A microfluidic thermometer: Precise temperature measurements in microliter- and nanoliter-scale volumes.

ABSTRACT: Measuring the temperature of a sample is a fundamental need in many biological and chemical processes. When the volume of the sample is on the microliter or nanoliter scale (e.g., cells, microorganisms, precious samples, or samples in microfluidic devices), accurate measurement of the sample temperature becomes challenging. In this work, we demonstrate a technique for accurately determining the temperature of microliter volumes using a simple 3D-printed microfluidic chip. We accomplish this by first filling "microfluidic thermometer" channels on the chip with substances with precisely known freezing/melting points. We then use a thermoelectric cooler to create a stable and linear temperature gradient along these channels within a measurement region on the chip. A custom software tool (avai

SUBMITTER: McKenzie BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5746210 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature