Quantitative 3D mapping of fluidic temperatures within microchannel networks using fluorescence lifetime imaging

Anal Chem. 2006 Apr 1;78(7):2272-8. doi: 10.1021/ac051990f.

Abstract

We describe a novel method for quantitatively mapping fluidic temperature with high spatial resolution within microchannels using fluorescence lifetime imaging in an optically sectioning microscope. Unlike intensity-based measurements, this approach is independent of experimental parameters, such as dye concentration and excitation/detection efficiency, thereby facilitating quantitative temperature mapping. Micrometer spatial resolution of 3D temperature distributions is readily achieved with an optical sectioning approach based on two-photon excitation. We demonstrate this technique for mapping of temperature variations across a microfluidic chip under different heating profiles and for mapping of the 3D temperature distribution across a single microchannel under applied flow conditions. This technique allows optimization of the chip design for miniaturized processes, such as on-chip PCR, for which precise temperature control is important.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Energy Transfer
  • Equipment Design
  • Fluorescence
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / instrumentation
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
  • Microchip Analytical Procedures / methods
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence / instrumentation
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence / methods*
  • Nanotechnology*
  • Photons*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / instrumentation
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Temperature