
Mosier, Bruce P, Robert W Crocker, and Cindy K Harnett. 2004. Composition pulse time-of-flight mass flow sensor. 6,675,660, issued January 2004.
Mosier, Bruce P., Robert W. Crocker, Cindy K. Harnett, and Kamlesh D. Patel. 2004. “Precise and Automated Microfluidic Sample Preparation.” SPECIAL PUBLICATION-ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY 296: 644–46. http://www.ece.louisville.edu/c0harn01/documents/BPMuTAS04Manu.pdf.
Crocker, Robert W., Kamlesh D. Patel, Bruce P. Mosier, and Cindy K. Harnett. 2004. “Precise and Automated Microfluidic Sample Preparation.” Sandia National Laboratories. http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=959089.
CK, Harnett’, B. P. Mosier, P. F. Caton, B. Wiedenman, and Robert W Crocker. 2003. “Conductivity Pulse Time-of-Flight Flow Sensor for Sub-Microliter/Minute Flow Rates.” In . Squaw Valley, CA. http://www.rsc.org/binaries/loc/2003/volume1/035-106.pdf.
Selvaganapathy, P., Yit-shun Leung Ki, P. Renaud, and C.H. Mastrangelo. 2002. “Bubble-Free Electrokinetic Pumping.” Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems 11 (5): 448–53. https://doi.org/10.1109/JMEMS.2002.803415.
Harnett, Cindy K., K. M. Satyalakshmi, Geoffrey W. Coates, and H. G. Craighead. 2002. “Direct Electron-Beam Patterning of Surface Coatings and Sacrificial Layers for Micro-Total Analysis Systems.” Journal of Photopolymer Science and Technology 15 (3): 493–96. http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200218/000020021802A0616903.php.
Harnett, Cindy K., and Harold G. Craighead. 2002. “Liquid-Crystal Micropolarizer Array for Polarization-Difference Imaging.” Applied Optics 41 (7): 1291–96. http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?&id=68218.
Harnett, C. K., G. W. Coates, and H. G. Craighead. 2001. “Heat-Depolymerizable Polycarbonates as Electron Beam Patternable Sacrificial Layers for Nanofluidics.” Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures 19 (6): 2842–45. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=4972223.
Harnett, C. K., K. M. Satyalakshmi, and H. G. Craighead. 2001. “Bioactive Templates Fabricated by Low-Energy Electron Beam Lithography of Self-Assembled Monolayers.” Langmuir 17 (1): 178–82. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/la0009543.
Sethu, Palaniappan, and Cindy K Harnett. n.d. 3D fluid confined sample stream coulter flow cytometry. App. 11/978,323.

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