Method and device for manipulating liquids in microfluidic systems

• US 8,231,844 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Original Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Inventors: Gorfinkel, Vera, Kabotyanski, Evgeni A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sines, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US11/975,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20090071833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 422/68.1, 422/100, 422/502, 422/503
• US Class Current: 422/502
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/027 for microfluidic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0605 Metering of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0684 Venting, avoiding backpressure, avoid gas bubbles
• 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 2300/089 Virtual walls for guiding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/161 Control and use of surface tension forces, e.g. hydrophobic, hydrophilic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0421 electrophoretic flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/088 by specific surface properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• 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 3/502746 characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• 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: G01N 2035/00237 Handling microquantities of analyte, e.g. microvalves, capillary networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/103 using disposable tips
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44791 Microapparatus sample containers with integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

The present invention relates to microfluidic systems having components with specially designed and fabricated areas of enhanced and/or reduced capillarity (flow guides). The methods and devices of the present invention permit the bubble-less dispensing and mixing of small volumes of different liquids for subsequent incubation and/or detection of products of various biological reactions. Thus present invention is well-suited to applications such as polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis.

Claims

1. A microfluidic device comprising one or more microfluidic vessel(s), wherein said microfluidic vessel(s) comprise(s) (i) a sample deposition port, and (ii) walls comprising flow-guides contained therein, said flow-guides having pre-determined capillarities, wherein said flow-guides comprise:

a) a holding flow-guide configured such that its capillarity confines a sample deposited in said holding flow-guide within said holding flow guide such that said sample does not touch the rest of said vessel, wherein said holding flow-guide extends from said port toward a distal wall of said vessel but does not contact said wall, and

b) a releasing flow-guide configured such that its capillarity confines a reagent mixture deposited therein such that said mixture touches the rest of said vessel first at said distal wall of said vessel, wherein said releasing flow-guide extends from said deposition port to said distal wall of said vessel.

2. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said holding flow-guide comprises an area within said microfluidic vessel(s) having reduced capillarity.

3. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said holding flow-guide comprises areas within said microfluidic vessel(s) having enhanced capillarity.

4. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said holding flow-guide comprises areas within said microfluidic vessel(s) having reduced capillarity, and an area within said vessel(s) having enhanced capillarity.

5. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said holding flow-guide is a structural flow-guide.

6. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said holding flow-guide is a surface flow-guide.

7. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said holding flow-guide is a hybrid structural/surface flow-guide.

8. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said releasing flow-guide comprises an area within said microfluidic vessel(s) having reduced capillarity.

9. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said releasing flow-guide comprises areas within said microfluidic vessel(s) having enhanced capillarity.

10. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said releasing flow-guide comprises areas within said microfluidic vessel(s) having reduced capillarity, and an area within said vessel(s) having enhanced capillarity.

11. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said releasing flow-guide is a structural flow-guide.

12. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein said releasing flow-guide is a surface flow-guide.

13. The microfluidic device of claim 12, wherein said surface flow-guide comprises a hydrophobic material deposited within said microfluidic vessel(s).