Chuanhua Duan

Nanofluidic Sensor for Clogging Monitoring

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Clogging due to chemical precipitation and gelation reactions, such as blood coagulation and chemical plugging of micro-irrigation emitters, is a ubiquitous phenomenon that has significant positive/negative impacts on various biological and industrial processes. Clogging monitoring is thus of great importance in predicting and preventing clogging/unclogging. However, current techniques for clogging monitoring, e.g. thromboelastography for testing the efficiency of blood coagulation, is either time-consuming or require large and complicated instruments. The goal of this project is to develop a nanofluidic sensor for rapid clogging monitoring. The students will use transparent 2-D nanochannel nanofluidic devices that the NEFT developed as the nanofluidic sensors to monitor two types of clogging processes including blood coagulation and formation of calcium carbonate. They will explore the potential of such nanochannels as fast but predictable nanoreactors by monitor the kinetics of the clogging reactions inside the channels using optical microscope. The students will also explore the potential of such devices for electrical monitoring of clogging by correlating nanochannel ionic conductance change with the clogging reaction kinetics.

LABORATORY MENTOR
Yixin Xu and Rami Yazbeck

RESEARCH GOALS
1. Measure clogging kinetics in nanochannels using optical microscope
2. Measure clogging kinetics in nanochannels using conductance measurements
3. Correlate optical and electrical measurements
4. Investigate the effect of chemical concentrations and nanochannel dimensions on clogging reaction kinetics

LEARNING GOALS
1. Learn how to use inverted microscope to monitor clogging reactions in nanochannels
2. Learn how to conduct nanochannel conductance measurements;
3. Gain basic understanding of nanofluidic biosensor
4. Gain basic understandings of the clogging reaction kinetics in nanoscale confinements.

Learn more about Professor Duan on his faculty page.