Droplet actuators, modified fluids and methods

• US 8,658,111 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Liquid Logic, Inc. (Illumina Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Liquid Logic, Inc. (Illumina Incorporated)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Vijay, Pamula, Vamsee, Sista, Ramakrishna, Sudarsan, Arjun, Thwar, Prasanna
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Brian R
• Application Number:
  US13/031,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20110180571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 422502-505, 436/180, 204/450, 204/600
• US Class Current: 422/502
• 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) two substrates separated to form a droplet operations gap, one or both of the substrates comprising electrodes arranged to conduct electrowetting droplet operations, the electrodes underlying a hydrophobic coating;

(b) multiple oil zones in the gap, each such oil zone comprising an oil filler fluid having a formulation which is different oil filler fluid formulations of other oil zones, at least one such oil zone comprising a fluorinated oil based filler fluid comprising a fluorinated oil soluble additive in the filler fluid, and wherein the electrodes are arranged to conduct electrowetting mediated droplet operations transporting droplets from one oil zone to another oil zone; and

(c) a droplet in contact with the oil filler fluid of at least one of the multiple oil zones, wherein the droplet is subject to electrowetting droplet operations mediated by the electrodes, including electrowetting mediated droplet operations transporting the droplet from one oil zone to another oil zone.

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

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

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

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

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

29. The droplet actuator of claim 28 wherein the fluorinated oil soluble additive comprises a hydrocarbon or silicone oleophilic group.

30. The droplet actuator of claim 28 wherein the fluorinated oil soluble additive comprises one or more fluorinated groups.

31. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the fluorinated 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.

32. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein the fluorinated 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.

33. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein at least one of the oil zones comprises a heat stable oil.

34. The droplet actuator of claim 1 comprising one or more barriers between the oil zones, the barrier comprising an opening for transporting droplets from one zone to another.

35. The droplet actuator of claim 34 comprising one or more barriers between the oil zones, wherein the opening comprises a wax plug.

36. The droplet actuator of claim 1 wherein at least one of the zones comprises a non-fluorinated oil.