Three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic focusing using a microfluidic device
AssigneeThe Penn State Research Foundation
InventorsAhmad Ahsan Nawaz, Xiaole Mao, Tony Jun Huang
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Abstract
A microfluidic device comprises inlets for a sample flow and an out-of-plane focusing sheath flow, and a curved channel section configured to receive the sample flow and out-of-plane focusing sheath and to provide hydrodynamic focusing of the sample flow in an out-of-plane direction, the out-of-plane direction being normal to a plane including the curved channel. Examples of the invention also include improved flow cytometers.
Claims20
An apparatus, the apparatus being a planar microfluidic device, the apparatus comprising:
- a substrate;
- a sample flow inlet, configured to receive a sample flow;
- a first flow inlet, configured to receive a first sheath flow;
- a curved channel, the curved channel configured to receive the sample flow adjacent to the first sheath flow,
- the sample flow inlet, the first flow inlet, and the curved channel being supported by the substrate,
- the curved channel having a bend angle,
- the curved channel being configured to provide vertical hydrodynamic focusing of the sample flow when the sample flow and first sheath flow pass together through the curved channel,
- the sample flow being compressed along a direction normal to the substrate to form a horizontal sample flow sandwiched between split vertical focusing sheath flows;
- at least one inlet for an in-plane hydrodynamic focusing sheath flow;
- and
- an output channel, receiving the sample flow, the first sheath flow, and the in-plane hydrodynamic focusing sheath flow,
- the first sheath flow and the in-plane hydrodynamic focusing sheath flow together providing three-dimensional hydrodynamic focusing of the sample flow within the output channel,
- the sample flow, the first sheath flow, and the in-plane hydrodynamic focusing sheath flows being co-planar.
An apparatus, the apparatus being a planar microfluidic device configured to receive a sample flow, a first sheath flow, and an in-plane hydrodynamic focusing sheath flow, the apparatus comprising:
- a substrate;
- a sample flow inlet configured to receive the sample flow;
- a first sheath inlet configured to receive the first sheath flow;
- the sample flow inlet being configured adjacent to the first sheath flow inlet;
- a curved channel supported by and generally parallel to the substrate,
- the sample flow inlet and first sheath inlet being configured to deliver the sample flow and the first sheath flow to the curved channel,
- the curved channel being configured to provide hydrodynamic focusing of the sample flow, the sample flow being compressed in a direction normal to the substrate to form a horizontal sample flow sandwiched between split vertical focusing sheath flows;
- at least one inlet configured to receive the in-plane focusing sheath flow;
- an output channel, the first sheath flow and the in-plane hydrodynamic focusing sheath flow together providing three-dimensional hydrodynamic focusing of the sample flow within the output channel;
- an excitation source configured to excite the sample flow at an excitation point within the output channel;
- and
- a radiation detector configured to receive detected radiation from the excitation point.
A method of hydrofluidic focusing a sample flow in a planar microfluidic device having a planar substrate, the sample flow being a fluidic suspension of particles, the method comprising:
- passing the sample flow and an adjacent sheath flow through a curved channel section disposed on the planar substrate to induce horizontal drifting of said sample flow to form a horizontal sample flow sandwiched between split vertical focusing sheath flows, the curved channel section providing hydrofluidic focusing of the sample flow in a direction generally normal to the planar substrate;
- passing the sample flow through a linear channel section between a pair of in-plane focusing sheath flows so as to obtain three-dimensional hydrofluidic focusing of the sample flow within an output channel,
- the sample flow, the sheath flow, and the pair of in-plane focusing sheath flows being generally coplanar;
- and
- characterizing the particles within the output channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.