1026results about "Electrostatic separators" patented technology

An apparatus is provided for manipulating droplets. The apparatus is a single-sided electrode design in which all conductive elements are contained on one surface on which droplets are manipulated. An additional surface can be provided parallel with the first surface for the purpose of containing the droplets to be manipulated. Droplets are manipulated by performing electrowetting-based techniques in which electrodes contained on or embedded in the first surface are sequentially energized and de-energized in a controlled manner. The apparatus enables a number of droplet manipulation processes, including merging and mixing two droplets together, splitting a droplet into two or more droplets, sampling a continuous liquid flow by forming from the flow individually controllable droplets, and iterative binary or digital mixing of droplets to obtain a desired mixing ratio.

This invention relates generally to the field of moiety or molecule manipulation in a chip format. In particular, the invention provides a method for manipulating a moiety in a microfluidic application, which method comprises: a) coupling a moiety to be manipulated onto surface of a binding partner of said moiety to form a moiety-binding partner complex; and b) manipulating said moiety-binding partner complex with a physical force in a chip format, wherein said manipulation is effected through a combination of a structure that is external to said chip and a structure that is built-in in said chip, thereby said moiety is manipulated.

The present invention relates to a droplet-based nucleic acid amplification device, system, and method. According to one embodiment, a droplet microactuator is provided and includes: (a) a substrate comprising electrodes for conducting droplet operations; and (b) one or more temperature control means arranged in proximity with one or more of the electrodes for heating and/or cooling a region of the droplet microactuator and arranged such that a droplet can be transported on the electrodes into the region for heating.

A device for addressing an electrode array of 2ⁿ lines of an electro-fluidic device, each line having N electrodes (n≦N). The device includes, on each line, n selection electrodes, all of the line selection electrodes being connected to 2n line selection conductors, 2ⁿ⁻¹ line selection electrodes of 2ⁿ⁻¹ lines being connected to each line selection conductor, and selection devices for selecting one or more line selection conductors.

Methods of utilizing magnetic particles or beads (MBs) in droplet-based (or digital) microfluidics are disclosed. The methods may be used in enrichment or separation processes. A first method employs the droplet meniscus to assist in the magnetic collection and positioning of MBs during droplet microfluidic operations. The sweeping movement of the meniscus lifts the MBs off the solid surface and frees them from various surface forces acting on the MBs. A second method uses chemical additives to reduce the adhesion of MBs to surfaces. Both methods allow the MBs on a solid surface to be effectively moved by magnetic force. Droplets may be driven by various methods or techniques including, for example, electrowetting, electrostatic, electromechanical, electrophoretic, dielectrophoretic, electroosmotic, thermocapillary, surface acoustic, and pressure.

Disclosed are a method and apparatus that use an electric field for improved biological assays. The electric field is applied across a device having wells, which receive reactants, which carry a charge. The device thus uses a controllable voltage source between the first and second electrodes, which is controllable to provide a positive charge and a negative charge to a given electrode. By controlled use of the electric field charged species in a fluid in a fluid channel are directed into or out of the well by an electric field between the electrodes. The present method involves the transport of fluids, as in a microfluidic device, and the electric field-induced movement of reactive species according to various assay procedures, such as DNA sequencing, synthesis or the like.

The present invention relates to filler fluids for droplet operations. According to one embodiment of this aspect, a droplet microactuator is provided and includes: (a) a first substrate comprising electrodes configured for conducting droplet operations on a surface of the substrate; (b) a second substrate spaced from the surface of the substrate by a distance sufficient to define an interior volume between the first substrate and second substrate, wherein the distance is sufficient to contain a droplet disposed in the space on the first substrate; and (c) a droplet arranged in the interior volume and arranged with respect to the electrodes in a manner which permits droplet operations to be effected on the droplet using the electrodes.

This invention relates generally to the field of field-flow-fractionation. In particular, the invention provides apparatuses and methods for the discrimination of matters utilizing acoustic force, or utilizing acoustic force with electrophoretic or dielectrophoretic force, in field flow fractionation.

An electrochemical device for moving particles covered with a protein is provided. The device includes at least two electrodes that are in contact with a liquid containing the protein-covered particles and a circuit that generates a potential difference in a range that does not cause electrolysis of the liquid between the electrodes. The particles are moved by electrophoresis in the direction of the arrangement of the electrodes. The invention provided herein has numerous applications, including use in a microorganism concentration condensing device, a blood component induction device, and/or a blood component induction method, and/or an electric appliance that decreases the concentration of microorganisms present on the surface of a heat exchanger.

An apparatus and method for establishing closed dielectrophoretic potential cages and precise displacement thereof comprising a first array of selectively addressable electrodes, lying on a substantially planar substrate and facing toward a second array comprising one electrode. The arrays define the upper and lower bounds of a micro-chamber where particles are placed in liquid suspension. By applying in-phase and counter-phase periodic signals to electrodes, one or more independent potential cages are established which cause particles to be attracted to or repelled from cages according to signal frequency and the dielectric characteristics of the particles and suspending medium. By properly applying voltage signal patterns into arrays, cages may trap one or more particles, thus permitting them to levitate steadily and/or move. In the preferred embodiment, where one array is integrated on a semiconductor substrate, displacement of particles can be monitored by embedded sensors.

Devices and methods utilizing dielectric pumping and variable dielectric pumping to move fluids through microchannels. Two fluids having dissimilar dielectric constants form an interface that is positioned between two electrodes in order to move the interface and therefore the fluids. Dielectric pumping and variable dielectric pumping may be used to move fluids in miniaturized analytical packages containing microchannels in which forces created by surface tension predominate over the gravitational force.

The present invention relates to droplet-based diagnostics. According to one embodiment, a droplet microactuator system is provided and includes: (a) a droplet microactuator configured to conduct droplet operations; and (b) a sensor configured in a sensing relationship with the droplet microactuator, such that the sensor is capable of sensing a signal from and/or a property of one or more droplets on the droplet microactuator.

Device for displacing drops of liquid by electrowetting, and a method for isolating two areas delimited by at least one wall including a step for:

• • placing by electrowetting, in an aperture of said wall, a substance capable of reacting to at least one external stimulus in order to pass from a liquid state to a gel or solid state, forming a closure member.

The present invention recognizes that separation of components of a sample facilitate, and are often necessary for, sample analysis. Dielectrophoretic separation provides an efficient, reliable, nondisruptive, and automatable method for the separation of moieties in a sample based on their dielectric properties. The present invention provides compositions and methods for enhancing the dielectrophoretic separation of one or more moieties in a sample. A first aspect of the present invention is a solution that when mixed with a sample, modifies at least one dielectric property of one or more components of the sample and has a conductivity such that one or more moieties of the sample can be separated using dielectrophoresis. Such solutions can be used in the analysis of samples on chips, and can be used in methods that use binding partners, including microparticles that can be translocated by dielectrophoretic forces, traveling-wave dielectrophoretic forces or magnetic forces.

A micromachined system for electrical field-flow fractionation of small test fluid samples is provided. The system includes a microchannel device comprising a first substrate having a planar inner surface with an electrode formed thereon. A second substrate having a planar inner surface with an electrode formed thereon is positioned over the first substrate so that the respective electrodes face each other. An insulating intermediate layer is interposed between the first and second substrates. The intermediate layer is patterned to form opposing sidewalls of at least one microchannel, with the electrodes on the substrates defining opposing continuous boundaries along the length of the microchannel. Inlet and outlet ports are formed in one or both substrates for allowing fluid flow into and out of the microchannel. The microchannel device can be fabricated with single or multiple microchannels therein for processing single or multiple test fluids. During operation, a voltage differential is applied to the electrodes in order to induce an electric field across the microchannel. This separates particles of different types present in a fluid injected into the microchannel. The separated particles in the fluid can be collected or further processed as desired.

A microfluidic device and method is disclosed for fractionating and/or trapping selected molecules with a diffusion barrier or porous membrane. The device includes a source fluid flow channel and a target fluid flow channel. The target fluid flow channel and the source fluid flow channel meet at cross-channel area and are in fluid communication with each other. A porous membrane separates the source fluid flow channel from the target fluid flow channel in the cross-channel area. A field-force/gradient mechanism may be positioned proximate the porous membrane with or without detection/state monitoring devices.