Methods and systems for using actuated surface-attached posts for assessing biofluid rheology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9612185-B2
Application number	US-201614997111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2016
Priority date	Jun 25, 2009
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for using actuated surface-attached posts for assessing biofluid rheology are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method for testing properties of a biofluid specimen includes placing the specimen onto a micropost array having a plurality of microposts extending outwards from a substrate, wherein each micropost includes a proximal end attached to the substrate and a distal end opposite the proximal end, and generating an actuation force in proximity to the micropost array to actuate the microposts, thereby compelling at least some of the microposts to exhibit motion. The method further includes measuring the motion of at least one of the microposts in response to the actuation force and determining a property of the specimen based on the measured motion of the at least one micropost.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a micropost array having a plurality of microposts extending outwards from a substrate, comprising:
filling pores in a substrate with a curable material, such that the curable material interconnects the plurality of pores along at least one planar surface of the substrate, wherein the curable material is flexible when cured and includes a plurality of nanoparticles;
applying a force to draw the plurality of nanoparticles in one direction such that the concentration of nanoparticles is non-uniform within the pores;
curing the curable material; and
removing the substrate to form the micropost array.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of nanoparticles has at least one of a metallic, magnetic, reflective, and ferroelectric characteristic.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein, after removing the substrate, the microposts are coated obliquely with a material.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of pores are vertically-aligned.

Assignees

• Univ North Carolina Chapel Hill

Inventors

• Superfine Richard
• Spero Richard Chasen
• Shields Adam Richard
• Evans Benjamin Aaron
• Fiser Briana Lee

Classifications

• B01L2300/0851

  Bottom walls · CPC title

• C23F1/04

  Chemical milling · CPC title

• G01N2291/0255

  (Bio)chemical reactions, e.g. on biosensors · CPC title

• G01N29/022

  Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices (microdevices per se B81B) · CPC title

• B01L3/5085

  for multiple samples, e.g. microtitration plates · CPC title