Method for controlling the progression of a fluid in a microfluidic component

• US 8,215,338 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation), Bio Merieux
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation), Bio Merieux
• Inventors: Delattre, Cyril, Charles, Raymond, Pouteau, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Schneider, Craig
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAHILL, JESSICA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US12/223,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20080314454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• Field of Search: 137/487.5, 137/599.01, 137/599.06, 137/599.09, 137/601.2, 137/601.13, 137/806, 137/825, 137/833, 96101-106
• US Class Current: 137/599.06
• 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 an outlet of a microfluidic component comprising:

providing the microfluidic component with a microchannel comprising a plurality of successive reaction or detection zones connected in series, a plurality of passive valves connected in series with the reaction or detection zones wherein each two successive reaction or detection zones in the microchannel are separated by one passive valve from the inlet to the outlet;

applying a plurality of pressure pulses comprising a first step at a first pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of the microfluidic component during a first period, wherein the first pressure difference is higher than a threshold value for the passive valve so as to achieve progression of the fluid via the successive passive valves; and

applying a zero pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of the component between two successive pressure pulses so as to stop progression of the fluid between two successive passive valves.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the duration of the pulse is from 100 ms to 500 ms.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure difference is performed upstream from the microfluidic component.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the microfluidic component comprises a plurality of microchannels arranged in parallel, each microchannel comprising an inlet connected to a common inlet chamber, wherein the common inlet chamber is configured to apply an identical pressure in all the microchannels.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure difference is performed downstream from the microfluidic component.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the microfluidic component comprises a plurality of microchannels arranged in parallel, each microchannel comprising an outlet connected to a common outlet chamber, wherein the common outlet chamber is configured to apply an identical pressure in all the microchannels.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first pressure difference value of each pulse is higher than a maximum threshold value of the passive valves.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the ratio of the first pressure difference value of the pulse over the maximum threshold value of the passive valves is greater than 1.25.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pulse comprises a second step at a second difference pressure value lower than a minimum threshold value of the passive valves.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the zero pressure difference is applied immediately after the second step and before the next pulse at the first difference pressure.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the second difference value is equal to 15 mbar.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the pressure pulse comprises a third step at a third difference pressure value lower than a minimum threshold value of the passive valves, the second step and the third step separated by the first step.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the duration of the second step or the third step is defined according to a signal supplied by one filling detector associated with each microchannel of the component.