Droplet Actuators, Modified Fluids and Methods

• US 20110180571A1
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Liquid Logic, Inc. (Illumina Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Liquid Logic, Inc. (Illumina Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sista, Ramakrishna, Sudarsan, Arjun, Thwar, Prasanna, Pamula, Vamsee, Srinivasan, Vijay
• Granted Patent: US 8,658,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/420
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/3021 the components to be mixed being combined in a single independent droplet, e.g. these droplets being divided by a non-miscible fluid or consisting of independent droplets
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/3031 using electro-hydrodynamic [EHD] or electro-kinetic [EKI] phenomena to mix or move the fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0673 Handling of plugs of fluid surrounded by immiscible fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/10 Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/147 Employing temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0861 Configuration of multiple channels and/or chambers in a single devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/089 Virtual walls for guiding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1827 using resistive heater
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0427 Electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0448 Marangoni flow; Thermocapillary effect
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502784 specially adapted for droplet or plug flow, e.g. digital microfluidics automatic analysis using a stream of discrete samples in a tube system G01N35/08
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502792 for moving individual droplets on a plate, e.g. by locally altering surface tension
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/525 with physical movement of samples between temperature zones
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/54 using spatial temperature gradients
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1046 Levitated, suspended drops

Abstract

The present invention provides droplet actuators, modified fluids and methods relating to droplet operations. An aspect includes a droplet actuator including a droplet operations substrate; an oil based filler fluid on the droplet operations substrate comprising an oil soluble additive in the filler fluid; and a droplet in contact with the oil based filler fluid. Still other aspects are provided.

Claims

1. A droplet actuator comprising:

(a) a droplet operations substrate;

(b) an oil based filler fluid on the droplet operations substrate comprising an oil soluble additive in the filler fluid; and

(c) a droplet in contact with the oil based filler fluid.

2. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive is selected for reducing loss of target droplet phase components from the droplet.

3. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises a nonionic low HLB (hydrophile-lipophile balance) surfactant.

4. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB is less than about 10.

5. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB is less than about 5.

6. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 2 to about 10.

7. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 2 to about 9.

8. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 2 to about 8.

9. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 2 to about 7.

10. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 2 to about 6.

11. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 2 to about 5.

12. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 3 to about 10.

13. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 3 to about 9.

14. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 3 to about 8.

15. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 3 to about 7.

16. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 3 to about 6.

17. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 3 to about 5.

18. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 4 to about 10.

19. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 4 to about 9.

20. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 4 to about 8.

21. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 4 to about 7.

22. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 4 to about 6.

23. The droplet actuator of claim 3 wherein the HLB ranges from about 4 to about 5.

24. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises Triton X-15.

25. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises Span 85.

26. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises Span 65.

27. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises Span 83.

28. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises Span 80.

29. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises Span 60.

30. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises a fluorinated surfactant.

31. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive is present in an amount ranging from about 0.001% to about 0.3% by volume.

32. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive is present in an amount ranging from about 0.005% to about 0.2% by volume.

33. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive is present in an amount ranging from about 0.05% to about 0.2% by volume.

34. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises an oil soluble fluorinated surfactant.

35. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises oleophilic and hydrophilic groups.

36. The droplet actuator of claim 35 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises a hydrocarbon or silicone oleophilic group.

37. The droplet actuator of claim 35 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises one or more fluorinated groups.

38. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of:

Tetronic 701, Tetronic 901, Tetronic 70R2, Tetronic 150R4, Tetronic 110R1, Tetronic 1301, Tetronic 150R1, Tetronix 1502, Pluronic 25R1, Pluronic L101, Pluronic L61, Pluronic L81, Plurafac A-24, by BASF;

IGEPAL CA-210 and IGEPAL CO-210 by GEF; and

SPAN 60, SPAN 65, SPAN 80, SPAN 85, ARLACEL 60, ARLACEL 83, BRIJ 52, BRIJ 93, ATMUL 500, ARSURF 2802, by ICI.

39. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of:

PolyFox PF-636, 6320, 656, 6520, 651, 652;

Masurf FS-910, FS-1400, FS-1900;

FC-4432 by 3M;

FMS-141, FMS-736, FMS-121;

Zonyl 8857 and Zonyl FTS.

40. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the oil soluble additive comprises a fluorinated surfactant.