Droplet Microfluidic Device for Rapid and Efficient Metals Separation Using Host-Guest Chemistry

Metals are pivotal elements in our daily life and industrial processes, to produce electronic devices, catalysts, smart materials and so on. However, they are mostly present as a mixture in the environment that makes their separation challenging over the past decade. Host-guest chemistry principle thoroughly has been used to design and synthesize thousands of organic receptors with high complexation ability and selectivity to certain metal ions. On the other hand, the droplet microfluidic device is well-known for its unique characteristics of fluid dynamics, such as large specific surface area and short diffusion distance making the process robust and efficient. Therefore, many reports of research employ host-guest chemistry of the droplet microfluidic system for the effective metal separation process. This chapter deals with up-to-date examples of the droplet microfluidic system application for separation of base and alkali metals, recovery of rare-earth and precious metals and removal of heavy metals either from the competitive metal system or from the real waste solution sample through solvent extraction techniques utilizing host-guest chemistry principle

Gold Nanoparticle-Based Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering for Noninvasive Molecular Probing of Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation

This study reports the use of gold nanoparticle-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for probing the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells, including undifferentiated single cells, embryoid bodies (EBs), and terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were successfully delivered into all 3 mES cell differentiation stages without affecting cell viability or proliferation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the localization of GNPs inside the following cell organelles: mitochondria, secondary lysosome, and endoplasmic reticulum. Using bright- and dark-field imaging, the bright scattering of GNPs and nanoaggregates in all 3 ES cell differentiation stages could be visualized. EB (an early differentiation stage) and terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes both showed SERS peaks specific to metabolic activity in the mitochondria and to protein translation (amide I, amide II, and amide III peaks). These peaks have been rarely identified in undifferentiated single ES cells. Spatiotemporal changes observed in the SERS spectra from terminally differentiated cardiomyocyte tissues revealed local and dynamic molecular interactions as well as transformations during ES cell differentiation

Separation of Pb(II) Ion with Tetraacetic Acid Derivative of Calix[4]arene by Using Droplet-based Microreactor System

In this study, the microreactor system was investigated and compared with the batch-wise system as rapid and effective extractive Pb(II) separation over Fe(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) with tetraacetic acid calix[4]arene. By using a microreactor system, the Pb(II) extraction percentages reached the maximum of 73, 89 and 100% in 8 sec residence time at equilibrium pH of 2.00, 2.25 and 2.50, respectively. The stripping percentage was 92% at 8 sec residence time by using a microreactor system with 2.0 M HNO3 as a stripping reagent. Complete separation of Pb(II) over Fe(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions with the tetraacetic acid calix[4]arene in a competitive metal system was achieved at pH 2.00. However, the batch system required 24 h to reach the equilibrium for both extraction and stripping processes. The results suggested that the microreactor system enhanced the Pb(II) extraction and stripping rate up to 104 times faster than the batch-wise system

Controlled Cell Adhesion Using a Biocompatible Anchor for Membrane-Conjugated Bovine Serum Albumin/Bovine Serum Albumin Mixed Layer

We report here a method for controlling cell adhesion, allowing simple yet accurate cell detachment from the substrate, which is required for the establishment of new cytometry-based cell processing and analyzing methods. A biocompatible anchor for membrane (BAM) was conjugated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) to produce a cell-anchoring agent (BAM–BSA). By coating polystyrene substrates with a mixture of BAM–BSA and BSA, controlled suppression of the substrate’s adhesive properties was achieved. Hook-shaped nanoneedles were used to pick up cells from the substrate, while recording the cell–substrate adhesion force, using an atomic force microscope (AFM). Due to the lipid bilayer targeting property of BAM, the coated surface showed constant adhesion forces for various cell lines, and controlling the BAM–BSA/BSA ratio enabled tuning of the adhesion force, ranging from several tens of nano-Newtons down to several nano-Newtons. Optimized tuning of the adhesion force also enabled the detachment of cells from BAM–BSA/BSA-coated dishes, using a shear flow. Moreover, the method was shown to be noncell type specific and similar results were observed using four different cell types, including nonadherent cells. The attenuation of cell adhesion was also used to enable the collection of single cells by capillary aspiration. Thus, this versatile and relatively simple method can be used to control the adhesion of various cell types to substrates

A New Cell Separation Method Based on Antibody-Immobilized Nanoneedle Arrays for the Detection of Intracellular Markers

Focusing on intracellular targets, we propose a new cell separation technique based on a nanoneedle array (NNA) device, which allows simultaneous insertion of multiple needles into multiple cells. The device is designed to target and lift (“fish”) individual cells from a mixed population of cells on a substrate using an antibody-functionalized NNA. The mechanics underlying this approach were validated by force analysis using an atomic force microscope. Accurate high-throughput separation was achieved using one-to-one contacts between the nanoneedles and the cells by preparing a single-cell array in which the positions of the cells were aligned with 10,000 nanoneedles in the NNA. Cell-type-specific separation was realized by controlling the adhesion force so that the cells could be detached in cell-type-independent manner. Separation of nestin-expressing neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) was demonstrated using the proposed technology, and successful differentiation to neuronal cells was confirmed