Liquid drop mixing unit based on electro-wetting digital micro-fluid chip

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of digital micro-fluidics, and in particular relates to a liquid drop mixing unit based on an electro-wetting digital micro-fluid chip. The mixing unit comprises three parts consisting of an inlet zone, a mixing zone and an outlet zone; the fast, high-efficiency, automatic and reliable mixing of the liquid drops can be realized via the special bidirectional driving electrode and closed-loop electrode arrangement and simplified electrode connection mode. The liquid drop mixing unit has the advantages of novel design, easiness in control, high reliability, excellent practicability, high automation degree, and the like, so that the liquid drop mixing unit can be widely used in various digital micro-fluid chips.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of digital microfluidics, and in particular relates to a digital microfluidic technology chip based on electrowetting on a medium, in particular to a droplet mixing unit based on an electrowetting digital microfluidic chip. Background technique [0002] As an emerging technology, Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is attracting more and more attention due to its high integration, high precision, low consumption and many other advantages. Research and application prospects. The so-called lab-on-a-chip refers to a miniaturized and integrated MEMS system that can complete various biochemical processes and automatically complete traditional laboratory tasks. Its goal is to integrate a complete analysis process on a single device, which can complete operations such as sample extraction, sample pretreatment, decomposition and separation, biochemical reactions, analysis and detection, and data processing. As the power part of l...

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Problems solved by technology

But this method also has obvious disadvantages. First, the mixing rate is very slow, because it is completed by the droplet transport process of the traditional chip, and the traditional droplet transport can only follow a straight line path, so the mixing of droplets Very inefficient, requiring long droplet transport paths or long mixing times

Secondly, since there is no dedicated functional unit for the mixing of droplets, the mixing and transportation of droplets for a long time will cause contamination of the chip.

Finally, the size of the mixed droplets is limited due to the constraints of the common driving electrodes of the chip

The second type of mixing method uses additional auxiliary methods, such as integrating acoustic wave oscillation and magnetic stirring on the digital microfluidic chip for mixing. This type of mixing method can obtain better mixing efficiency and effect, but requires additional functions. unit, which increases the complexity and commercial cost of the chip, and the low level of integration limits the miniaturization of microfluidic chips

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