Nanoscale wicking methods and devices

• US 20070099311A1
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Sansom, Elijah, Zhou, Jijie, Noca, Flavio, Bronikowski, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,021,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/5
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/30352 using roughness of the surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0621 Control of the sequence of chambers filled or emptied
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0681 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0825 Test strips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/089 Virtual walls for guiding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0896 Nanoscaled
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0448 Marangoni flow; Thermocapillary effect
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0688 surface tension valves, capillary stop, capillary break
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5023 with a sample being transported to, and subsequently stored in an absorbent for analysis
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502792 for moving individual droplets on a plate, e.g. by locally altering surface tension
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites

Abstract

A fluid transport method and fluid transport device are disclosed. Nanoscale fibers disposed in a patterned configuration allow transport of a fluid in absence of an external power source. The device may include two or more fluid transport components having different fluid transport efficiencies. The components may be separated by additional fluid transport components, to control fluid flow.

Claims

1. A guided fluid transport method comprising:

providing a plurality of nanoscale fibers disposed in a patterned configuration; and

transporting fluid along the nanoscale fibers,

wherein the nanoscale fibers are disposed in a patterned configuration to allow transport of the fluid in absence of an external power source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of nanoscale fibers comprises carbon nanotube(CNT) arrays.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the CNT arrays are homogeneous.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the CNT arrays are heterogeneous.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanoscale fibers are open nanoscale fibers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanoscale fibers are encapsulated nanoscale fibers.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said guided fluid transport is carried out and controlled by surface tension forces.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said surface tension forces comprise wetting, wicking and Marangoni forces.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said surface tension forces are controlled by adjustment of liquid properties.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said liquid properties include surface tension, viscosity and parameters of the patterned configuration of the nanoscale fibers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid contains contaminant and transportation of the fluid separates the contaminant from the fluid.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid contains a first chemical reagent and the nanoscale fibers contain a second chemical reagent, and wherein a reaction between the first chemical reagent and the second medical reagent occurs during transportation of the fluid.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the patterned configuration is a rectangular spiral.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the patterned configuration comprises at least one L-patterned nanowick.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the patterned configuration comprises at least one T-patterned nanowick.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the patterned configuration comprises delay regions and mixing regions.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanoscale fibers are multiscaled.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the nanoscale fibers form a heterogeneous nanowick.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the heterogeneous nanowick comprises micrometer-sized interstices and nanometer-sized interstices.

20. A fluid transport device comprising:

a fluid transport element comprising a plurality of nanoscale fibers disposed in a patterned configuration, the fluid transport element allowing self-transport of the fluid between the nanoscale fibers.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein said self-transport occurs in absence of an external power source.

22. The device of claim 20, further comprising a substrate on which the nanoscale fibers are located.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the substrate is a flexible substrate.

24. The device of claim 20, wherein the patterned configuration comprises mixing regions to allow mixing of liquids.

25. The device of claim 24, further comprising a liquid storage reservoir.

26. A fluid transport device comprising:

one or more first fluid transport components, each comprising a plurality of nanoscale fibers disposed in a patterned configuration, said first fluid transport components having a first fluid transport efficiency;

one or more second fluid transport components associated with the first fluid transport components, said second fluid transport components having a second fluid transport efficiency different from the first fluid transport efficiency.

27. The device of claim 26, comprising two first fluid transport components separated by one second fluid transport component.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the second fluid transport component has a length comparable to the length of the two first fluid transport components.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the second fluid transport component has a length inferior to the lengths of the two first fluid transport components.

30. The device of claim 26, comprising two first fluid transport components, the first first fluid transport component being rectangular shaped, the second first fluid transport component being arrow shaped, a separation between the first first fluid transport component and the second first fluid transport component forming the second fluid transport component.

31. The device of claim 26, comprising three first fluid transport component and two second fluid transport components, a first second fluid transport component being located between a first first fluid transport component and a second first fluid transport component, a second second fluid transport component being located between the second first fluid transport component and a third first fluid transport component.

32. The device of claim 31, further comprising a fourth first fluid transport component, connected with the second first fluid transport component.

33. The device of claim 26, wherein the fluid transport device acts as a fluidic semiconductor.

34. The device of claim 26, wherein at least one of the one or more second fluid transport components acts as an insulator.