Microchannel with an opening and/or closing and/or pumping device
AssigneesFonds Espci Georges Charpak, Centre National de la Recherche
InventorsClemence Vergne, Patrick Tabeling, Yvette Tran, Fabrice Monti, Lucie Devys
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Abstract
A microchannel formed at the interface of two layers of material, at least one of the two materials being a substrate. A volume of the microchannel contains a film of polymer fixed by covalent bonding to the substrate layer. The film of polymer being formed from a hydrogel material susceptible to undergoing changes in volume under the action of an external stimulus. The hydrogel polymer is chosen from those which are sensitive to changes in temperature, light, electrical field or pH. A method for producing the microchannel.
Claims11
A microchannel formed at the interface of two layers of material, a volume of said microchannel containing a film, said film being formed from a hydrogel type polymer material that is configured to undergo volume changes under an external stimulus action, wherein said film is grafted by covalent bonding on a substrate provided by one of the two material layers, wherein said film's substrate is flat and spans an entire width of said microchannel, and wherein said film is configured to reversibly modify a hydrodynamic resistance of said microchannel by undergoing said volume changes perpendicularly to said film's substrate.
A method for fabricating a microchannel, comprising the steps of:
- grafting a polymer film on a substrate by covalent bonding;
- forming said microchannel at an interface of two layers of material, at least one of the two material layers providing said substrate for said polymer film, such that a volume of said microchannel contains said polymer film;
- wherein the polymer is a hydrogel type material that undergoes volume changes under an external stimulus action;
- wherein the step of grafting the polymer film of the hydrogel type on the substrate is performed prior to the step of forming said microchannel;
- wherein said polymer film's substrate is flat and spans an entire width of said microchannel;
- and
- wherein said volume changes occur perpendicularly to said polymer film's substrate, and the polymer film reversibly modifies a hydrodynamic resistance of said microchannel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.