University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Study of mechanical effects of microfluidic channels in microneedles

Iyer, Hrishikesh

Content Files
IYER-THESIS-2021.pdf

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/113096

Description

Title
Study of mechanical effects of microfluidic channels in microneedles
Author(s)
Iyer, Hrishikesh
Issue Date
2021-07-22
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Vlasov, Yurii
Department of Study
Electrical & Computer Eng
Discipline
Electrical & Computer Engr
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Date of Ingest
2022-01-12T21:47:01Z
Keyword(s)
  • neural probe
  • microfluidic channel
  • buckling
Abstract
Modern neural probes integrate microfluidic chemical sampling to measure spatio-temporal neurochemical transients in the brain while also pursuing miniaturization to minimize tissue damage. This brings into question the effect of the integrated microfluidic channels on the mechanical integrity of these probes. We have developed a set of tools to help us answer this question. We built an analytical model to predict the mechanical strength of a probe and used that backbone to answer the inverse question of what range of geometries are available to us for a target brain. We then bench marked this model against more complex simulations which were in turn validated with literature sources. This helped us obtain more insights into the effect or lack thereof of microfluidic channels on a neural probe’s mechanical integrity. Finally, we fabricated samples to test and built a setup to experimentally measure the mechanical strength of our probes. The experimental measurements unfortunately do not agree with our simulations or analytical model for several reasons we have outlined. We need to build a more robust and precisely controlled setup in order to take better measurements and completely leverage the predictive powers of our models.
Graduation Semester
2021-08
Type of Resource
Thesis
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113096
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2021 Hrishikesh Iyer

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