Method for Controlling the Progression of a Fluid In a Microfluidic Component

• US 20080314454A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bio Merieux, Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Original Assignee: Bio Merieux, Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Inventors: Pouteau, Patrick, Delattre, Cyril, Charles, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 8,215,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/14
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0093 Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00286 Reactor vessels with top and bottom openings
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00353 Pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00418 using pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0059 Sequential processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00689 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00698 Measurement and control of process parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00702 Processes involving means for analysing and characterising the products
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0072 Organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0074 Biological products
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00853 Employing electrode arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0086 Dimensions of the flow channels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00862 Dimensions of the reaction cavity itself
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00867 Microreactors placed in series, on the same or on different supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00869 Microreactors placed in parallel, on the same or on different supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00891 Feeding or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0095 Control aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00959 Flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00963 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00986 : Microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 : Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 : comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/161 : Control and use of surface tension forces, e.g. hydrophobic, hydrophilic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 : fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0688 : surface tension valves, capillary stop, capillary break
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 : by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50273 : characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids micropumps F04B19/006, of the membrane type F04B43/043
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 : characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502746 : characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0396 : Involving pressure control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2224 : Structure of body of device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87306 : Having plural branches under common control for separate valve actuators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87499 : Fluid actuated or retarded

Abstract

The method for controlling the progression of a fluid, from upstream to downstream, in a microfluidic component comprising for example a plurality of microchannels each comprising a plurality of successive reaction or detection zones and a plurality of passive valves, controls the progression of the fluid in the microchannels by controlling the increase of a pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the component. The method controls the pressure difference increase discontinuously in the form of enabling pulses so as in particular to synchronize passing of the corresponding passive valves of the microchannels. The pressure difference is advantageously adjusted to a zero value between two successive enabling pulses.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the progression of a fluid from inlet to outlet of a microfluidic component comprising at least one microchannel, comprising a plurality of successive reaction or detection zones arranged at predefined intervals, and a plurality of passive valves arranged between two successive reaction or detection zones, the method controlling progression of the fluid in the microchannel by controlling the increase of a pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the component

a method wherein the pressure difference increase is controlled in discontinuous manner in the form of enabling pulses and that the pressure difference is adjusted to a zero value between two successive enabling pulses.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein control of the pressure difference increase is performed upstream from the microfluidic components.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the microfluidic component comprises a plurality of microchannels arranged in parallel and each comprising an inlet connected to a common inlet chamber.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein control of the pressure difference increase is performed downstream from the microfluidic component.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the microfluidic component comprises a plurality of microchannels arranged in parallel and each comprising an outlet connected to a common outlet chamber.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein each enabling pulse presents a value that is higher than a maximum threshold value of the passive valves.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the ratio of said value of an enabling pulse over said maximum threshold value of the passive valves is greater than 1.25.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the duration of an enabling pulse is about 100 ms to 500 ms.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising, between two successive enabling pulses, at least one continuous intermediate fluid advance period during which the pressure difference applied has a maximal base value lower than a minimum threshold value of the passive valves.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the pressure difference is adjusted to a zero value immediately after a continuous intermediate fluid advance period.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the base value of the pressure difference during the continuous intermediate fluid advance period is about 15 mbar.

12. The method according to claim 9, comprising application of a pressure difference during an additional fluid advance period, just before an enabling pulse.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the duration of a fluid advance period is determined according to signals supplied by at least one filling detector associated with each microchannel of the component.