US 8,911,683 B2Granted

Micro chamber

AssigneeRoche Diagnostics Operations, Inc.

InventorsMario Curcio, Carlo Effenhauser, Michael Glauser

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Abstract

A microfluidic device is provided including at least one chamber accessible by microfluidic channels characterized in that the surface of the channels and the chambers are patterned and comprise hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas. The surface energy in correspondence of the areas, i.e., the capillary force, being such that a liquid can be guided along the hydrophilic path, enter the chamber from one side, wet part of one surface of the chamber as a thin layer without touching the opposite surface of the chamber, thus avoiding to fill the volume inside the chamber in correspondence of the hydrophilic pattern until a second liquid, either sequentially or in parallel, comes to wet part of the opposite surface of the chamber and eventually touches the first liquid layer, resulting in a sudden coalescence and efficient mixing between the liquids.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A microfluidic device comprising:

a substrate,
a cover,
at least one chamber formed between the substrate and the cover, said chamber comprising two opposite surfaces, one on the substrate and one on the cover respectively, wherein
the surface of the substrate comprises at least one hydrophilic area and at least one adjoining hydrophobic area,
the surface of the cover comprises at least one hydrophilic area and at least one adjoining hydrophobic area, and
the at least one hydrophilic area on each said opposite surface of the chamber is confined within or surrounded by said adjoining hydrophobic area, and is in fluid communication with at least one lateral hydrophilic area configured for guiding liquids to the at least one chamber, and wherein said device is configured such that at least two liquids enter the at least one chamber, each wetting said hydrophilic area on one respective surface of the chamber without touching the opposite respective surface until the liquid confined to the hydrophilic area on each respective surface of the chamber coalesce and mix with each other as volume of the two liquids increases within the chamber.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/142,019Filed 19 Jun 2008
Priority: EP 0701343410 Jul 2007
Published: US 2009/0016932 A115 Jan 2009
Granted: 16 Dec 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

B01F 33/30351
Using surface tension to mix, move or hold the fluids: using hydrophilic/hydrophobic surfaces
B01F 33/3017
Using specific means for arranging the streams to be mixed, e.g. channel geometries or dispositions: mixing chamber
B01F 33/3021
The materials to be mixed flowing in the form of droplets: the components to be mixed being combined in a single independent droplet, e.g. these…
B01J 19/0093
Chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general; Their relevant apparatus: microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors