Polymer chain reaction apparatus using marangoni convection and polymer chain reaction method using the same

Abstract

A polymerase chain reaction apparatus includes: a substrate; a high-temperature sidewall erected on the substrate; a low-temperature sidewall erected on the substrate and facing the high-temperature sidewall; and a reaction chamber consisting of the substrate, the high-temperature sidewall, and the low-temperature sidewall, wherein a sample contained in the reaction chamber is repetitively thermal-circulated between the high-temperature sidewall and the low-temperature sidewall using Marangoni convection generated by a surface tension gradient resulting from a temperature difference in an interface between the sample and air. The PCR amplification can be automatically accomplished by surface tension flow generated by Marangoni convection resulting from a temperature difference in an interface between the sample and air when a temperature difference between the sidewalls of the chamber is maintained constant. As a result, it is possible to reduce power consumption, simplify the configuration of a temperature control circuit, and reduce the time for a cycle of amplification.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.