Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Paper: Capillary Flow Progression

In course

MICRO-560: BioMEMS

This course covers the main applications of micro devices for life science and biomedical applications. The course is organized by application topic. It is also covering the basic physical, biological, chemical, technological concepts, which are presented ...

Description

This lecture covers the capillary flow progression in paper microfluidics, discussing the equilibrium between capillary force and flow resistance force, the differential equation governing the liquid front progression, lateral flow assays formats, and the principles of lateral flow assays for SARS-Cov-2 detection. It also explores the use of gold nanoparticles in bioassays, automated LFA readers, evaluation of test results accuracy, and the application of paper microfluidics in controlling flow progression.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Instructor

Philippe Renaud

Philippe Renaud is Professor at the Microsystem Laboratory (LMIS4) at EPFL. He is also the scientific director of the EPFL Center of MicroNanoTechnology (CMI). His main research area is related to micronano technologies in biomedical applications (BioMEMS) with emphasis on cell-chips, nanofluidics and bioelectronics. Ph. Renaud is invloved in many scientifics papers in his research area. He received his diploma in physics from the University of Neuchâtel (1983) and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Lausanne (1988). He was postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Berkeley (1988-89) and then at the IBM Zürich Research Laboratory in Switzerland (1990-91). In 1992, he joined the Sensors and Actuators group of the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) at Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He was appointed assistant professor at EPFL in 1994 and full professor in 1997. In summer 1996, he was visiting professor at the Tohoku University, Japan. Ph. Renaud is active in several scientific committee (scientific journals, international conferences, scientific advisory boards of companies, PhD thesis committee). He is also co-founder of the Nanotech-Montreux conference. Ph. Renaud is committed to valorization of basic research through his involvement in several high-tech start-up companies.

Official source

Related concepts (20)

Microfluidics

Microfluidics refers to a system that manipulates a small amount of fluids ((10−9 to 10−18 liters) using small channels with sizes ten to hundreds micrometres. It is a multidisciplinary field that involves molecular analysis, biodefence, molecular biology, and microelectronics. It has practical applications in the design of systems that process low volumes of fluids to achieve multiplexing, automation, and high-throughput screening.

Nanoparticle

A nanoparticle or ultrafine particle is usually defined as a particle of matter that is between 1 and 100 nanometres (nm) in diameter. The term is sometimes used for larger particles, up to 500 nm, or fibers and tubes that are less than 100 nm in only two directions. At the lowest range, metal particles smaller than 1 nm are usually called atom clusters instead.

Paper-based microfluidics

Paper-based microfluidics are microfluidic devices that consist of a series of hydrophilic cellulose or nitrocellulose fibers that transport fluid from an inlet through the porous medium to a desired outlet or region of the device, by means of capillary action. This technology builds on the conventional lateral flow test which is capable of detecting many infectious agents and chemical contaminants. The main advantage of this is that it is largely a passively controlled device unlike more complex microfluidic devices.

Colloidal gold

Colloidal gold is a sol or colloidal suspension of nanoparticles of gold in a fluid, usually water. The colloid is coloured usually either wine red (for spherical particles less than 100 nm) or blue-purple (for larger spherical particles or nanorods). Due to their optical, electronic, and molecular-recognition properties, gold nanoparticles are the subject of substantial research, with many potential or promised applications in a wide variety of areas, including electron microscopy, electronics, nanotechnology, materials science, and biomedicine.

Droplet-based microfluidics

Droplet-based microfluidics manipulate discrete volumes of fluids in immiscible phases with low Reynolds number and laminar flow regimes. Interest in droplet-based microfluidics systems has been growing substantially in past decades. Microdroplets offer the feasibility of handling miniature volumes (μl to fl) of fluids conveniently, provide better mixing, encapsulation, sorting, sensing and are suitable for high throughput experiments.

Related lectures (16)

3D Printing Glass: Transparent Fused Silica

Explores the process of 3D printing transparent fused silica glass and its applications in optics, photonics, and biomedical engineering.

Machine learning in atomistic simulations: from reaction pathways to phase diagrams

Explores machine learning applications in atomistic simulations, focusing on water modeling, neural network potentials, and structure recognition.

Plasmonic Nanostructures: Synthesis and Applications

Explores the fabrication of plasmonic nanostructures and a variety of plasmonic 'atoms' that can be synthesized for larger structures.

Magnetotheranostics: Nano-particle Tools for Cancer Detection and Treatment

Covers the development of superparamagnetic nanoparticles for cancer detection and treatment through MRI imaging and hyperthermia.

Zika Virus Detection