Dielectric gate and methods for fluid injection and control

• US 6,866,762 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2001
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Inventors: Vykoukal, Jody V., Becker, Frederick F., Gascoyne, Peter, Schwartz, Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): NOGUEROLA, ALEXANDER STEPHAN
• Application Number:
  US10/028,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20030121788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 204/547, 204/643
• US Class Current: 204/547
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0861 Configuration of multiple channels and/or chambers in a single devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0877 Flow chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/089 Virtual walls for guiding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0421 electrophoretic flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0424 Dielectrophoretic forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• 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 3/502792 for moving individual droplets on a plate, e.g. by locally altering surface tension
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 5/028 using travelling electric fields, i.e. travelling wave dielectrophoresis [TWD]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1041 Ink-jet like dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1074 arranged in a two-dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2076 Utilizing diverse fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2191 By non-fluid energy field affecting input [e.g., transducer]

Abstract

A dielectric gate and related systems and methods for controlling fluid flow. A dielectric gate includes one or more electrodes coupled between an inlet fluid pathway and an outlet fluid pathway. The electrodes are configured to draw fluid from the inlet fluid pathway to the outlet fluid pathway in a precise manner by using dielectric forces arising from electrical signals applied to the electrodes.

Claims

1. A dielectric gate comprising one or more electrodes coupled between an inlet fluid pathway and an outlet fluid pathway, and means for driving the one or more electrodes with AC signals to draw fluid from the inlet fluid pathway to the outlet fluid pathway using dielectrophoretic forces resulting from inhomogeneous electrical fields, wherein the inlet or outlet fluid pathway comprises hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface coatings configured to provide preferential fluid flow directions.

2. The gate of claim 1, wherein the inlet fluid pathway comprises a tube or channel.

3. The gate of claim 1, wherein the outlet fluid pathway comprises a tube or channel.

4. The gate of claim 1, further comprising a chamber covering at least a portion of the gate.

5. The gate of claim 1, further comprising a fluidic injector in operative relation to the inlet fluid pathway.

6. The gate of claim 5, wherein the fluidic injector comprises a hydrophilic or hydrophobic coating.

7. A dielectric gate comprising:

an inlet fluid pathway;

one or more electrodes in operative relation with the inlet fluid pathway;

a hydrophobic patch adjacent at least one of the electrodes;

an outlet fluid pathway in operative relation with at least one of the electrodes; and

means for driving the one or more electrodes with AC signals to draw fluid from the inlet fluid pathway to the outlet fluid pathway using dielectrophoretic forces resulting from inhomogeneous electrical fields;

wherein the hydrophobic patch is configured to inhibit fluid flow from the inlet fluid pathway to the outlet fluid pathway in the absence of the electrical signals.

8. The gate of claim 7, wherein the inlet fluid pathway comprises a tube or channel.

9. The gate of claim 7, wherein the outlet fluid pathway comprises a tube or channel.

10. The gate of claim 7, wherein the inlet fluid pathway comprises hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface coatings defining a virtual channel, which provides preferential fluid flow directions.

11. The gate of claim 7, wherein the outlet fluid pathway comprises hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface coatings defining a virtual channel, which provides preferential fluid flow directions.

12. The gate of claim 7, further comprising a chamber covering at least a portion of the gate.

13. The gate of claim 7, further comprising a fluidic injector in operative relation to the inlet fluid pathway.

14. The gate of claim 13, wherein the fluidic injector comprises a hydrophilic or hydrophobic coating.

15. A system for fluid flow control, comprising:

a dielectric gate including an inlet and outlet fluid pathway;

a fluid reservoir coupled to the inlet fluid pathway of the dielectric gate; and

a fluidic device coupled to the outlet fluid pathway of the dielectric gate; and

means for driving one or more electrodes with AC signals to draw fluid from the inlet fluid pathway to the outlet fluid pathway using dielectrophoretic forces resulting from inhomogeneous electrical fields.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the dielectric gate comprises a hydrophobic patch adjacent one or more of the electrodes and configured to inhibit fluid flow from the inlet fluid pathway to the outlet fluid pathway in the absence of the electrical signals.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the fluid reservoir comprises a pressurized reservoir.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising an impedance sensor in operative relation to the dielectric gate and configured to count a number of droplets transferred from the inlet fluid pathway to the outlet fluid pathway.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the system comprises a single chip.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the fluidic device comprises a polymerase chain reaction device.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the fluidic device comprises a dielectrophoresis field flow fractionation device.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the fluidic device comprises a programmable fluidic processor.

20. The system of claim wherein the fluidic device comprises a capillary electrophoresis device.

24. A method for fluid flow control, comprising:

flowing fluid from a fluid reservoir to an inlet fluid pathway;

applying AC signals to one or more electrodes, resulting in inhomogeneous electrical fields, for drawing the fluid from the inlet fluid pathway to an outlet fluid pathway by dielectrophoretic forces arising from a dielectric gate;

flowing the fluid from the outlet fluid pathway to a fluidic device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising inhibiting the flow of fluid from the inlet fluid pathway to the outlet fluid pathway using a hydrophobic patch coupled to at least a portion of the dielectric gate.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising counting a number of droplets transferred from the inlet fluid pathway to outlet fluid pathway using an impedance sensor in operative relation to the dielectric gate.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein flowing fluid from the fluid reservoir to the inlet fluid pathway comprises flowing the fluid through one or more virtual channels defined by hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface coatings, which provide preferential fluid flow directions.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein flowing the fluid from the outlet fluid pathway to the fluidic device comprises flowing the fluid through one or more virtual channels defined by hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface coatings, which provide preferential fluid flow directions.