Microfluidic device and method of manufacture thereof
AssigneeHoneywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, LLC
InventorSabrina Marie Wells Torres
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microfluidic device having hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions and a method of manufacture thereof are provided. The microfluidic device may include one or more channels formed using a short-pulse laser that are configured for separation or mixing of fluids. The microfluidic device may further include hydrophilic or hydrophobic surfaces configured to aid in the separation or mixture of fluids. The short-pulse laser may be a femtosecond laser.
Claims20
A microfluidic device comprising:
- a substrate comprising an upper surface;
- one or more inflow channels laser-engraved into the upper surface;
- one or more outflow channels laser-engraved into the upper surface, said one or more outflow channels fluidly connected to the one or more inflow channels;
- a first laser-engraved portion of the upper surface configured to be hydrophilic;
- a second portion of the upper surface configured to be hydrophobic,
- wherein at least one of the first laser-engraved portion or the second portion comprises a decrease in height in a flow direction to increase a flow rate of a fluid via gravity.
A system for mixing or separating liquids, the system comprising:
- a microfluidic device comprising a substrate having an upper surface;
- at least one input path and at least one output path on the upper surface;
- a first laser-engraved portion of the upper surface comprising a microstructure pattern configured to make the first laser-engraved portion hydrophilic;
- a second portion of the upper surface comprising a hydrophobic compound disposed thereon,
- wherein the second portion is configured to be hydrophobic,
- wherein at least one of the first laser-engraved portion or the second portion comprises:
- a decrease in a height at a first point and a protrusion downstream of the first point having a greater height than the first point to cause a vortex of a fluid as the fluid flows downstream.
A method of manufacturing a microfluidic device having a hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic region, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate comprising an upper surface;
- engraving a first portion of the upper surface via laser pulses using a femtosecond laser to create one or more inflow channels, wherein the first portion is configured to be hydrophilic;
- engraving a second portion of the upper surface via laser pulses using the femtosecond laser to create one or more outflow channels, wherein the one or more outflow channels are fluidly connected to the one or more inflow channels,
- wherein at least one of the first portion or the second portion comprises at least one of:
- a decrease in height in a flow direction to increase a flow rate of a fluid via gravity, or
- a decrease in the height at a first point and a protrusion downstream of the first point having a greater height than the first point to cause a vortex of the fluid as the fluid flows downstream;
- and
- coating a hydrophobic compound on the second portion of the substrate such that the second portion is hydrophobic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.