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529-0837-01L 6 Credits MSC , NDS D-HEST , D-MAVT , D-PHYS , D-ITET , D-CHAB
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Biomicrofluidic Engineering

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Andrew de Mello
Number of participants limited to 25.
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:35:57

Abstract

Microfluidics describes the behaviour, control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained within sub-microliter environments. The use of microfluidic devices offers an opportunity to control physical and chemical processes with unrivalled precision, and in turn provides a route to performing chemistry and biology in an ultra-fast and high-efficiency manner.

Objective

In the course students will investigate the theoretical concepts behind microfluidic device operation, the methods of microfluidic device manufacture and the application of microfluidic architectures to important problems faced in modern day chemical and biological analysis. A design workshop will allow students to develop new microscale flow processes by appreciating the dominant physics at the microscale. The application of these basic ideas will primarily focus on biological problems and will include a treatment of diagnostic devices for use at the point-of-care, advanced functional material synthesis, DNA analysis, proteomics and cell-based assays. Lectures, assignments and the design workshop will acquaint students with the state-of-the-art in applied microfluidics.

Content

Specific topics in the course include, but not limited to: 1. Theoretical Concepts Features of mass and thermal transport on the microscale Key scaling laws 2. Microfluidic Device Manufacture Conventional lithographic processing of rigid materials Soft lithographic processing of plastics and polymers Mass fabrication of polymeric devices 3. Unit operations and functional components Analytical separations (electrophoresis and chromatography) Chemical and biological synthesis Sample pre-treatment (filtration, SPE, pre-concentration) Molecular detection 4. Design Workshop Design of microfluidic architectures for PCR, distillation & mixing 5. Contemporary Applications in Biological Analysis Microarrays Cellular analyses (single cells, enzymatic assays, cell sorting) Proteomics 6. System integration Applications in radiochemistry, diagnostics and high-throughput experimentation

Resources

Lecture Notes

Lecture handouts, background literature, problem sheets and notes will be provided electronically.

General Information

Language
English
Levels
MSC , NDS
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
session examination
Mode
written 75 minutes
Aids
Scientific calculator may be used in the written examination
The final grade will be made up from the written examination (55%) and a compulsory group project (45%). The group project will involve the performance of experimental work and computer simulations. This activity will take place in the last two quarters of the course, and will typically be scheduled during normal class time. Project performance will be assessed through the grading of a written report and an oral presentation.

Registration & Places

Max Places
25
Priority: Registration for the course unit is until 13.09.2020 only possible for the primary target group

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Biomicrofluidic Engineering
  • Mon 15:45-17:30 (HCI H 8.1)
  • Tue 11:45-12:30 (HCI J 7)
3 h weekly

Offered In