Studies of mineralization kinetics have had limited success due uncontrolled and non-specific mineralization. In these cases, indirect measurements must be made to quantify mineralization and have led to high variability results. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) offers significant benefits due to its ability to measure mass deposition on a surface in real time with a low limit of detection. Presented here is a method for improving the study of mineralization with QCM by integrating a microfluidic channel. By doing so, the location of mineralization can be controlled to the liquid/liquid solution interface in laminar flow and to the functional region of the QCM surface. In addition, we are able to build the microfluidic flow cell so that mineralization is visible for optical microscopy experimental observation. This new integrated microfluidic device has been characterized and compared to traditional QCM in cases of no mass loading, soft or biological mass loading, and rigid mass loading in the case of mineralization. By integrating microfluidics and QCM we have been successful in improving mineralization analysis by controlling the location of mineralization while maintaining original QCM functionality and adding optical microscopy capabilities.

Quartz crystal microbalance integrated with microfluidics and optical microscopy for improved study of mineralization kinetics

248th National Meeting (2014)

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