Tunable elastomeric nanochannels for nanofluidic manipulation

• US 8,945,909 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2008
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Inventors: Takayama, Shuichi, Huh, Dongeun, Thouless, Michael David, Mills, Kristen L., Douville, Nicholas Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhat, Narayan
• Application Number:
  US12/597,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20100159462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,477 Days
• Field of Search: 435/6.1, 435/283.1, 435/287.1, 435/287.2, 435/288.5, 435/289.1, 435/395, 422/68.1, 264/288.4, 264/291, 528/502
• US Class Current: 435/283.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0663 Stretching or orienting elongated molecules or particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0668 Trapping microscopic beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0896 Nanoscaled
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/123 Flexible; Elastomeric
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0418 electro-osmotic flow [EOF]
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/082 Active control of flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• 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: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites

Abstract

The invention relates to tunable elastomeric nanochannels for nanofluidic manipulation. In particular, the present invention relates to nanochannels for performing biological assays.

Claims

1. A microfluidic system, comprising:

a) a substrate comprising at least one inlet and at least one outlet formed in said substrate, wherein said inlet and outlet are in fluid communication with one or more closed elastomeric nanochannels that span the distance between said inlet and said outlet and are in fluid communication with both of said inlet and said outlet, wherein said nanochannels are tunneling cracks formed in said substrate by stretching a substrate between said inlet and outlet, and wherein said elastomeric nanochannels are open to said inlet and said outlet when stretched and closed to said inlet and said outlet when relaxed; and

b) a component configured to exert strain on said nanochannels to stretch said nanochannels.

2. The system of claims 1, wherein said inlet and said outlet are microchannels.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said substrate is comprised of one or more pieces of a stiff thin film sandwiched by one or more compliant materials.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said stiff film is oxidized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said compliant material is unoxidized bulk PDMS.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said stiff film is a metal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said metal is gold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more nanochannels intersect each other.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more nanochannels originate from different inlets or outlets.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a transport component configured to transport molecules through said nanochannels.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said transport component generates an electric field.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said system further comprises a biological molecule contained in said nanochannels.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said biological molecule is selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid and protein.

14. A cell growth system, comprising:

a) a substrate comprising at least one inlet and at least one outlet formed in said substrate, wherein said inlet and outlet are in fluid communication with one or more closed elastomeric nanochannels that span the distance between said inlet and said outlet and are in fluid communication with both of said inlet and said outlet, wherein said nanochannels are tunneling cracks formed in said substrate by stretching a substrate between said inlet and said outlet, and wherein said elastomeric nanochannels are open to said inlet and said outlet when stretched and closed to said inlet and said outlet when relaxed;

b) a component configured to exert strain on said nanochannels to stretch said nanochannels such that the cross section of said nanochannels are altered when stretched; and

c) a plurality of cells or cellular portions contained within said nanochannels.

15. A method, comprising:

a) contacting a biological molecule, nanoparticle, or cell with a system comprising i) a substrate comprising at least one inlet and at least one outlet formed in said substrate, wherein said inlet and outlet are in fluid communication with one or more closed elastomeric nanochannels that span the distance between said inlet and said outlet and are in fluid communication with both of said inlet and said outlet, wherein said nanochannels are tunneling cracks formed in said substrate by stretching a substrate between said inlet and said outlet, and wherein said elastomeric nanochannels are open to said inlet and said outlet when stretched and closed to said inlet and said outlet when relaxed; and

ii) a component configured to exert strain on said nanochannels to stretch said nanochannels such that the cross section of said nanochannels are altered when stretched; and

b) performing a biological assay on said biological molecule, nanoparticle, or cell.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of moving said biological molecule, nanoparticle, or cell into or through said nanochannels using a transport component.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said transport component generates an electric field.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of exerting strain on said nanochannels under conditions such that the cross section of said nanochannels is altered.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the cross section of said nanochannels is altered such that smaller molecules move through the channels and larger molecules are excluded from nanochannels or not allowed to move through nanochannels.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said biological molecule is selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid and a protein.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said biological assay is selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid stretching assay, a nucleic acid sequencing assay, and an assay for determining cell growth or viability.