Micro-fluidic chip capable of inhibiting volatilization and pipetting control method

Abstract

The invention discloses a micro-fluidic chip capable of inhibiting volatilization, relates to the field of microfluidics, and particularly relates to a micro-fluidic chip capable of inhibiting volatilization and a pipetting control method, the micro-fluidic chip capable of inhibiting volatilization comprises a reaction culture area and an enclosure area; the reaction culture area and the enclosure area are both provided with corresponding electrode arrays, and all the motor arrays are arranged on the same substrate; the enclosure area is arranged on the periphery of the reaction culture area and forms a closed loop structure; the reaction culture area is used for actual reaction or cell culture; the enclosing and shielding area is used for arranging a water curtain and enclosing and shielding the reaction culture area through the water curtain; an isolation environment is provided for the reaction culture area, and solution or solvent volatilization is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of microfluidics, and in particular to a microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization and a pipetting control method. Background Art

[0002] Digital microfluidics (DMF) is a platform for lab-on-a-chip systems based on droplet manipulation. Droplets are distributed, moved, stored, mixed, reacted, or analyzed on a platform with a set of insulated electrodes. Digital microfluidics can be used with analytical analysis procedures such as mass spectrometry, colorimetry, electrochemistry, and electrochemiluminescence.

[0003] Digital microfluidic chips are generally made of array substrates; array substrates are made by simultaneously making multiple array units on a substrate, and then cutting the array units after production to form independent array substrates. After that, the array substrate is usually pasted with an electronic paper film to form an electronic device.

[0004] In the prior art, since the cover of the digital microfluidic chip is basically semi-enclosed or fully enclosed (but with several inlet and outlet holes), when the microorganism or cell culture, screening, and detection are carried out inside the chip, the solution required for the process is easy to volatilize. After volatilization, the concentration of the solution increases and the fluidity decreases, which will have an adverse effect on the process and cause unnecessary consumption of the solution or solvent. In response to the above problems, the solution of the prior art is often to replenish the solution or solvent regularly according to the consumption. This method is more difficult to calculate the amount and time of replenishment. At the same time, the consumption of the solution or solvent is relatively large and the cost is high; another method is to set a constant temperature and humidity environment for the chip. This method requires the modification of the equipment regardless of whether the chip area is set to a constant temperature and humidity environment or the collection is set to a constant temperature and humidity environment. At the same time, it also reduces the flexibility of the equipment. For example, if the reactants need to be added or extracted during the experiment, the constant temperature and humidity environment will have an adverse effect on the operation. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to avoid the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a microfluidic chip capable of suppressing volatilization.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization, comprising: a reaction culture area and an enclosure area; the reaction culture area and the enclosure area are both provided with corresponding electrode arrays, and each motor array is arranged on the same substrate; the enclosure area is arranged around the reaction culture area to form a closed-loop structure; the reaction culture area is used for actual reaction or cell culture; the enclosure area is used to set a water curtain, and the reaction culture area is enclosed by the water curtain.

[0008] Specifically, the electrode array corresponding to the reaction culture area is a passive electrode array; the enclosed area and the corresponding electrode array are active electrode arrays.

[0009] More specifically, the enclosed area includes a plurality of sub-enclosed areas; each sub-enclosed area is provided with a corresponding electrode array.

[0010] More specifically, there are eight sub-enclosed areas, and the eight sub-enclosed areas and the reaction and cultivation area form a nine-square grid arrangement, and the reaction and cultivation area is arranged in the middle of the nine-square grid.

[0011] In the above, the microfluidic chip is provided with a plurality of injection holes and / or a plurality of output holes; each injection hole and / or output hole is arranged on the enclosed area.

[0012] Furthermore, a water curtain is arranged between each sample inlet and / or sample outlet and the reaction culture area.

[0013] In another specific embodiment, the electrode array includes a plurality of electrodes, and the electrodes include a gate layer, a gate insulating layer, an active layer, an original drain electrode layer, a first passivation layer, a driving electrode layer, a second passivation layer, and a hydrophobic layer.

[0014] More specifically, the reaction culture area and each sub-enclosed area are provided with corresponding functional area labels.

[0015] More specifically, each electrode on the electrode array is provided with a corresponding electrode number.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, a pipetting control method is provided, which is applied to the above-mentioned microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization, and comprises the following steps:

[0017] S1: inject the sample liquid into the injection hole on the enclosed area;

[0018] S2: Move the sample liquid to the reaction culture area by driving the corresponding electrodes;

[0019] S3: Inject water droplets into the injection hole on the enclosure, and form a water curtain by moving the water droplets.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a volatilization-inhibiting microfluidic chip comprises: a reaction culture area and an enclosure area; the reaction culture area and the enclosure area are both provided with corresponding electrode arrays, and each motor array is arranged on the same substrate; the enclosure area is arranged around the reaction culture area to form a closed-loop structure; the reaction culture area is used for actual reaction or cell culture; the enclosure area is used to set a water curtain, and the reaction culture area is enclosed by the water curtain; an isolated environment is provided for the reaction culture area to reduce the volatilization of the solution or solvent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Among them, Figure 1 Included are:

[0024] 1. Reaction culture area;

[0025] 2. Enclosed area; 21. Sub-enclosed area;

[0026] 3. Chip panel; 31. Injection hole;

[0027] 4. Water curtain. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solution of the present application will be clearly and completely described through the implementation method with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, "several" means more than one, "many" means more than two, "greater than", "less than", "exceed", etc. are understood to exclude the number itself, and "above", "below", "within", etc. are understood to include the number itself. If there is a description of "first" or "second", it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing the technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, words such as "setting" should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above words in the present invention in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, a volatilization-inhibiting microfluidic chip comprises: a reaction culture area 1 and an enclosure area 2;

[0034] The reaction culture area 1 and the enclosed area 2 are both provided with corresponding electrode arrays, and each motor array is arranged on the same substrate; the enclosed area 2 is arranged around the reaction culture area 1 to form a closed-loop structure; the reaction culture area 1 is used for actual reaction or cell culture; the enclosed area 2 is used to set up a water curtain 4, and the reaction culture area 1 is enclosed by the water curtain 4 to provide an isolated environment for the reaction culture area 1 and reduce the volatilization of the solution or solvent.

[0035] Specifically, the electrode array corresponding to the reaction culture area 1 is a passive electrode array; the enclosed area 2 and the corresponding electrode array are active electrode arrays.

[0036] The shape, size, driving mode, arrangement mode or transistor structure of the electrodes in the reaction culture area 1 and the enclosed area 2 may be completely different or partially the same. For example, on a chip that needs to move droplets and culture cells, two areas are designed according to different functional requirements. The enclosed area 2 can be used as a functional area for moving droplets. This functional area can use an active electrode array, and the driving mode of the active electrode array is relatively simple. Cells are cultured in the reaction culture area 1. Since the passive electrode array has high stability, the passive electrode array can be used in the functional area that needs to be cultured or preserved for a long time. Due to the different designs of the two functional areas, the two functional areas need to be controlled by different data lines so that the coordinated work of different functional areas can be achieved.

[0037] More specifically, the enclosed area 2 includes a plurality of sub-enclosed areas 21 ; each sub-enclosed area 21 is provided with a corresponding electrode array.

[0038] The electrode array includes a plurality of electrodes, and the electrodes include a gate layer, a gate insulating layer, an active layer, an original drain electrode layer, a first passivation layer, a driving electrode layer, a second passivation layer and a hydrophobic layer.

[0039] The reaction culture area 1 and the enclosed area 2 share the same substrate. The choice of substrate is varied, such as transparent glass substrate and plastic substrate. The gate, source and drain can be made of metals such as aluminum, molybdenum, copper, nickel, nickel-manganese alloy, nickel-chromium alloy, etc., which have large work function, good shape stability, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. It can be a single material conductive layer, or a composite conductive layer of multiple conductive materials. The film thickness ranges from 200 to 400nm.

[0040] The gate insulating layer has a thickness ranging from 200 to 400 nm, and the insulating layer material may be a single material such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, or a composite insulating layer of multiple insulating materials.

[0041] The active layer is generally made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), low temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) and oxide (such as IGZO). The film thickness ranges from 50 to 150nm. The electron mobility of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is generally less than 1 (cm 2 / v*s), oxide is between 5-50, and low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) is generally greater than 100. The choice can be made based on actual application requirements.

[0042] The passivation layer plays the role of insulating and protecting the active layer. The film material can be the same as the gate insulating layer material, or an organic dielectric material such as epoxy resin, phenolic varnish, etc. can be selected. The film thickness ranges from 200 to 2000nm.

[0043] For the application of digital microfluidics, a hydrophobic layer material needs to be prepared above the passivation layer. The hydrophobic layer material can be Teflon, which has high crystallinity, tightly oriented molecules, and small porosity.

[0044] In this embodiment, eight sub-enclosed areas 21 are provided, and the eight sub-enclosed areas 21 and the reaction and culture area 1 form a nine-square grid arrangement (ie, corresponding to nine functional areas), and the reaction and culture area 1 is arranged in the middle of the nine-square grid.

[0045] Furthermore, the microfluidic chip further comprises a chip panel 3, on which a plurality of injection holes 31 and / or a plurality of output holes are arranged; each injection hole 31 and / or output hole is arranged on the enclosed area 2. The chip panel 3 is made of a transparent material, such as a glass panel.

[0046] The water curtain 4 is arranged between each sample inlet 31 and / or sample outlet and the reaction culture area 1 .

[0047] Furthermore, the reaction culture area and each sub-enclosed area are provided with corresponding functional area labels; each electrode on the electrode array is provided with a corresponding electrode label.

[0048] In order to distinguish the functional areas and find the target functional areas or electrodes, each functional area in the above-mentioned microfluidic chip can be marked so that each functional area is provided with a corresponding functional area number. In addition, each electrode in each functional area is numbered so that each electrode on the electrode array is provided with a corresponding electrode number. When it is necessary to observe the electrode under a microscope, a certain electrode can be quickly found according to the mark or serial number. Or when checking the electrode, check it in the order of the serial number to avoid repeated observation.

[0049] According to another aspect of the present invention, a pipetting control method is provided, which is applied to the above-mentioned microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization, and comprises the following steps:

[0050] S1: Inject the sample liquid into the injection hole on the enclosed area 2.

[0051] S2: Move the sample liquid to the reaction culture area by driving the corresponding electrodes.

[0052] S3: Inject water droplets into the injection hole 31 on the enclosed area 2, and form a water curtain by moving the water droplets.

[0053] S4: After the reaction or cell culture is completed in the reaction culture area 1, the water droplets can be moved by driving the corresponding electrodes in the enclosed area 2 to move the water droplets to the sample outlet for discharge.

[0054] Furthermore, if the cells need to be separated after the cell culture is completed in the reaction culture area 1, the following steps are also included:

[0055] S5: moving the liquid droplets in the reaction culture area 1 to the enclosed area 2 or the corresponding sub-enclosed area 21 by driving the corresponding electrodes in the reaction culture area 1;

[0056] S6: In the enclosure 2 or the corresponding sub-enclosure 21, cell separation is achieved by controlling the corresponding electrodes to move the droplets.

[0057] If the integrated unit described in the present application is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, referred to as ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, referred to as RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0058] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, although the present application is described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present application, and the scope of the present application is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization, characterized in that: include: reaction culture area and containment area; The reaction culture area and the enclosed area are both provided with corresponding electrode arrays, and each of the motor arrays is arranged on the same substrate; The enclosed area is arranged around the reaction culture area to form a closed loop structure; The reaction culture area is used for actual reaction or cell culture; The enclosed area is used to set up a water curtain, and the reaction culture area is enclosed by the water curtain.

2. A volatilization-suppressing microfluidic chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrode array corresponding to the reaction culture area is a passive electrode array; The enclosed area and the corresponding electrode array are active electrode arrays.

3. A volatilization-suppressing microfluidic chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The enclosed area includes a plurality of sub-enclosed areas; Each sub-enclosed area is provided with a corresponding electrode array.

4. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are eight sub-enclosed areas, and the eight sub-enclosed areas and the reaction and culture area form a nine-square grid arrangement, and the reaction and culture area is arranged in the middle of the nine-square grid.

5. A volatilization-suppressing microfluidic chip according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The microfluidic chip is provided with a plurality of sample inlet holes and / or a plurality of sample outlet holes; Each of the sample inlet and / or sample outlet holes is arranged on the enclosed area.

6. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 5, characterized in that: The water curtain is arranged between each of the sample inlet and / or sample outlet and the reaction culture area.

7. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 3, characterized in that: The electrode array includes a plurality of electrodes, and the electrodes include a gate layer, a gate insulating layer, an active layer, an original drain electrode layer, a first passivation layer, a driving electrode layer, a second passivation layer and a hydrophobic layer.

8. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 7, characterized in that: The reaction culture area and each sub-enclosed area are provided with corresponding functional area labels.

9. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 8, characterized in that: Each electrode on the electrode array is provided with a corresponding electrode number.

10. A liquid transfer control method, applied to a volatilization-inhibiting microfluidic chip according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1: injecting sample liquid into the injection hole on the enclosed area; S2: moving the sample liquid to the reaction culture area by driving the corresponding electrodes; S3: Inject water droplets through the injection hole on the enclosed area, and form the water curtain by moving the water droplets.

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