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| MECA0008-1 | Microfluidics
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| Duration : | 30h Th, 30h Pr |
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| Number of credits : |
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| Lecturer : | Tristan Gilet |
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| English language |
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Organisation and examination :
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| Teaching in the first semester, review in January |
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Course contents :
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| This course is an introduction to small-scale flows and the burgeoning field of microfluidics.
Course content: Diffusion, microfabrication, Stokes flow, electro-hydrodynamics, flow control, mixing, chip design, separation techniques, detection methods, flow measurements, surface tension, electrowetting and digital microfluidics, droplet-based microfluidics, low Reynolds number locomotion, biomimicry. |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| At the end of this course, the student will have a good overview of microfluidics. He/She will get a good intuition of microscale flows. He/She will be able to use the strong theoretical bases for developing applications (incl. the design of microfluidic components).
Thanks to the case studies (group work), he/she will benefit from the background and potential of other students.
In the course project, he/she will develop critical thinking, creativity and presentation skills (in English). |
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Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :
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| Pre-requisites: Elementary physics, mechanics and chemistry(e.g. PHYS2020, PHYS2021, PHYS2022, CHIM0603, MECA0001, MECA0011, SYST0002) |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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| The course is organized according to the 20+40 scheme (20h theory + 40h practice).
Theory and applications are covered in 10 lectures (2h each). In addition, there will be an afternoon dedicated to the visit of a microfluidics lab/company.
Five case studies (2h each) will be given over the semester. Students will work in small groups. For each, a written report (in English, one per group) will be required. Feedback will be provided (incl. spelling, grammar and style).
Five lab sessions (2h each) will be organized. The students will design their own lab-on-a-chip from scratch with a CAD software. Then, they will build the device using soft-lithography (clean room). Finally, they will interface and test the device. A lab report (one per group, in English) will be submitted at the end of the sessions.
Each student will have to present (individually) a recently published research work. Presentations will be in English and limited to 10'. A practice session will be organized on October 23, during which each student will receive detailed individual feedback. |
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| Face-to-face |
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Recommended or required readings :
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| The course is not based on a unique textbook. It is more a synthesis of many textbooks and recent publications.
At the end of each class, several reading suggestions will be given. |
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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- 5 case studies: Written report (group) for each of them, due the next class. Weight: 5x7% = 35%
- One lab report (group). Weight 15%
- Research presentation: on the last day of class (this year, December 18th, 2013). Weight: 20%
- Oral exam (january/september) mostly on theory. Weight: 30%. If a grade lower than 12/20 is obtained for the item "Case studies + lab", it is possible to retake 25% out of the 50% (so 1/2 of the initial grade) by solving an additional problem during the exam. The remaining 25% will be kept from the initial grade.
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Work placement(s) :
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Organizational remarks :
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| The course is given in the fall, on Wednesday from 2pm to 6pm, in room +2/441 (B52). First class is on Sept. 25, 2013. Presence to the case studies and lab sessions is mandatory - any absence will be justified.
An electronic version of the course notes and slides will be available on Dropbox. |
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Contacts :
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| Tristan Gilet
Assistant professor
Microfluidics Lab - GRASP
Office: B52 - 0/423
Email: Tristan.Gilet@ulg.ac.be
Stéphanie Van Loo
FRIA PhD student
Microfluidics Lab / Microsys
Office: B52 - 0/421
Email: svanloo@ulg.ac.be |
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