MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE FOR PREPARING MIXTURES

• US 20100022007A1
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Kenis, Paul J. A., Roberts, Griffin W., Tice, Joshua D., Perry, Sarah L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,976,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/8
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/41 Emulsifying
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/45 Mixers in which the materials to be mixed are pressed together through orifices or interstitial spaces, e.g. between beads B01F25/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4521 the components being pressed through orifices in elements, e.g. flat plates or cylinders, which obstruct the whole diameter of the tube
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 31/65 the materials to be mixed being directly submitted to a pulsating movement, e.g. by means of an oscillating piston or air column
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/30 Micromixers
• 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: Y10T 436/10 Composition for standardization, calibration, simulation, stabilization, preparation or preservation; processes of use in preparation for chemical testing

Abstract

A microfluidic device for preparing a mixture, has a mixer. The mixer includes a plurality of chambers, each chamber having a volume of at most 1 microliter, a first plurality of channels, each channel fluidly connecting 2 chambers, a plurality of chamber valves, each chamber valve controlling fluid flow out of one of the plurality of chambers, and a first plurality of channel valves, each channel valve controlling fluid flow through one of the first plurality of channels.

Claims

1. A microfluidic device for preparing a mixture, comprising a mixer, the mixer comprising:

a plurality of chambers, each chamber having a volume of at most 1 microliter,

a first plurality of channels, each channel fluidly connecting 2 chambers,

a plurality of chamber valves, each chamber valve controlling fluid flow out of one of the plurality of chambers, and

a first plurality of channel valves, each channel valve controlling fluid flow through one of the first plurality of channels.

2. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of chambers is 3-100 chambers.

3. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of chambers includes a first chamber, a second chamber and a third chamber,

the first chamber is fluidly connected to the second chamber by at least 2 of the first plurality of channels, and

the third chamber is fluidly connected to the second chamber by at least 2 of the first plurality of channels.

4. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of chambers includes a first chamber, a second chamber and a third chamber,

the first chamber is fluidly connected to the second chamber by at least 3 of the first plurality of channels, and

the third chamber is fluidly connected to the second chamber by at least 3 of the first plurality of channels.

5. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the mixer further comprising a second plurality of channels, and each of the second plurality of channels fluidly connects a chamber of the plurality of chambers, to a reservoir, for filling the chamber, and

a second plurality of channel valves, each of the second plurality of channel valve controlling fluid flow through one of the second plurality of channels.

6. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of chambers further includes a fourth chamber, and the fourth chamber is fluidly connected to the second chamber by one channel of the first plurality of channels.

7. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein each chamber of the plurality of chambers has a volume of at most 100 nanoliters.

8. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein each chamber of the plurality of chambers has a volume of at most 20 nanoliters.

9. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein each chamber of the plurality of chambers has a volume of 0.1 to 10 nanoliters.

10. The microfluidic device of claim 5, comprising:

a fluid layer, comprising the plurality of chambers and the first plurality of channels and the second plurality of channels, and

a control layer, comprising a third plurality channels, for controlling the plurality of chamber valves, the first plurality of channel valves, and the second plurality of channel valves,

wherein an elastic membrane separates the fluid layer and the control layer.

11. The microfluidic device of claim 10, wherein the elastic membrane comprises polydimethylsiloxane.

12. The microfluidic device of claim 1, further comprising at least three additional mixers.

13. The microfluidic device of claim 1, further comprising 15 additional mixers.

14. A method of forming a mixture, comprising:

providing at most 1 microliter of a first fluid having a viscosity of at least 0.5 Pa·

s;

providing at most 1 microliter of a second fluid; and

chaotically mixing the first and second fluids together, to form a mixture.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the mixture is a cubic lipidic phase.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first fluid comprises an aqueous solution.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first fluid comprises an aqueous solution of a protein.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the protein is a membrane protein.

19. (canceled)

20. A method of forming a mixture, comprising:

providing at most 1 microliter of a first fluid having a first fluid viscosity;

providing at most 1 microliter of a second fluid having a viscosity at least 10 times the first fluid viscosity; and

chaotically mixing the first and second fluids together, to form a mixture.

21-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A method of forming a mixture with a microfluidic device, comprising:

providing a microfluidic device, comprising

a first chamber containing at most 1 microliter a first fluid,

second and third chambers containing at most 1 microliter a second fluid,

first and second channels, fluidly connecting the first and second chambers,

third and fourth channels, fluidly connecting the first and third chambers,

first, second and third chamber valves, each chamber valve controlling fluid flow out of the first, second or third chamber, respectively, and

first, second, third and fourth channel valves, each channel valve controlling fluid flow through the first, second, third or fourth channel, respectively; and

chaotically mixing the first and second fluids by transferring the fluids between the chambers a plurality of times, to form a mixture.

31-44. -44. (canceled)