Combined Chitosan Nano-Bead with Microfluidic-Microelectric Traps of Lead (II) Chelation in Continuous Bloodstream Flow

The selective sorting of Pb ions in bloodstream flow has been carried out via mixed chitosan nano-beads aqua-solution and then selectively sponge up the Pb ions by a chelating mechanism. To obtain an efficient chelating reaction and a chelating nanobead that can be attracted and separated from the bloodstream flow, a microfluidic component of a microchannel with electrodes has been designed and fabricated by micro-electromechanical process. A local dielectrophoretic force obtained from nonuniform electric fields was elected to manipulate the chelating nanobeads in a continuous bloodstream flow. The experimental studies indicate that the chelating nanobeads undergoes positive dielectrophoresis when suspended in a continuous flow (Re=5.0) and exposed to RF/AC fields at 13.56 MHz frequency. Through this device, the microchannel with electrodes provides a local dielectrophrosis field which is strong enough to manipulate and separate the chelating nanobeads in a continuous bloodstream flow.