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US 10,369,567 B2Granted
Continuous, capacitance-based monitoring of liquid flows in a microfluidic device
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsEmmanuel Delamarche, Yuksel Temiz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microfluidic chip comprising a microchannel fillable with a liquid, the microchannel comprises a pair of electrodes, and a liquid flow path defined between the electrodes, wherein each of the electrodes extends along the flow path and parallel to a direction of a liquid filling the microchannel, in operation, and an electrical circuitry connected to each of the electrodes and configured to continuously measure, via the electrodes, a capacitance of the electrodes being wet by a liquid continuously filling the flow path, as a function of time, in operation.
Claims22
A microfluidic chip comprising:
- at least one microchannel fillable with an electrically conductive liquid, the microchannel comprising:
- at least one pair of electrodes;
- and
- at least one liquid flow path defined between the electrodes, wherein each of the at least one pair of electrodes extends along the at least one liquid flow path and parallel to a direction of the liquid filling the microchannel, in operation, and
- an electrical circuitry connected to each of the electrodes and configured to continuously measure, via the electrodes, a capacitance of the electrodes being wet by the liquid continuously filling the at least one liquid flow path, as a function of time, in operation,
- wherein the at least one microchannel comprises a plurality of capillary portions, each capillary portion spaced apart from one another and each capillary portion including a lattice of individual capillary structures, the latter acting as a passive capillary pump, and
- wherein each electrode included in the at least one pair of electrodes is directly in contact with the electrically conductive liquid, and extends completely across every capillary portion among the plurality of capillary portions.
4 more elements
A microfluidic measurement system, comprising:
- a microfluidic chip comprising:
- at least one microchannel fillable with an electrically conductive liquid, the microchannel comprising:
- at least one pair of electrodes;
- and
- at least one liquid flow path defined between the electrodes, wherein each of the at least one pair of electrodes extends along the at least one liquid flow path and parallel to a direction of the liquid filling the microchannel, in operation, and
- an electrical circuitry connected to each of the electrodes and configured to continuously measure, via the electrodes, a capacitance of the electrodes being wet by the liquid continuously filling the at least one liquid flow path, as a function of time, in operation;
- and
- a flow monitoring device configured so as to allow electrical connection to the electrical circuitry of the microfluidic chip,
- wherein the at least one microchannel comprises a plurality of capillary portions, each capillary portion spaced apart from one another and each capillary portion including a lattice of individual capillary structures, the latter acting as a passive capillary pump,
- wherein each electrode included in the at least one pair of electrodes is directly in contact with the liquid, and extends completely across every capillary portion among the plurality of capillary portions, and
- the circuitry comprises electrical connectors located at an edge of the chip, the chip having a form factor allowing for insertion of the chip in a monitoring device, said electrical connectors configured so as to allow direct plugging of the chip upon insertion thereof in a monitoring device.
8 more elements
A method for monitoring a liquid in a microfluidic chip, the method comprising:
- filling at least one microchannel with an electrically conductive liquid, the microchannel comprising a plurality of capillary portions, each capillary portion spaced apart from one another and each capillary portion including a lattice of individual capillary structures;
- extending a pair of electrodes directly in contact with the liquid, and completely across every capillary portion among the plurality of capillary portions;
- forming a liquid flow path between the electrodes, wherein each of the electrodes extends along the flow path and parallel to a direction of the liquid filling the microchannel, in operation;
- connecting an electrical circuitry to each of the electrodes;
- and
- supplying liquid in the microchannel and operating the microchannel as a passive capillary pump, using the plurality of capillary portions, to continuously propel the supplied liquid in the microchannel;
- and
- monitoring the liquid continuously filling the microchannel of the chip, by measuring, via the electrical circuitry of the chip, a capacitance of the electrodes being wet by the liquid continuously filling the flow path, as a function of time, while continuously propelling the supplied liquid in the microchannel.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.