Magnetically driven solid sample preparation for centrifugal microfluidic devices.

A prototype for solid sample preparation on centrifugal microfluidic devices has been designed and characterized. The system uses NdFeB magnets in both the centrifugal device and a fixed base. As the centrifugal device rotates, the magnets move and spin in their chambers creating a pulverizing mechanical motion. This technique was successfully applied to the dissolution of potassium ferricyanide (K(3)[Fe(CN)(6)]), a hard colored crystal. A 0.10 g sample was completely dissolved in 3 s in 1.0 mL of water while rotating at 1000 rpm. This is a 300-fold improvement over static dissolution.