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In modern electrochemical coating technology, it is common practice to create uniform layers. However, this study focuses on the deposition of non-uniform layers achieved through a deliberate arrangement of micro structured electrodes on the anode side. The "dog bone effect” was employed as the primary approach [1]. When electroplating on an otherwise uniform surface, this effect selectively processes an area influenced by the geometric edge effect (figure 1 left). The coating within this area is intended to be (i) unevenly distributed and (ii) non-reproducible. Process data was obtained through electrochemical simulations and subsequently applied to a specially designed micro-galvanic setup. This enabled the production of suitable micro structured anodes, validation of coating parameters, and the deposition of visually imperceptible structured areas with inhomogeneous properties using "adhesive gold" on appropriate substrates such as silver and nickel. The layers and their local topography were characterized and analyzed using confocal laser microscopy, X-Ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), as well as a self-designed and constructed laser interference device. As a result, this specific galvanic process technology successfully produced metallic layers that (i) cannot be visually confirmed by the naked eye, (ii) exhibit varied microstructural anode geometries, (iii) display unique differences in layer thickness, (iv) possess non-reproducible and chaotic topographies, and (v) can be detected and identified using conventional analysis techniques or a simple interference setup.
Blood sampling as well as sample preparation are time consuming and requires a strict procedure, which is generally performed by medical trained personal. Not carrying out the procedure correctly could result in an infection of the patient or contamination of the sample itself. These limitations should be especially considered in case of pandemic outbreaks. In order to handle such a high number of patients a novel sample preparation system paired with modern blood sampling procedure is necessary. For this reason, a new device for blood sampling and preparation is designed containing an integrated microfluidic system. The fabrication is carried out by utilizing micro moulding of PDMS as well as micro milling. A first set of initial experiments as part of a first-generation study shows promising results. However, further steps of optimisation considering flow time and preparation cycle are part of a second-generation study.
The current state of technology for 3D printing with biomaterials is based on the extrusion of viscous materials. Mostly, extrusion heads utilize pneumatic pressure systems or stepper motors to force the substrate onto a surface. These methods are well developed for high viscouse materials. However, processing low viscous liquids may cause leakages in the system. This could be solved by applying continuous extrusion. Additionally, in order to process gelable substrates, such as gelatine and agar, tempered print heads in combination with a multi stage tempering system are required to prevent the system from clogging. The ongoing work presented in this paper focuses on the development of an extrusion system, which should be able to process multiple viscosities of gelatine sequentially. In order to achieve this, several measurements to examine the properties, as well as the material parameters of different biomaterials are performed. In this process gel point, force resistance and elasticity are the factors of particularly interest. Due to their ability to gel and their availability, the most relevant biomaterials are gelatine and agar. Using this data, an extrusion system involving a peristaltic pump, a heated tube and a nozzle, has been developed. The next step envisaged is to calibrate the extruder based on the obtained data and finally to validate the printing process by printing simple geometric structures. Assuming that a positive evaluation is obtained, the printing system will be tested for printing first organic test structures from patient data using the examined biomaterials.
Over the course of the last decade 3D printing has become a more established technology in terms of prototype development (rapid prototyping). The current effort is focused on transferring this knowhow into a product driven approach in order to manufacture even small batch sizes more economic. In terms of this work, this idea is adapted for the development of injection molds (rapid manufacturing). Hereby, a hardened polymer is used to create a forming cavity instead of tool-steel. In order to fulfil the mechanical process requirements of micro injection molding such as form stability under temperature and pressure this cavity is nevertheless integrated into a metal housing. A first set of experiments has been carried out using this develop mold to verify the capabilities of the developed prototype as well as molding process. Based on these first results, an optimization is carried out to improve the next iteration of this molding tool.
Processing biological materials with 3-dimensional (3D) printers has attracted increasing interest in several research areas. At the same time, off-the-shelf solutions are increasingly available in a wider variety to meet the current market demand. However, most of the available bioprinters are closed source, thus, modifications are quite challenging or require an avoidable consultation process with the manufacturer. Furthermore, the entry prices for basic machines amount to several thousands of euros. Whereas, high-end 3D bio printers with a vast array of features are available for several hundred thousand euros. Due to the immense potential of this tool in the field of biotechnology it is important to extend the availability of this technology for research purposes in terms of adaptability and price. This ongoing work focuses on open-source 3D printer heads with the ability to extrude biological materials. The print heads include several techniques to process low as well as high viscose biomaterials such as agar and gelatin. Additionally, obstacles such as continuous substrate tempering or integration into existing 3D printers are addressed. The work presented is open source and thus freely adaptable to any user’s specific needs. Our goal is to process a diverse range of biomaterials with different print techniques.
The novel approach of an individualized medicine affects nowadays various areas of therapeutic treatment. Primarily, these include the application of pharmaceuticals, private point-of-care solutions, surgical procedures as well as steps of rehabilitation. However, beside these existing strategies the development of patient specific models for the training of clinical personal is currently insufficient. Such models are essential to prepare a personalized approach of medical care. One possible solution to address this problem could be the adaption of the established 3d printing technology for the processing of suitable biopolymers. The presented work is focused on the development of a printing system utilizing collagen. Therefore, it is intended to design multiple extrusion heads in accordance with the material parameters. In order to achieve the aspired physiological properties of the final model, a first set of experiments will be performed with several compositions of collagen to validate the fundamental mechanical characteristics. Hereby, the elasticity, thermal stability, force resistance as well as the haptic behaviour are of most interest. Afterwards, these obtained experimental results should be used to simulate the extrusion process and to validate the extruder concepts. In case of a positive evaluation these concepts are realized by using rapid prototyping technologies. Finally, this novel 3d printer will be used to print first organic test structures with collagen.
The sample preparation for biological and chemical probes involves following a strict workflow to eliminate any contamination to the sample beforehand. Furthermore, it is time consuming and must be carried out by trained personnel such as a nurse or other supervisors, making it therefore expensive. The development of novel sample preparation techniques paired with modern sample analysis systems is focused on improving the operability while keeping a constant quality of results. This is important to analyse samples, which cannot be determined with current screening conditions. The analysis of analytes is required to receive a more detailed picture of the patient and to fully understand its complexity. Possible samples for in-depth analysis of chemical origin can be cholesterol or glucose. More complex samples, such as blood or saliva, require a sophisticated system, which analyses the samples for their individual compounds.
In-vitro cell culture offers the ability to grow individual cells and monitor their behaviour in a controlled environment over a certain time. During culture, different parameters have to be controlled to ensure a vital growth of cells. The most important parameters are temperature, pH-value, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels as well as the glucose concentration. All of these parameters influence the growth ability of the cell culture and should be monitored online. The online monitoring of glucose was achieved with a novel GOD based sensor which enabled a real-time measurement of glucose during cell culture. A first-time characterisation of the sensor was carried out in the culture medium DMEM. In addition, material properties of the culture system were investigated. At first to establish a baseline measurement, the sensor was placed in different glucose concentrations dissolved in Water-KCl mixture at 25 °C inside a batch chamber under constant stirring. Afterwards, the temperature was increased to 37 °C to simulate a cell culture environment. In addition, the system was transferred into a flow-through reaction chamber. The highest response signal and the most stable signal was achieved at 37 °C with DMEM during flow-through measurement. Based on these measurements online glucose monitoring in cell culture was possible to determine the glucose consumption for each cell which is important for future human-on-a-chip devices to prevent diabetic metabolisms.
Modern medical science delivers through innovative chemical or mechanical/physical means new strategies to treat patients mildly and fight diseases accurately. In line with this development a screening procedure for tissue samples under usage of the electronic speckle pattern interferometry is developed at the University of Applied Science Wildau. The paper at hand provides the corner stone for such a procedure in form of an incubation system that is adapted to the properties of an electronic speckle pattern interferometer and allows the incubation as well as study of samples over time. As a result the developed system can regulate its own temperature and is constructed for use in an electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) setup. Its design allows a simple modular approach for further development.
3 dimensional (3D) printing evolved during the last decade to a consumer friendly and affordable craft. Furthermore, implementations of this techniques in the field of biotechnological research and development within laboratories is a very expansive process. Bio-printers’ prices cover a wide spectrum and most basic models are available for around 5000€. On the other end, high-end printer machines with a vast variety of features are available for several hundreds of thousands of euros. Thus, due to the immense potential in the field of Biotechnology the availability of this technology for research purpose should be enhanced. A developed ecological syringe extruder prototype for processing of biological based gels has been further improved. The original prototype was capable to processing multiple layers of agar with concentrations of 1% and 2.5%. Based on these results the prototype was revised regarding printing process parameter, which include among others applied forces to the substrate, air-ventilation, and heating of the substrate. The process behavior will be simulated with computational fluid dynamics for the processing of biological based substrate. After a concluding validation these results are intended to be implemented into a new design for improved processing of a variety of bioinks.
Bioreactor systems for cultivating cells in Life Sciences have been widely used for decades. Recently, there is a trend towards miniaturization, disposables and even micro platforms that fulfill increasing demands strongly aiming for production and testing of novel pharmaceutical products. Miniaturized bioreactors allow low power consumption, portability and reduced space requirements and utilize smaller volumes of reagents and samples [1,2]. A recursive strategy is necessary for optimizing the design and the manufacture of such miniaturized bioreactors. For the fabrication of these prototypes utilized micro-milling. Micro milling is a mechanical process which is commonly applied to create micro-structures in metals, e.g. aluminum and steel, or polymers, e.g. poly carbonate substrates. The structures and geometries are generated by utilizing computer aided design. By means of computer-aided manufacturing, the machining operations are implemented and then transferred to the machine tool. The machine tool moves the cutting tools with certain speeds, feeds and traverse ranges to the substrate. Micro milling has the advantage that the materials are generally not degraded by chemical substances, heating procedures or electromagnetic radiation.
Development of a Smartphone Based Reader for the Quantitative Analysis of Lateral Flow Assays
(2018)
Smartphones are developing into all-purposes devices. In the present work, the employment/application of smartphones as medical devices in home care and point-of-care (POC) diagnostics are investigated in the analysis of Lateral Flow Assays (LFA). A smartphone-based LFA reader was developed for the quantitative analysis of D-Dimer – a biomarker indicating e.g. thrombotic event or danger of embolism.The proof-of-concept has been shown with multiple smartphones in establishing: (I) Optimal dimensions of the LFA cell of 72.11mm distance of smartphone to D-Dimer test leading to a coefficients of variances (CV) between 0.8% and 4.2%. (II) Inter-device investigations: CVs around 13.5%; a limit of detection (LOD) of 100ng/ml (DDU) D-Dimer. (III) Inter-smartphone investigations: CV about 16%, a limit of detection (LOD) at 66.4ng/ml (DDU). (IV) Calibrations: CV and LOD of three smartphones are comparable to the commercial available LFA reader. Further development to put the multiple smartphone-based LFA reader on the market.
Modern cell culture as well as sophisticated bio-applications involve complex biochemical processes, which are required to induce growth, product development or material degradation. Tracking the reaction processes inside the application presents a major challenge due to its complexity. The development of new analysis and tracking mechanisms for such application presents a solution to fully understand the process. In addition, the applied sensors are required to monitor the reactions enable a live tracking of the process. Furthermore, this gives the opportunity to influence and manipulate reactions to further enhance the application of the process. Possible analytes for tracking during processes can be chemical origin such as glucose, cytokines, antibiotics and growth factors, which are included in the culture medium. Based on the complexity of the culture or bio-application the sensor tracking mechanism has to be adapted to ensure full process control. A variety of different approaches can be used for the tracking mechanism.
Synthetic substances like many pharmaceuticals, preservatives or other chemical compounds are actually very difficult to handle in sewage treatment. These compounds are very stable in aqueous solution and their degradation reactions are insufficient. Therefore, to eliminate these substances from wastewater additional afford is necessary. Extreme conditions like pH value, redox potential, chemical or physical energy need to be present. With our study we try to show that the use of plasma discharge could be a solution to this problem. Using the example of methylparaben, a preservative, we could show, that the physical energy of plasma discharge is able to initialize the degradation reaction in aqueous environment. The concentration was reduced by up to 70 percent in our setting depending on the treatment duration. Overall, the system showed potential to optimize wastewater treatment. Further examinations are necessary for example regarding undesirable by-products.
In this paper, different concepts for mixing sample and master mix by means of simulation are discussed. The main focus was on mixers with a low dead volume, because of their relevance to PCR. In addition, a concept for aliquoting the mixed solution was elaborated and simulated. The simulation showed very good mixing with serpentineand tesla-mixers at flow rates of 1-16 µL/s. Furthermore, a uniform distribution with aliquoting could be achieved, while a slight dependence between flow rate and pressure was observed. In the further course, these concepts are to be combined and tested on a microfluidic chip. This can then be integrated into the workflow of existing PCR protocols.
The concept of this thesis is to optimize the manufacturing process of injection moulding tools by using additive manufacturing and thus contribute to environmental protection. For this purpose, the individual steps of the traditional manufacturing process are identified and analysed to determine which steps can be replaced by additive manufacturing. The first step is to clarify which mould components can benefit from additive manufacturing. In particular, the capabilities and limitations of additive manufacturing technologies must be considered.
Furthermore, another focus is on how to optimize the cooling and temperature control of the tools. Potential savings through the use of lightweight or insulating surfaces will be examined. In addition to the technical feasibility, the cost-effectiveness of the concept will also be considered. Finally, the contribution of the concept to the reduction of the environmental impact will be evaluated. In particular, energy savings and the reduction of CO2 emissions are taken into account.
The potential to optimize the injection mould manufacturing process and reduce environmental impact is significant. Using additive manufacturing can be an economic and environmental advantage.
A conductivity-based, batch-optimized system for analyzing the total of carbon parameter in water
(2023)
In cooperation with the company Purification Membranes Analytics GmbH (PMA), a prototype has been developed that analyzes the total organic carbon (TOC) content of water samples based on a complex conductivity measurement. In the process, a batchoptimized system was developed that delivers qualitative results even in highly polluted waters. This method requires small sample volumes and was assembled using an ultrapure water system, a sample mixing system, various electronic control units and a miniTOC system that uses a UV light source to decompose organic carbons and outputs differential values using two conductivity sensors. During the project, a fully automated prototype was developed and is ready for use. In the future, this method could support common methods and lead to more accurate statements on water quality in a cost-effective manner.
Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has gained tremendous importance in recent years. One of the areas where additive manufacturing is particularly useful is in the fabrication of electrodes. Electrodes are an important component of a wide range of applications, including electrochemistry, biomedical engineering, energy storage, analytics, electronics as well as life sciences. Traditionally, electrodes have been manufactured through costly processes such as etching, electroplating or cutting and milling. Additive manufacturing offers a new way to fabricate electrodes by depositing materials layer by layer (Yap et al., 2015). This opens up new possibilities for designing electrodes with complex geometries and structures that would not be possible using conventional methods. As a result, 3D printed electrodes are gaining interest in fields such as electromobility, water disinfection, manufacturing, and life sciences, which will be presented in this paper.
New technologies leading to better and more efficient light emitting diodes. The emitted radiation reaches higher energy levels and lower wavelengths especially in the UV-C spectrum. UV-C light has a cancer inducing effect on human cells. Therefore it is necessary to work in a safe way with those devices.
This work is focused on an open-source solution for rapid 3D printing of an safe UV-C radiation measuring device. Especially for research groups or universities which can not afford big safety labs.
After modeling and printing the prototype, a series of tests has shown the functionality of that UV-C Diode test system. By using black printing filaments and infill rates over 50 %, the transmission of light could be prevented and the system worked well.
Das Ziel des Projekts ist, den Zustand der Haut von Neurodermitis-Patienten bei verschiedenen Bedingungen und Belastungszuständen erfassen zu können. Dazu wurde ein Prototyp gefertigt, in den ein Mikrosensor zur Bestimmung der Umgebungsfeuchtigkeit, ein Controller mit Bluetooth zur Datenübertragung, sowie ein Lithium-Akku zur Energieversorgung verbaut wurden.