Integrated high performance microfluidic organic analysis instrument for planetary and space exploration

The exploration of our solar system to characterize the molecular organic inventory will enable the identification of potentially habitable regions and initiate the search for biosignatures of extraterrestrial life. However, it is challenging to perform the required high-resolution, high-sensitivity...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Lab on a chip 2024-04, Vol.24 (9), p.2551-256
Main Authors: Butterworth, Anna L, Golozar, Matin, Estlack, Zachary, McCauley, Jeremy, Mathies, Richard A, Kim, Jungkyu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aldehydes
Amino acids
Analytical chemistry
Astrochemistry
Capillary electrophoresis
Electrophoresis
Enceladus
Extraterrestrial life
Fluorescent dyes
Functional groups
Icy satellites
Laser induced fluorescence
Microfluidics
Multilayers
Planetary environments
Sensitivity analysis
Solar system
Space exploration
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Summary:The exploration of our solar system to characterize the molecular organic inventory will enable the identification of potentially habitable regions and initiate the search for biosignatures of extraterrestrial life. However, it is challenging to perform the required high-resolution, high-sensitivity chemical analyses in space and in planetary environments. To address this challenge, we have developed a microfluidic organic analyzer (MOA) instrument that consists of a multilayer programmable microfluidic analyzer (PMA) for fluidic processing at the microliter scale coupled with a microfabricated glass capillary electrophoresis (CE) wafer for separation and analysis of the sample components. Organic analytes are labeled with a functional group-specific ( e.g. amine, organic acid, aldehyde) fluorescent dye, separated according to charge and hydrodynamic size by capillary electrophoresis (CE), and detected with picomolar limit of detection (LOD) using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Our goal is a sensitive automated instrument and autonomous process that enables sample-in to data-out performance in a flight capable format. We present here the design, fabrication, and operation of a technology development unit (TDU) that meets these design goals with a core mass of 3 kg and a volume of
ISSN:1473-0197
1473-0189
DOI:10.1039/d4lc00012a