Impedance Characteristics of Microfluidic Channels and Integrated Coplanar Parallel Electrodes as Design Parameters for Whole-Channel Analysis in Organ-on-Chip Micro-Systems

Abstract

Microfluidics have revolutionized cell culture by allowing for precise physical and chemical environmental control. Coupled with electrodes, microfluidic cell culture can be activated or have its changes sensed in real-time. We used our previously developed reliable and stable microfluidic device for cell growth and monitoring to design, fabricate, and characterize a whole-channel impedance-based sensor and used it to systematically assess the electrical and electrochemical influences of microfluidic channel boundaries coupled with varying electrode sizes, distances, coatings, and cell coverage. Our investigation includes both theoretical and experimental approaches to investigate how design parameters and insulating boundary conditions change impedance characteristics. We examined the system with various solutions using a frequency range of 0.5 Hz to 1 MHz and a modulation voltage of 50 mV. The results show that impedance is directly proportional to electrode distance and inversely proportional to electrode coating, area, and channel size. We also demonstrate that electrode spacing is a dominant factor contributing to impedance. In the end, we summarize all the relationships found and comment on the appropriateness of using this system to investigate barrier cells in blood vessel models and organ-on-a-chip devices. This fundamental study can help in the careful design of microfluidic culture constructs and models that require channel geometries and impedance-based biosensing.