PLASMON ASSISTED CONTROL OF OPTOFLUIDICS
First Claim
1. A method of microfluidic control via localized heating, the method comprising:
- providing a microchannel structure with a base region, the microchannel structure being partially filled with a volume of liquid and a gas at an ambient temperature, the volume of liquid and the gas being separated by a liquid-gas interface region within the microchannel structure, the base region including one or more physical structures;
supplying energy input to a portion of the one or more physical structures within the volume of liquid in a vicinity of the liquid-gas interface region to cause localized heating of the portion of the one or more physical structures;
transferring heat from the portion of the one or more physical structures to surrounding liquid in the vicinity of the liquid-gas interface region; and
generating an interphase mass transport at the liquid-gas interface region in the microchannel structure, wherein the volume of liquid and the gas remain to be substantially at the ambient temperature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of microfluidic control via localized heating includes providing a microchannel structure with a base region that is partially filled with a volume of liquid being separated from a gas by a liquid-gas interface region. The base region includes one or more physical structures. The method further includes supplying energy input to a portion of the one or more physical structures within the volume of liquid in a vicinity of the liquid-gas interface region to cause localized heating of the portion of the one or more physical structures. The method also includes transferring heat from the portion of the one or more physical structures to surrounding liquid in the vicinity of the liquid-gas interface region and generating an interphase mass transport at the liquid-gas interface region or across a gas bubble while the volume of liquid and the gas remain to be substantially at ambient temperature.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of microfluidic control via localized heating, the method comprising:
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providing a microchannel structure with a base region, the microchannel structure being partially filled with a volume of liquid and a gas at an ambient temperature, the volume of liquid and the gas being separated by a liquid-gas interface region within the microchannel structure, the base region including one or more physical structures; supplying energy input to a portion of the one or more physical structures within the volume of liquid in a vicinity of the liquid-gas interface region to cause localized heating of the portion of the one or more physical structures; transferring heat from the portion of the one or more physical structures to surrounding liquid in the vicinity of the liquid-gas interface region; and generating an interphase mass transport at the liquid-gas interface region in the microchannel structure, wherein the volume of liquid and the gas remain to be substantially at the ambient temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of plasmon resonance assisted microfluidic pumping, the method comprising:
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providing a vessel partially filled with a first volume of liquid, said liquid being separated from a gas by a first liquid-gas interface region, the vessel characterized in micrometer scale including a base region, a width, and a height, the base region including an array of nanometer structures associated with a plasmon resonance frequency range; illuminating a laser beam on a portion of the array of nanometer structures within the first volume of liquid substantially near the first liquid-gas interface region, the laser beam being characterized by a power level and a determined frequency within the plasmon resonance frequency range to cause plasmon resonance excitation of the portion of the array of nanometer structures; entrapping a gas bubble in the vessel by forming a second volume of liquid at a distance in front of the first liquid-gas interface region through evaporation and recondensation during an energy transfer facilitated by the plasmon resonance excitation, the gas bubble being bounded by the first liquid-gas interface region, surrounding inner walls of the vessel, and a second liquid-gas interface region associated with the second volume of liquid; and generating a mass transport in the vessel across the gas bubble from first liquid-gas interface region to the second liquid-gas interface region. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of concentrating a volume of liquid mixture in a micro-fluidic system, the method comprising:
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providing a vessel partially filled with a first volume of liquid mixture separated from a gas by a first liquid-gas interface region, the liquid mixture including at least a first substance in a first concentration and a second substance in a second concentration, the first substance being characterized by a first volatility and the second substance being characterized by a second volatility, the second volatility being less than the first volatility, the vessel characterized in micrometer scale including a base region, the base region including an array of nanometer structures associated with a plasmon resonance frequency range; illuminating a laser beam on a portion of the array of nanometer structures within the first volume of liquid mixture substantially near the first liquid-gas interface region, the laser beam being characterized by a determined frequency within the plasmon resonance frequency range to cause plasmon resonance excitation of the portion of the array of nanometer structures; entrapping a gas bubble in the vessel by forming a second volume of liquid mixture at a distance in front of the first liquid-gas interface region through evaporation and recondensation during an energy transfer facilitated by the plasmon resonance excitation, the gas bubble being bounded by the first liquid-gas interface region, surrounding inner walls of the vessel, and a second liquid-gas interface region associated with the second volume of liquid mixture; illuminating the laser beam on a portion of the array of nanometer structures within the first volume of liquid mixture substantially near the first liquid-gas interface region to generate a first mass flow for the first substance with a first flow rate and a second mass flow for the second substance with a second flow rate in the vessel across the gas bubble from first volume of liquid mixture to the second volume of liquid mixture, the first flow rate being higher than the second flow rate; and concentrating the second substance in the first volume of liquid mixture while maintaining the first volume of liquid mixture substantially at an ambient state during fractional increase of the second concentration and decrease of the first concentration. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of concentrating a substance within a volume of liquid in a microfluidic system, the method comprising:
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providing a vessel partially filled with a first volume of liquid separated from air by a first liquid-air interface region in an ambient state, the first volume of liquid including a first concentration of a substance characterized as a plurality of suspended molecules, the vessel characterized in micrometer scale including a base region, the base region including an array of metal nanoparticles associated with a plasmon resonance frequency range; illuminating a laser beam on a portion of the array of metal nanoparticles within the first volume of liquid substantially near the first liquid-air interface region, the laser beam being characterized by a determined frequency within the plasmon resonance frequency range to cause plasmon resonance excitation of the portion of the array of metal nanoparticles; entrapping an air bubble in the vessel by forming a second volume of liquid at a distance in front of the first liquid-air interface region through liquid evaporation and recondensation during an energy transfer facilitated by the plasmon resonance excitation, the air bubble being bounded by the first liquid-air interface region, surrounding inner walls of the vessel, and a second liquid-air interface region associated with the second volume of liquid; illuminating the laser beam on a portion of the array of metal nanoparticles within the first volume of liquid substantially near the first liquid-air interface region to generate a mass flow for the liquid in the vessel across the air bubble from the first liquid-air interface region to the second liquid-air interface region; and concentrating the substance suspended within the first volume of liquid to increase the first concentration to a second concentration while maintaining the first volume of liquid substantially at an ambient state.
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Specification