FOR 516:  Physical and Chemical Basis, Components and Systems for the Lab-on-Microchip Technology

• Subject Area: Chemistry ; Computer Science, Systems and Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2003 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5470415

Reducing the dimensions of electronic building blocks to a fraction of a micrometer has brought integrated electronics to a tremendous success in the last two decades and made today¿s computers possible. Since today¿s high-tech microscopes can observe and identify individual molecules and new nanostructured chips allow to control the flow of liquids through capillaries with only a few micrometers in diameter, it is possible in principle to integrate a whole chemical laboratory on a microchip. Our interdisciplinary group of researchers is working towards this goal using state-of-the-art micro- and nanotechnology, laser techniques and chip fabrication.Within the project, researchers from chemistry, mechanical and electrical engineering are organized in the Center for Micro- and Nanochemistry & Engineering of the University of Siegen. The centre cooperates in this project with the Max-Planck-Institut for Polymer Research and the Institute for Microtechnology Mainz.In the first three years the basis of physical and chemical processes in microscopically small vessels and confined areas with dimensions in the micrometer and submicrometer range are subject of the research. In the following steps passive and active components are to be developed, manufactured and implemented for the controlling and analysis of chemical reactions on a microchip. Large fields of application for the Lab-on-Microchip technology arise for example from medicine, biochemistry, environmental technology and in automotive manufacturing.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Adsorptionsprozesse in Mikrokanälen: Mechanismen, Modelle, Parameter (Applicant Wiechert, Wolfgang )
• Development of electrophoretic separations for lab-on-microchip applications (Applicant Wenclawiak, Bernd W. )
• Entwicklung monolithisch integrierter applikationsspezifischer Lab-on-Microchips (ALMs) (Applicant Böhm, Markus )
• Fluorimetrische Detektion auf dem Mikrochip (Applicant Ihmels, Heiko )
• Grundoperationen der "digitalen" Fluidik in Einphasen-Mikroströmungen (Applicant Hardt, Steffen )
• Kopplung chemischer Reaktionen an die Benetzung in mikrofluidischen Systemen (Applicant Graf, Karlheinz )
• Modelling and simulation of physico-chemical processes in microwells (Applicant Wiechert, Wolfgang )
• Nachweis, physikalische und chemische Eigenschaften von einzelnen Molekülen in Mikro- und Nanokompartimenten (Applicant Meixner, Alfred J. )
• Organische Technologien/Komponenten für Lab-on-Microchip Systeme (Applicant Schmittel, Michael )
• Simulation von Transportprozessen und chemischer Reaktionskinetik in mikrofluidischen Mehrphasensystemen (Applicant Hardt, Steffen )
• Supramolekulare Strukturen aus Halbleiternanokristallen und Metallkomplexliganden für die optische Sensorik in Mikrokompartimenten (Applicant Mews, Alf )
• Zentralprojekt (Applicant Schmittel, Michael )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Michael Schmittel