Polymerase chain reaction using metallic glass-coated microwire

• US 20050221365A1
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Demodulation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Demodulation Incorporated
• Inventors: Liebermann, Howard H., Goldstein, Alan H., LaCourse, William C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,368,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/008 Removal of tumors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/12 Specific details about manufacturing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/16 Reagents, handling or storing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0838 Capillaries
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0845 Filaments, strings, fibres, i.e. not hollow
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/16 Surface properties and coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1827 using resistive heater
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50851 specially adapted for heating or cooling samples laboratory heating apparatus B01L7/00; incubators C12M
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/561 Tubes; Conduits in general F16L
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/686 Polymerase chain reaction [PCR]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2933 Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/294 including metal or compound thereof [excluding glass, ceramic and asbestos]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2958 Metal or metal compound in coating

Abstract

A metallic glass-coated microwire has controllable surface porosity. The porosity is achieved by etching the metallic glass-coated microwire or other shapes of glass-coated bodies with acid after annealing to produce a multi-phase glass coating. Porous metallic glass-coated microwires are found to make superior PCR machines, which find use in a variety of in vivo, biochemical, and chemical sensors. Advantageously, the PCR apparatus is smaller, less expensive to construct than conventional units. It readily carries out in vivo passive or active operations.

Claims

1. A metallic glass-coated microwire, wherein said glass has a thermal contraction coefficient less than that of said metallic core by a preselected value, said preselected value being such that said glass is under residual compression, interfacial bonding between said glass and said metallic core is substantially uniform, and surface cracking and bond breaks between metal and glass are substantially prevented.

2. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 1, wherein the glass coating has a controllable amount and configuration of surface porosity.

3. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 2, wherein said glass has at least 5% surface porosity as determined by its surface area.

4. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 3, wherein said glass has at least 20% surface porosity as determined by its surface area.

5. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 4, wherein said glass has at least 50% surface porosity as determined by its surface area.

6. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 1, wherein said metallic core is comprised of an amorphous alloy.

7. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 6, wherein said glass coating has a controllable amount and configuration of surface porosity.

8. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 7, wherein said glass coating has at least 5% surface porosity as determined by its surface area.

9. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 8, wherein said glass coating has at least 20% surface porosity as determined by its surface area.

10. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 9, wherein said glass coating has at least 50% surface porosity as determined by its surface area.

13. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 2, in which at least some of said surface porosity is filled with reagents for PCR in order to detect specific biological species.

14. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 2, in which at least some of the surface porosity is filled with reagents for PCR in order to detect specific chemical species.

15. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 2, in which the metallic core is electrically conductive to enable its resistance heating as part of the PCR process.

16. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 2, in which the metallic core is ferromagnetic to enable its heating with a high frequency magnetic field as part of the PCR process.

17. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 6, in which at least some of the surface porosity is filled with reagents for PCR in order to detect specific biological species.

18. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 6, in which at least some of the surface porosity is filled with reagents for PCR in order to detect specific chemical species.

19. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 6, in which the metallic core is electrically conductive to enable its resistance heating as part of the PCR process.

20. The metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 6, in which the metallic core is ferromagnetic to enable its heating with high frequency magnetic field as part of the PCR process.

22. An in vivo PCR device based upon the metallic glass-coated microwire of claim 10.

23. A biological species sensor comprising a metallic glass-coated microwire as recited by claim 13.

24. A chemical species sensor comprising a metallic glass-coated microwire as recited by claim 14.

11. A method for producing a porous metallic glass-coated microwire, comprising the steps of:

a. selecting glass that will have multiple phases after heat treatment;

b. heat-treating said glass for time at temperature sufficient to cause formation of multiple phases;

c. immersing said heat-treated, multi-phase glass in selected acid mixture; and

d. continuing step “

c”

until a desired level of glass porosity is achieved.

12. A process for making porous metallic glass-coated microwire, comprising the steps of:

a. selecting glass that will have multiple phases after heat treatment;

b. drawing a glass-coated microwire wherein the coating comprises said selected glass;

c. subjecting said glass-coated microwire to a post-drawing process comprising the steps of;

i. carrying out an acid evaporation/condensation process by placing the metallic glass-coated microwire in a buret containing a select mixture of sulfuric, hydochloric, and nitric acids, followed by evaporation in a flask containing air, so that an acid/air mixture within the flask is heated to create acid vapor;

ii. heat treating said glass-coated microwire;

iii. continuing said heat treatment for at least 20 minutes at a temperature of about 450-700°

C., to allow said acid vapor to flow continuously over said glass for substantially the entire period of said heat treatment until the desired level of glass porosity results; and

iv. cleansing said acid vapor in a condenser before it is liberated.

21. A detector in which highly polar materials of PCR affect the magnetic output of a metallic glass-coated microwire.