Microfluidic Device
AssigneeEmbl
InventorsChristoph Merten, Ramesh Utharala
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Abstract
The present disclosure teaches an apparatus and a method for providing one or more substance liquids to a microfluidic channel network (30). The microfluidic apparatus includes valves for switching the one or more substance liquids to a microfluidic channel network (30). The apparatus can be used to generate a sequence of the one or more substance liquids as individual droplets in an immiscible separation liquid wherein individual ones of the sequence of droplets are located between the separation liquid.
Claims24
A microfluidic apparatus for providing one or more substance liquids to a microfluidic channel network, the microfluidic apparatus comprising at least one first substance liquid inlet, at least one first valve and at least one input device for continuously applying a substantially constant pressure or a substantially continuous flow to the at least one first substance liquid at the at least one first substance liquid inlet wherein the at least one first valve, is switchable between a first position in which a liquid connection to the microfluidic channel network is open and a second position in which the liquid connection to the microfluidic channel network is closed.
A method for providing a sequence of droplets of one or more substance liquids between a separation liquid, the method comprising:
- providing a separation liquid to a separation liquid channel;
- providing at least one of a first substance liquid and at least one second substance liquid to a combination area in the substance liquid channel network to obtain a combined substance liquid;
- and
- generating sections of the combined substance liquid separated by the separation liquid in a droplet channel.
A microfluidic apparatus for providing a coding sequence of droplets, the microfluidic apparatus comprising:
- an separation liquid inlet channel;
- a droplet channel;
- a substance liquid channel network,
- wherein the substance liquid channel network and the separation liquid channel are connected to the droplet channel by a droplet generation junction, and wherein the substance liquid channel network comprises at least one first substance liquid inlet, at least one first valve and at least one pressure device for continuously applying a constant pressure or a constant flow to a first substance liquid at the at least one first substance liquid inlet, wherein the at least one first valve is switchable between a first position in which a liquid connection to the droplet generation junction is open and a second position in which the liquid connection to the droplet generation junction is closed.
A method for providing a sequence of droplets of one or more substance liquids between a separation liquid, the method comprising:
- providing a separation liquid to a separation liquid channel;
- continuously providing at least a first substance liquid to a first substance liquid inlet;
- and
- switching at least one first valve directing the first substance liquid to a droplet generation junction, between a first position in which a liquid connection to the droplet generation junction is open and a second position in which the liquid connection to the droplet generation junction is closed.
A method for providing a coding sequence of droplets, wherein individual ones of the sequence of droplets are located between a continuous separation liquid, the method comprising:
- providing a first substance liquid and at least a second substance liquid to a microfluidic channel at a droplet generation junction with the continuous separation liquid, and
- selectively forming at the droplet generation junction droplets of the first substance liquid and of the at least one second substance liquid to generate a predetermined sequence of droplets;
- wherein the predetermined sequence of droplets is used as a coding.
A method for providing one or more substance liquids to a microfluidic channel, the method comprising:
- continuously providing at least a first substance liquid to a first substance liquid inlet;
- and
- switching at least one first valve directing the first substance liquid to the microfluidic channel, between a first position in which a liquid connection to the microfluidic channel is open and a second position in which the liquid connection to the microfluidic channel is closed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.