CAREER: Optofluidics - Fusing Microfluidics and Photonics

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

0846489 Erickson To develop a research area called "Optofluidics", the PI will perform both theoretical and experimental investigations into the fusion of microfluidics and optics. While the idea of fluid-optical devices can be traced back as far as the liquid mirror telescopes of the 18th century, microfluidics presents a unique opportunity for creating microscale analogues of these early devices. A series of fundamental studies will develop a new form of microfluidic transport exploiting the electromagnetic energy in photonic devices to capture, transport and separate particles. Additionally, the PI will create a new class of reconfigurable photonic system of microfluidic devices to transport, switch and modify light. These efforts require numerical/analytical modeling examining the coupling between hydrodynamics and electromagnetics, an experimental aspect to verify these models, and an implementation focus aimed at providing a "proof-of-concept" demonstration of a practical technology. Optical force transport has several advantages over other microscale techniques (e.g. electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis, and pressure) including opposite transport scaling laws, significantly higher separation resolutions and insensitivity to surface/solution conditions. By exploiting waveguides to deliver the electromagnetic energy, the PI shows that the fundamental limitation preventing widespread adoption of optical transport in microfluidic devices can be solved. A technology development thrust will also be pursued for a waveguide-based separation device for viral identification. This second thrust will develop a largely new application area for microfluidics and a new approach to reconfigurable photonics based on transport of electromagnetic energy within microfluidic streams, exploiting the same handling techniques developed for transporting chemical samples on-chip to shuttle light around. The PI plans development of a web-deployed "FluidicsWiki" organized around the central theme of micro and nanofluidics to allow user-edited content and thus the site can dynamically evolve with the field. The overall goal is to synchronously disseminate both summaries of recent research and educational tutorial content from and to the entire community. A planned series of academic and community outreach activities include organizing a biennial conference on optofluidics, conducting seminars on microfluidic technology for K-12 teachers, and explaining the benefits of nanotechnology to the public at the New York State Fair.