ABSTRACT
In this study, we carried out a heterogeneous cytoplasmic lipid content screening of Neochloris oleoabundans microalgae by dielectrophoresis (DEP), using castellated glassy carbon microelectrodes in a PDMS microchannel. For this purpose, microalgae were cultured in nitrogen-replete (N+) and nitrogen-deplete (N-) suspensions to promote low and high cytoplasmic lipid production in cells, respectively. Experiments were carried out over a wide frequency window (100 kHz-30 MHz) at a fixed amplitude of 7 VPP. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the dielectrophoretic behavior of N+ and N- cells at low frequencies (100-800 kHz), whereas a weak response was observed for mid- and high frequencies (1-30 MHz). Additionally, a finite element analysis using a 3D model was conducted to determine the dielectrophoretic trapping zones across the electrode gaps. These results suggest that low-cost glassy carbon is a reliable material for microalgae classification-between low and high cytoplasmic lipid content-through DEP, providing a fast and straightforward mechanism.
ABSTRACT
Dielectric characteristics are useful to determine crucial properties of liquids and to differentiate between liquid samples with similar physical characteristics. Liquid recognition has found applications in a broad variety of fields, including healthcare, food science, and quality inspection, among others. This work demonstrates the fabrication, instrumentation, and functionality of a portable wireless sensor node for the permittivity measurement of liquids that require characterization and differentiation. The node incorporates an interdigitated microelectrode array as a transducer and a microcontroller unit with radio communication electronics for data processing and transmission, which enable a wide variety of stand-alone applications. A laser-ablation-based microfabrication technique is applied to fabricate the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) transducer on a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate. The surface of the transducer is covered with a thin layer of SU-8 polymer by spin coating, which prevents it from direct contact with the Cu electrodes and the liquid sample. This helps to enhance durability, avoid electrode corrosion and contamination of the liquid sample, and to prevent undesirable electrochemical reactions to arise. The transducer's impedance was modeled as a Randles cell, having resistive and reactive components determined analytically using a square wave as stimuli, and a resistor as a current-to-voltage converter. To characterize the node sensitivity under different conditions, three different transducer designs were fabricated and tested for four different fluids, i.e., air, isopropanol, glycerin, and distilled water-achieving a sensitivity of 1.6965 +/- 0.2028 εr/pF. The use of laser ablation allowed the reduction of the transducer footprint while maintaining its sensitivity within an adequate value for the targeted applications.
