Optofluidics for handling and analysis of single living cells

Optofluidics is a field with important applications in areas such as biotechnology, chemical synthesis and analytical chemistry. Optofluidic devices combine optical elements into microfluidic devices in ways that increase portability and sensitivity of analysis for diagnostic or screening purposes .In fact in these devices fluids give fine adaptability, mobility and accessibility to nanoscale photonic devices which otherwise could not be realized using conventional devices. This review describes several cases inwhich optical or microfluidic approaches are used to trap single cells in proximity of integrated optical sensor for being analysed.

Biomimetic microstructures for photonic and fluidic synergies

Nature-inspired micro- and nano-structures offer a unique platform for the development of novel synergetic systems combining photonic and microfluidic functionalities. In this context, we examine the paradigm of butterfly Vanessa cardui and develop artificial diffractive microstructures inspired by its natural designs. Softlithographic and nanoimprint protocols are developed to replicate surfaces of natural specimens. Further to their optical behavior, interphases tailored by such microstructures exhibit enhanced hydrophobic properties, as compared to their planar counterparts made of the same materials. Such synergies exploited by new design approaches pave the way to prospective optofluidic, lab-on-chip and sensing applications.

Optofluidic Microlasers based on Femtosecond Micromachining Technology

We present the different optofluidic lasers which have been realized using the Femtosecond Micromachining technique to fabricate the monolithic optofluidic structures in glass chips. We show how the great flexibility of this 3D technique allows getting different kind of optical cavities. The most recent devices fabricated by this technique as ring shaped and Fabry-Perot resonators show excellent emission performances.We also point out how the addition of the inkjet printing technique provides further opportunities in realizing optofluidic chips.

Hydrodynamic lift for single cell manipulation in a femtosecond laser fabricated optofluidic chip

Single cell sorting based either on fluorescence or on mechanical properties has been exploited in the last years in microfluidic devices. Hydrodynamic focusing allows increasing the efficiency of theses devices by improving the matching between the region of optical analysis and that of cell flow. Here we present a very simple solution fabricated by femtosecond laser micromachining that exploits flow laminarity in microfluidic channels to easily lift the sample flowing position to the channel portion illuminated by the optical waveguides used for single cell trapping and analysis.

Nonlinear optical response of some Graphene oxide and Graphene fluoride derivatives

The nonlinear optical properties of two graphene derivatives, graphene oxide and graphene fluoride, are investigated by means of the Z-scan technique employing 35 ps and 4 ns, visible (532 nm) laser excitation. Both derivatives were found to exhibit significant third-order nonlinear optical response at both excitation regimes, with the nonlinear absorption being relatively stronger and concealing the presence of nonlinear refraction under ns excitation, while ps excitation reveals the presence of both nonlinear absorption and refraction. Both nonlinear properties are of great interest for several photonics, opto-fluidics, opto-electronics and nanotechnology applications.

Manipulation of colloids by optical and electrical control of disclination lines in liquid crystals

We report two viable strategies to assemble and manipulate arrays of nano- and micro-particles by means of topological defects (TDs) in anisotropic fluids. Exploiting different boundary conditions, single TD, 1D arrays of TDs are tailored in liquid crystal twist cells. In a first approach, light-guided control of particles captured in disclination lines is demonstrated involving the use of a photosensitive chiral dopant within a nematic host. In the second one, an applied voltage enables a continuous displacement and deformation of the particles arrays. The reported results open up new possibilities for managing nano- and micro-metric objects over large distances.

Selective infiltration and storage of picoliter volumes of liquids into sealed SU-8 microwells

This paper describes the selective infiltration and storage of picoliter volumes of water and IPA in arrays of sealed SU-8 microwells. Microwells, with a volume of approximately 300 picoliters, are fabricated employing photolithography and a polymer onto polymer lamination method to seal the structures with a thin cover of SU-8 and PDMS in order to suppress the evaporation of the infiltrated liquids. A glass capillary is used to punch through the SU-8/PDMS cover and to infiltrate the liquid of interest into the microwells. The influence of the mixing ratio of the PDMS and its curing agent is studied and the results show that a lower ratio of 2:1 suppresses the evaporation more when compared to the standard mixing ratio of 10:1. In regards to water and IPA, the dwell time in the reservoirs was increased by approximately 50 % and 450 % respectively. Depending on the physical properties of the microwells and the liquids, the SU-8/PDMS cover suppresses the evaporation up to 32 mins for water and 463 mins for IPA, respectively, until the microwell is completely empty again. Additionally, multiple infiltrations of the same microwell are demonstrated using two immiscible liquids IPA and paraffin oil. Based on the popular polymers SU-8 and PDMS, the sealed microwell structures are scalable and combinable with different glass capillaries according to the needs of future analytical research and medical diagnostics.

Towards an optofluidic pump?

Most of the vibrating mechanisms of optofluidic systems are based on local heating of membranes that induces liquid flow.We report here a new type of diaphragm pump in a liquid film based on the optical radiation pressure force. We modulate a low power laser that generates, at resonance, a symmetric vibration of a free standing soap film. The film lifetime strongly varies from 56 s at low power (2 mW) to 2 s at higher power (70 mW). Since the laser beam only acts mechanically on the interfaces, such a pump could be easily implemented on delicate microequipment on chips or in biological systems.

Laser-induced jetting and controlled droplet formation

The article reports, in the general context of developing techniques to generate microjets, nanojets and even individual nanodroplets, a new method to obtain such formations by interaction of a single laser pulse at 532 nm with an individual/single mother droplet in pendant position in open air. The beam energy per pulse is varied between 0.25 and 1 mJ, the focus diameter is 90 μm, and the droplet’s volumes are either 3 μl or 3.5 μl. Droplet’s shape evolution and jet emission at impact with laser pulse was visualised with a high speed camera working at 10 kfps. Reproducible jets and/or separated microdroplets and nanodroplets are obtained which shows potential for applications in particular in jet printing. It is demonstrated that it becomes possible to play with the geometrical symmetry of both laser excitation and liquid in order to manage the number and the orientation of an induced microjet and consequently to actuate the orientation and the production of nanodroplets by light.

Laser switching contrast microscopy to monitor free and restricted diffusion inside the cell nucleus

A novel microscopic technique termed laser switching contrast microscopy (LSCM) allows for the imaging of the dynamics of optically switchable proteins in single cell compartments. We present an application for the monitoring of diffusive properties of single molecules of the photo-switchable fluorescent protein Dreiklang (DRK). LSCM in the cell nucleus of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells cytoplasmically expressing DRK unravels quick diffusive equilibration of the DRK molecules inside the whole cytoplasm and inside the cell nucleus within seconds. The nuclear membrane is also highly permeable for DRK. Inside the nucleus entirely distinct regions are found that only partially enable diffusive protein redistribution with mean square displacement proportional to time while in other regions the mobility of the proteins seems to be restricted. After photo-switching string like patterns of light DRK molecules are observed in the cell nucleus. In addition a fraction of these DRK molecules appears immobile. The findings support recent theories of the cell interior described as a random obstacle model with an additional immobile fraction of DRK. Numerical simulations show that at different illumination intensity and different distance from the laser focus similar patterns for fluorescence recovery might be obtained in spite of strongly varying diffusion constants.