Abstract
Micro electroporation (EP) devices with high efficiency and cell viability are useful for various biomedical applications, such as drug delivery and screening. However, these devices usually have low reliability due to undesirable electrochemical reactions. In this study, an Aluminum Nano-Spike EP (ANS-EP) chip was fabricated using nano-imprint lithography, electrochemical anodization and MEMS technology. The fabricated device was characterized using cervical cancer cell line (HeLa cells). The EP efficiency and cell viability as functions of electric pulse amplitude and duration were measured using digital fluorescent microscopy with Propidium Iodide (PI) dye. Numerical simulations of electric field strength indicated enhanced localized electric field at the tip due to high aspect ratio of nano-spikes. Systematic experiments revealed EP can be achieved with high efficiency and cell viability using ANS-EP chips without bubble generation at the critical applied voltage of 2.5 V, much smaller than the micro and conventional electroporators.