APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MICROPARTICLE SEPARATION BASED ON MICROFLUIDIC CHROMATOGRAPHY USING SURFACE ACOUSTIC WAVE

• US 20150330887A1
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea University Research and Business Foundation (Korea University)
• Original Assignee: Korea University Research and Business Foundation (Korea University)
• Inventors: SHIN, Se Hyun, NAM, Jeong Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 10,082,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/34 Size selective separation, e.g. size exclusion chromatography, gel filtration, permeation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/3866 using ultra-sound
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/3885 Using electrical or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0652 Sorting or classification of particles or molecules
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0867 Multiple inlets and one sample wells, e.g. mixing, dilution
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0436 acoustic forces, e.g. surface acoustic waves [SAW]
• 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: G01N 15/02 Investigating particle size or size distribution by measuring osmotic pressure G01N7/10; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1023 Microstructural devices for non-optical measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1028 Sorting particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/027 Liquid chromatography
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/6095 Micromachined or nanomachined, e.g. micro- or nanosize
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/76 Acoustical detectors measurement of mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves G01H

Abstract

The present invention related to an apparatus for separating micro-nano scale particles based on microfluidic chromatography using surface acoustic waves, comprising: a piezoelectric substrate; a pair of transducers, which are patterned on the piezoelectric substrate and generate surface acoustic waves when electric energy is applied to the piezoelectric substrate; a microfluidic chip, which is mounted on the piezoelectric substrate and include a microfluidic channel disposed between the pair of transducers, wherein a fluid including micro-nano scale particles flows in the microfluidic channel; and a detection unit, which detects micro-nano scale particles separated by the surface acoustic waves while the micro-nano scale particles pass through the microfluidic channel, wherein forces of the surface acoustic waves generated by the pair of transducers are formed in a direction opposite to a fluid flow to generate flow resistance to the micro-nano scale particles which flows in the microfluidic channel.

Claims

1. An apparatus for separating micro-nano scale particles based on microfluidic chromatography using surface acoustic waves, comprising:

a piezoelectric substrate;

a pair of transducers, which are patterned on the piezoelectric substrate and generate surface acoustic waves when electric energy is applied to the piezoelectric substrate;

a microfluidic chip, which is mounted on the piezoelectric substrate and include a microfluidic channel disposed between the pair of transducers, wherein a fluid including micro-nano scale particles flows in the microfluidic channel; and

a detection unit, which detects micro-nano scale particles separated by the surface acoustic waves while the micro-nano scale particles pass through the microfluidic channel,

wherein forces of the surface acoustic waves generated by the pair of transducers are formed in a direction opposite to a fluid flow to generate flow resistance to the micro-nano scale particles which flows in the microfluidic channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microfluidic channel has at least one bending portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microfluidic channel includes a portion parallel to an extension line which connects the pair of transducers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microfluidic channel has a zigzag shape or a winding shape.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric substrate is formed of a lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) or quartz material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pair of transducers are in an interdigitated form and are formed by patterning gold on a chrome layer which is an adhesive layer formed on a surface of the piezoelectric substrate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microfluidic chip is attachably and detachably mounted on the piezoelectric substrate.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an end portion of the microfluidic channel is provided with a fluid outlet.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the detection unit is installed before the fluid outlet in a flow direction of the fluid.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein surface acoustic waves generated by the pair of transducers meet each other to form standing surface acoustic waves, and thus a plurality of pressure nodes are periodically formed in a flow direction of the fluid.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes an electrical impedance sensor or a photospectrometer.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microfluidic channel is provided with at least one fluid inlet.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fluid inlet includes two or more inlets, a sample fluid is injected into at least one inlet, a sheath fluid is injected into at least one of the other inlet, and a flux of each fluid is independently controlled, and thus a position of the sample fluid is hydraulically adjusted.

14. A method for separating micro-nano scale particles based on microfluidic chromatography using surface acoustic waves, comprising:

bonding a microfluidic chip on a piezoelectric substrate patterned with a pair of transducers;

injecting a fluid which includes micro-nano scale particles through a fluid inlet of the microfluidic chip;

generating surface acoustic waves by applying electric energy having a specific operating frequency to the pair of transducers;

forming a pressure node in a microfluidic channel of the microfluidic chip by standing surface acoustic waves formed when the surface acoustic waves generated from each of the pair of transducers meet each other, such that the pressure node acts as flow resistance; and

detecting micro-nano scale particles separated while passing through the microfluidic channel.