# US 10,310,354 B2 · Electrofluidic support plates and preparation method therefor, and electrofluidic apparatus

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- Number: US 10,310,354 B2
- Document ID: US10310354B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/752,867
- Filed: 2016-01-07
- Published: 2018-08-16
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2015-08-14
- Assignees: South China Normal University; Academy of Shenzhen Guohua Optoelectronics; Shenzhen Guohua Optoelectronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Academy of Shenzhen Guohua Optoelectronics; South China Normal University; Shenzhen Guohua Optoelectronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Guofu Zhou; Hao Wu; Fahong Li; Robert Andrew Hayes
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310354B2

## CPC

- G02B 26/005: {based on electrowetting}
- G09F 9/372: {the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field}
- G09G 3/348: {based on the deformation of a fluid drop, e.g. electrowetting}
- B01L 2400/0427: Electrowetting
- G02B 26/004: {based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G09F: DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE

## Abstract

Disclosed is an electrofluidic support plate and a method for preparing the same, and an electrofluidic device comprising the support plate. The method comprises the following steps of: providing a substrate which has a surface provided with an electrode layer; arranging a first amorphous fluoropolymer layer on the surface of the substrate, and carrying out hydrophilic modification on a surface of the amorphous fluoropolymer layer; arranging pixel walls on the amorphous fluoropolymer layer after hydrophilic modification; arranging a second amorphous fluoropolymer layer which is a hydrophobic layer; the second amorphous fluoropolymer layer covering all surfaces of the pixel walls and a groove area encircled by the pixel walls; filling the groove area encircled by the pixel walls with a protective material; removing the second amorphous fluoropolymer layer not covered by the protective material and on a top of the pixel walls; and removing the protective material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for preparing an electrofluidic support plate, comprising the following steps of:
1) providing a substrate which has a surface provided with an electrode layer;
2) arranging a first amorphous fluoropolymer layer on the surface of the substrate, and carrying out hydrophilic modification on a surface of the first amorphous fluoropolymer layer;
3) arranging pixel walls on the amorphous fluoropolymer layer after the hydrophilic modification;
4) arranging a second amorphous fluoropolymer layer which is a hydrophobic layer; the second amorphous fluoropolymer layer covering all surfaces of the pixel walls and a groove area encircled by the pixel walls;
5) filling the groove area encircled by the pixel walls with a protective material;
6) removing the second amorphous fluoropolymer layer not covered by the protective material and on a top of the pixel walls; and
7) removing the protective material.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for preparing an electrofluidic support plate according to claim 1, wherein the first amorphous fluoropolymer layer and the second amorphous fluoropolymer layer obtained in the step 2) and the step 4) are formed by Dupont Teflon AF series, Solvay Hyflon series or Asahi Glass Cytop series.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method for preparing an electrofluidic support plate according to claim 1, wherein a total thickness of the first amorphous fluoropolymer layer and the second amorphous fluoropolymer layer obtained in the step 2) and the step 4) is 100 nm-2000 nm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method for preparing an electrofluidic support plate according to claim 3, wherein the total thickness of the first amorphous fluoropolymer layer and the second amorphous fluoropolymer layer is 300 nm-1200 nm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method for preparing an electrofluidic support plate according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the pixel walls obtained in the step 3) is greater than or equal to 2 μm.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method for preparing an electrofluidic support plate according to claim 1, wherein the protective material in the step 5) is photoresist.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method for preparing an electrofluidic support plate according to claim 1, wherein, in the step 5), the protective material is filled by any one of: dip-coating, slit-coating, screen printing, spray-coating, spin-coating or blade-coating.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method for preparing an electrofluidic support plate according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the pixel walls obtained in the step 6) is 2-20 μm.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

An electrofluidic support plate prepared by the method according to claim 1.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

An electrofluidic device, comprising the electrofluidic support plate according to claim 9.