Microfluidics and Bioimaging Laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge and advanced instrumentations for fundamental and applied research in biomedical engineering, micro/nanofluidics, low Reynolds number (bio)fluid dynamics, Electrokinetics and interfacial flows. This well-equipped state-of-the-art laboratory has over 1000 square feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Micro/Nanofluidics Lab nanoscopic system. Partial view of the femtosecond laser based STED nanoscopy and multimodality bioimaging system in the University of South Carolina.

 Optical Instruments

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• Laser scanning nano/microscope 3-color (in-house developed)

  • Femto lasers based far field Nanoscopy: multifunctional far-field nanoscopic system, which is consisted of Coherent’s Chameleon Ultra II 80MHz (RoHS) Ti:Sapphire tunable femto laser and Mira OPO – Fan Poled Ring Configuration optical parametric oscillator (OPO), Nikon’s C2 laser Scanning Confocal Microscope System, and PI’s PInano XYZ P-545.3C7 Piezo Stage with Capacitive Sensors with USB controller for velocity, concentration and temperature measurement, nanofabrication and bioimaging of live cell.  The system has the following multimodality imaging functions:

  • Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED)  

  • Multiphoton  (PM)

  • Fluorescence life time imaging (FLIM) (Becker & Hickl GmbH)

  • Fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET)

  • Second harmonic generation microscope (SHGM)

  • Femtosecond laser-based laser induced fluorescence photobleaching anemometer (LIFPA)

  • CW laser STED system for far field nanoscopic bioimaging system and LIFPA

    • 405nm laser  (Crystalaser)

    • 2Watt 532nm diode pumped solid state laser (OEM laser system)

 

• Nikon 3 color C2 laser scanning confocal microscope

  • Diode laser 405 nm 20 mW

  • 300 mW 473 nm laser

  • He-Ne lasers 633 nm (17 mW, Newport Inc.)

 

• Epifluorescence and other microscope

  • Olympus inverted epifluorescence microscopes (IX70, Olympus)

    • Olympus: PLan APO 1.5X; PL APO 4X; 10X; PL APO 20X; PL APO 40X; PL APO 100X /NA 1.4 oil.

• LaVision Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV)

  • LaVision Particle Imaging Velocimetry system with Nd:YAG Dual Cavity pulsed laser - New Wave Research Solo PIV III 15, 2 x 50 mJ/pulse @ 532 nm, 15 Hz pulse rate

 

• Microscope objective

  • Leica: HCX PL APO 100X/1.4; PL APO 63X/1.32; PL APO 40X/1.25; HCX PL APO 40X/0.85; HC PL APO            20X/0.7; HC PL APO 10X0.4 and HC PL Fluotar  5x/0.15 ∞/-/D

  • Nikon: PL APO 4X; PL APO 20X; PL APO 63X/1.4; PL APO 100X/1.4 VC

 

• Detector

  • Autocorrelator FR-103MN (Femtochrome Research Inc)

  • Ultra-low noise single photon detection module (id100-MMF50, Becker & Hickl Inc. Germany)

  • Horiba Jobin Yvon H-10 Monochromator H-10vis

  • Multiple photomultipliers tube (R6060; R1464,) from Hamamatsu

 

The Micro/Nanofluidics Lab clean room.

 

• Camera:

  • Tow Cooke SensiCam QE Cameras (high speed, Cooke corp.), one Qimage Fast 1394 and a HDCE-30A.

 

• Opto-mechanical parts

  • Physik Instrument’s PInano XYZ P-545.3C7 Piezo Stage with Capacitive Sensors and USB controller

  • Physik Instrument’s Piezo Nano 3D positioning Stage (E664, PI)

  • Two Picomotor Piezo Mirror Mounts

  • Multiple 3D Translation stages (Newport, Thorlabs, Mellesgriot)

  • Multiple lenses and optical filters, mechanical parts and etc.

 

• Anti-vibration optical tables (Thorlabs)

 

Electronic test instruments

 

• Oscilloscope (4 GS/s, 4 channels, LeCroy 9384CL), Oscilloscope (BK Precision)

• Lack-in amplifier from Stanford Research

• The HVS448 High Voltage Sequencer, LabSmith

• Digital delay / pulse generator (DG535, Stanford Research System)

• Keithley 248 high voltage power supply (Keithley Instruments Inc)

• Two Micro driver controller (Newport)

• High voltage power supply (0~8000v, 5 channels) (EMCO Inc.)

• DC power supply (6634B, Agilent)

• Multimeter (34401A, HP )

• AD Convertor (USB-6259, NI)

• Two AFG3102 function generators from Tektronix

• Low-noise current preamplifier SR570 (Stanford Research System)

 

 

General lab equipments

 

• 3 Cell Culture CO2 Incubators (Sanyo)

• Fume hood

• 2 PHD Syringe pumps (Harvard apparatus)

• Branson ultrasonic cleaner (BRANSONICR )

• vortex mixer (Fisher Scientific),

• Electronic weighing balances (METTLER AT261 DeltaRangeR ,Resolution: 0.01mg)

• Vacuum pump Pascal type 2010 (Alcatel vaccum products Inc.)

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The Micro/Nanofluidics Lab  Wire Bonder .

• PC-410 Magnetic Stirrer (CorningR)

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Microfabrication system

 

• Clean room, class 1000

• Wire Bonder (Westband)

• Headway Research CB-15 Photoresist spinner

• Plasma cleaner

• Electric Oven (Apothecaries Sundries Mfg. Co.)

• UV light source

 

Water channel for fluid dynamics and turbulence

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Water channel

•  The water channel can be used for

  • Pipe flow

  • Mixing layer

  • Wake

  • Step flow

under active forcing

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• The system can be used for fluid mixing research

• The PIV system and laser induced fluorescence are used for the water channel