Retaining microfluidic microcavity and other microfluidic structures

A microfluidic device having a microchannel structure in which there are two or more inlet ports, one or more outlet ports, and a structural unit in communication with at least one of said ports, wherein the structural unit comprises:

• a microcavity with an outlet opening;
• an inlet arrangement linked to the microcavity, wherein said microcavity has a volume sufficient to contain simultaneously the aliquots to be mixed and wherein said microcavity is configured to precollect the aliquots to be mixed in a mixing microconduit;
• a mixing microconduit connected to the outlet opening, wherein the mixing microconduit is configured to enable mixing of the aliquots of liquid that are miscible with each other and comprises one of the following shapes:
• a) repeatedly curving in alternate directions and having substantially constant width, wherein the inlet arrangement is further defined as having at least two inlet ports;
• or
• b) at least one cavity in which the cross-sectional area increases from an inlet, reaches a maximum and then decreases towards the outlet, and
• a valve associated with the mixing microconduit close to its joint to the microcavity, wherein the valve is a surface hydrophobic break,
• wherein the inner surfaces of the mixing microconduit have a wettability permitting capillary force to draw liquid into the unit once the liquid has passed the entrance of the unit.

A microfluidic device having a microchannel structure in which there are at least two inlet ports, one or more outlet ports, and a structural unit in communication with at least one of said ports, wherein the structural unit comprises:

• a microcavity with an outlet opening;
• an inlet arrangement linked to the microcavity, wherein said microcavity has a volume sufficient to contain simultaneously the aliquots to be mixed;
• a mixing microconduit connected to the outlet opening, wherein the mixing microconduit is configured to enable mixing of the aliquots of liquid that are miscible with each other and comprises one of the following shapes:
• a) repeatedly curving in alternate directions and having substantially constant width;
• or
• b) at least one cavity in which the cross-sectional area increases from an inlet, reaches a maximum and then decreases towards the outlet, and
• a valve associated with the mixing microconduit close to its joint to the microcavity, wherein the valve is a surface hydrophobic break,
• wherein the inner surfaces of the mixing microconduit have a wettability permitting capillary force to draw liquid into the unit once the liquid has passed the entrance of the unit.

A microfluidic device having a microchannel structure in which there are two or more inlet ports, one or more outlet ports, and a structural unit in communication with at least one of said ports, wherein the structural unit comprises:

• a microcavity with an outlet opening;
• an inlet arrangement linked to the microcavity, wherein said microcavity has a volume sufficient to contain simultaneously the aliquots to be mixed;
• a mixing microconduit connected to the outlet opening, wherein the mixing microconduit is configured to enable mixing of the aliquots of liquid that are miscible with each other and comprises one of the following shapes:
• a) repeatedly curving in alternate directions and having substantially constant width, wherein the inlet arrangement is further defined as having at least two inlet ports;
• or
• b) at least one cavity in which the cross-sectional area increases from an inlet, reaches a maximum and then decreases towards the outlet, and
• a valve associated with the mixing microconduit close to its joint to the microcavity, wherein the valve is a surface hydrophobic break,
• wherein the inlet arrangement comprises a common inlet microconduit for several of the aliquots and/or separate inlet microconduits for individual liquid aliquots,
• wherein at least one inlet microconduit comprises a submicrocavity that is part of a volume-defining unit,
• further comprising a valve between the submicrocavity in each inlet microconduit and the microcavity.