Development of a sticker sealed microfluidic device for in situ analytical measurements using synchrotron radiation

Shedding synchrotron light on microfluidic systems, exploring several contrasts in situ/operando at the nanoscale, like X-ray fluorescence, diffraction, luminescence, and absorption, has the potential to reveal new properties and functionalities of materials across diverse areas, such as green energy, photonics, and nanomedicine. In this work, we present the micro-fabrication and characterization of a multifunctional polyester/glass sealed microfluidic device well-suited to combine with analytical X-ray techniques. The device consists of smooth microchannels patterned on glass, where three gold electrodes are deposited into the channels to serve in situ electrochemistry analysis or standard electrical measurements. It has been efficiently sealed through an ultraviolet-sensitive sticker-like layer based on a polyester film, and The burst pressure determined by pumping water through the microchannel(up to 0.22 MPa). Overall, the device has demonstrated exquisite chemical resistance to organic solvents, and its efficiency in the presence of biological samples (proteins) is remarkable. The device potentialities, and its high transparency to X-rays, have been demonstrated by taking advantage of the X-ray nanoprobe Carnaúba/Sirius/LNLS, by obtaining 2D X-ray nanofluorescence maps on the microchannel filled with water and after an electrochemical nucleation reaction. To wrap up, the microfluidic device characterized here has the potential to be employed in standard laboratory experiments as well as in in situ and in vivo analytical experiments using a wide electromagnetic window, from infrared to X-rays, which could serve experiments in many branches of science.

Development of a sticker sealed microfluidic device for in situ analytical measurements using synchrotron radiation

Shedding synchrotron light on microfluidic systems, exploring several contrasts in situ operando at the nanoscale, like X-ray fluorescence, diffraction, luminescence, and absorption, has the potential to reveal new properties and functionalities of materials across diverse areas, such as green energy, photonics, and nanomedicine. In this work, we present the micro-fabrication and characterization of a multifunctional polyester/glass sealed microfluidic device well-suited to combine with analytical X-ray techniques. The device consists of smooth microchannels patterned on glass, where three gold electrodes are deposited into the channels to serve in situ electrochemistry analysis or standard electrical measurements. It has been efficiently sealed through an ultraviolet-sensitive sticker-like layer based on a polyester film, and The burst pressure determined by pumping water through the microchannel(up to 0.22 MPa). Overall, the device has demonstrated exquisite chemical resistance to organic solvents, and its efficiency in the presence of biological samples (proteins) is remarkable. The device potentialities, and its high transparency to X-rays, have been demonstrated by taking advantage of the X-ray nanoprobe Carnaúba/Sirius/LNLS, by obtaining 2D X-ray nanofluorescence maps on the microchannel filled with water and after an electrochemical nucleation reaction. To wrap up, the microfluidic device characterized here has the potential to be employed in standard laboratory experiments as well as in situ and in vivo analytical experiments using a wide electromagnetic window, from infrared to X-rays, which could serve experiments in many branches of science.

Electrochemical Nucleation and Growth Mechanism of Aluminum on AZ31 Magnesium Alloys

In this study, the nucleation and growth kinetics behavior of aluminum (Al) were investigated in the Choline-chloride (ChCl)-urea deep eutectic solvent (DES) ionic liquids. The studies of cyclic voltammetric and chronoamperometry demonstrated that the electrodeposition process of Al was controlled by three-dimensional progressive nucleation and instantaneous nucleation. And the growth of nuclei is a diffusion-controlled process. The diffusion coefficient of Al ions was calculated at 343 K, that is, 1.773 × 10−10 cm2/s. The Al coating was obtained on the surface of the AZ31 magnesium alloy electrode under appropriate conditions. According to the surface morphology of the Al film, it could be inferred that the theoretical deposit thickness is similar to the actual thickness, and the apparent diffusion rate of Al ions is slower than the diffusion coefficient in the electrolytes. So, in the later deposition, lamellar Al along the diffusion direction were formed, and lamellar depleted Al zones existed around the big grain Al-rich region.