DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLABLE BIOLOGICAL/CHEMICAL DETECTORS HAVING NANOSTRUCTURED SURFACES

• US 20060040375A1
• Filed: 03/23/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lyons, Alan Michael, Taylor, Joseph Ashley, Kroupenkine, Timofei Nikita, Mandich, Mary Louise, Arney, Susanne, Schabel, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,048,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/287.100
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/089 Virtual walls for guiding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/161 Control and use of surface tension forces, e.g. hydrophobic, hydrophilic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0421 electrophoretic flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0427 Electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0436 acoustic forces, e.g. surface acoustic waves [SAW]
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/508 rigid containers not provided for above
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5088 confining liquids at a location by surface tension, e.g. virtual wells on plates, wires B01L3/50857 takes precedence

Abstract

A biological/chemical detector is disclosed that is capable of manipulating liquids, such as reagent droplets, without relying on microchannels. In a first embodiment, fluid flow is passed through the detector, thus causing particles wholly or partially containing an illustrative chemical compound or biological species to be collected on the tips of nanostructures in the detector. A droplet of liquid is moved across the tips of the nanostructures, thus absorbing the particles into the liquid. The droplet is caused to penetrate the nanostructures in a desired location, thus causing the chemical compound or biological species in said liquid droplet to come into contact with, for example, a reagent. In another embodiment, a fluid flow is passed through the nanostructured surfaces of the detector such that the chemical compound and/or biological species are deposited between the nanoposts of a desired pixel. A droplet of liquid is moved across the surface to that desired pixel and is caused to penetrate the nanostructures of the pixel, thus contacting a reagent.

Claims

1. A detector comprising:

a surface having a plurality of nanostructured projections disposed thereon, the projections having tips;

a reagent pixel on the surface, between a plurality of the projections;

means for moving a liquid across tips of the nanostructured projections without contacting the reagent pixel; and

means for moving the liquid toward said surface in a way such that the liquid contacts said reagent pixel.

2. The detector of claim 1 wherein a density of the nanostructured projections is varied in a way such that said liquid moves across tips of the nanostructured projections toward an area having a highest density of tips of said nanostructured projections.

3. The detector of claim 1 wherein said means for moving a liquid across the nanostructured projections includes a plurality of electrodes disposed on said surface in a way such that, upon sequentially applying a voltage to an electrode in said plurality of electrodes, a liquid moves in a desired direction.

4. The detector of claim 1 wherein said liquid includes a reagent.

5. The detector of claim 1 wherein said liquid is adapted to absorb particles disposed on the tips of said plurality of projections.

6. The detector of claim 5 wherein said liquid is further adapted to transport said particles to the reagent pixel.

18. The detector of claim 1 in which the means for moving a liquid toward the surface includes a plurality of electrodes disposed on the surface in a way such that, upon applying a voltage to an electrode at a position on the surface, a liquid moves toward the position on the surface.

19. The detector of claim 1 in which the means for moving a liquid toward the surface includes a heat source for heating the liquid to reduce surface tension of the liquid.

20. The detector of claim 1 in which the means for moving a liquid toward the surface includes a source of acoustic energy.

21. The detector of claim 1 in which the means for moving a liquid toward the surface includes a source of electromagnetic energy.

22. The detector of claim 1 in which the means for moving a liquid toward the surface includes inducing a chemical change at tips of projections.

23. The detector of claim 1 in which the liquid is in the form of at least one droplet.

24. The detector of claim 1, in which tips include microposts.

25. The detector of claim 1, in which tips include nanoposts.

26. The detector of claim 1, in which tips include a microline.

27. The detector of claim 1, in which the reagent pixel is reactive with a chemical compound.

28. The detector of claim 1, in which the reagent pixel is reactive with a biological agent.

29. The detector of claim 1, in which the reagent pixel is reactive with a ribonucleic acid.

30. The detector of claim 1, in which the reagent pixel is reactive with an antibody.

31. The detector of claim 1, in which the reagent pixel is reactive with an antigen.

7-17. -17. (canceled)