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US 11,635,407 B2Granted
Pressure driven fluidic injection for chemical separations
AssigneeThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
InventorsJohn Scott Mellors, Erin Anne Redman, John Michael Ramsey
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Abstract
Methods, systems and devices that allow independently applied pressures to a BGE reservoir and a sample reservoir for pressure-driven injection that can inject a discrete sample plug into a separation channel that does not require voltage applied to the sample reservoir and can allow for in-channel focusing methods to be used. The methods, systems and devices are particularly suitable for use with a mass spectrometer.
Claims20
A method of sample processing, comprising:
- providing a microfluidic device with at least one separation channel in fluid communication with a background electrolyte (BGE) reservoir, and a sample reservoir connected to the separation channel through a sample channel;
- injecting a fluid sample from the sample reservoir into the at least one separation channel by concurrently applying pressurized gas to the BGE reservoir and the sample reservoir;
- delivering fluid from the BGE reservoir into the at least one separation channel to define a plug of the sample in the at least one separation channel by reducing a gas pressure in the sample reservoir, so that a gas pressure in the BGE reservoir is greater than the gas pressure in the sample reservoir;
- concentrating an analyte component of the sample within the at least one separation channel;
- and
- performing at least one of:
- (a) electrospraying the concentrated analyte component from at least one emitter in fluid communication with the at least one separation channel;
- and
- (b) measuring an electrical signal corresponding to the concentrated analyte component in or emerging from the separation channel.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.