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Optofluidic control using photothermal nanoparticles

Nature Materials volume 5, pages 27–32 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Photothermal metallic nanoparticles have attracted significant attention owing to their energy-conversion properties1,2,3,4. Here, we introduce an optofluidic application based on a direct optical-to-hydrodynamic energy conversion using suspended photothermal nanoparticles near the liquid–air interface. Using light beams with submilliwatt power, we can drive and guide liquid flow in microfluidic channels to transport biomolecules and living cells at controlled speeds and directions. Previously, a variety of methods for controlling microscale liquid flow have been developed owing to the increasing interest for microfluidics-based biochemical analysis systems5. However, our method dispenses with the need for complex pump and valve devices6,7,8, surface chemistry9,10 and electrode patterning11,12,13,14, or any other further effort towards substrate fabrication15,16. Instead, our optofluidic control method will allow the fabrication of all-optical large-scale integrated microfluidic circuits for biomolecular and cellular processing without any physical valve or mechanical pumping device.

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Figure 1: PNP-activated optofluidic flow.
Figure 2: Optofluidic control in straight microfluidic channels.
Figure 3: Maximal flow speed by optofluidic control.
Figure 4: Optofluidic control at two adjacent T-shaped channel junctions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Defense Science Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, USA. J.K. was supported by a grant (05K1501-02810) from the Center for Nanostructured Materials Technology under the 21st Century Frontier R&D Programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioengineering, Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center, Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA

    Gang L. Liu, Jaeyoun Kim, Yu Lu & Luke P. Lee

  2. UCSF and UCB Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94143, USA

    Gang L. Liu & Luke P. Lee

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Correspondence to Luke P. Lee.

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Supplementary information

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Supplementary figures S1-S5 and movie legends (PDF 291 kb)

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Liu, G., Kim, J., Lu, Y. et al. Optofluidic control using photothermal nanoparticles. Nature Mater 5, 27–32 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1528

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