A microfluidic chip and pipetting control method for suppressing volatilization

Abstract

The present application discloses a volatilization-inhibiting microfluidic chip, relating to the field of microfluidics, and in particular to a volatilization-inhibiting microfluidic chip and a pipetting control method, 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 provided on the same substrate; the enclosure area is provided 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.

Description

Technical Field

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

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

[0003] Digital microfluidic chips are typically fabricated using array substrates. Multiple array units are fabricated simultaneously on a single substrate, and then the array units are cut into individual array substrates. The array substrate is then typically bonded to an electronic paper film to form an electronic device.

[0004] In the prior art, since the cover plates of digital microfluidic chips are basically semi-enclosed or fully enclosed (but still have several sample inlet and outlet holes), when microorganisms or cells are cultured, screened, or detected 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 at a fixed time according to the consumption. This method is more difficult to calculate the amount and time of replenishment, and 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 modification of the equipment regardless of whether the chip area is set to a constant temperature and humidity environment or the collection area is set to a constant temperature and humidity environment. At the same time, it also reduces the flexibility of the equipment. For example, if 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 object 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 enclosed area; the reaction culture area and the enclosed area are both provided with corresponding electrode arrays, and each electrode array 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 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 several 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 sample inlet holes and / or a plurality of sample outlet holes; each sample inlet hole and / or sample outlet hole is arranged on the enclosed area.

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

[0013] In another 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 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, comprising 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 enclosed area and form a water curtain by moving the water droplets.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: A volatilization-suppressing microfluidic chip comprises: a reaction culture area and an enclosed area; the reaction culture area and the enclosed area are both provided with corresponding electrode arrays, and each electrode array 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 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 is a brief introduction to 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 paying any creative work.

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

[0023] Among them, Figure 1 These include:

[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] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application more clear, the following will refer to the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of this application through implementation methods. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, "several" means more than one, "plurality" means more than two, "greater than," "less than," and "exceed" are understood to exclude the number itself, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the number itself. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is solely for the purpose of distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, implicitly specifying the number of the indicated technical features, or implicitly specifying 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 those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meanings 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, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that a specific feature or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, a microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization includes: a reaction culture area 1 and an enclosed area 2;

[0034] The reaction culture area 1 and the enclosed area 2 are both provided with corresponding electrode arrays, and each electrode 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 of the electrodes or the structure of the transistors 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 higher 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 the 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 layer, a first passivation layer, a driving electrode layer, a second passivation layer and a hydrophobic layer.

[0039] Reaction zone 1 and enclosure 2 share a common substrate. A variety of substrates are available, including transparent glass and plastic. The gate, source, and drain electrodes can be made of metals such as aluminum, molybdenum, copper, nickel, nickel-manganese alloy, and nickel-chromium alloy, which exhibit high work functions, good shape stability, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. The conductive layer can be a single material or a composite of multiple conductive materials. The film thickness ranges from 200 to 400 nm.

[0040] The gate insulating layer has a thickness ranging from 200 to 400 nm, and the insulating layer material can 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 polysilicon (LTPS) and oxides (such as IGZO). The film thickness ranges from 50 to 150 nm. 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 selection can be 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 organic dielectric materials 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 made of Teflon, which has high crystallinity, tightly oriented molecules, and small porosity.

[0044] In this embodiment, there are eight sub-enclosed areas 21 , which form a nine-square grid arrangement with the reaction and culture area 1 (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 includes a chip panel 3, which is provided with a plurality of sample inlets 31 and / or a plurality of sample outlets; each sample inlet 31 and / or sample outlet 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] To facilitate distinguishing functional areas and finding the desired functional area or electrode, each functional area in the above-mentioned microfluidic chip can be marked so that each functional area has a corresponding functional area label. In addition, each electrode in each functional area is labeled so that each electrode in the electrode array has a corresponding electrode label. When observing the electrodes under a microscope, you can quickly find a specific electrode based on the label or serial number. Alternatively, when inspecting electrodes, you can check them in order of serial number to avoid repeated inspections.

[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, comprising 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: Water droplets are injected into the injection hole 31 on the enclosed area 2, and a water curtain is formed 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 be moved to the sample outlet for discharge.

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

[0055] S5: moving the 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 enclosed area 2 or the corresponding sub-enclosed area 21, cell separation is achieved by controlling the corresponding electrodes to move the droplets.

[0057] If the integrated unit described in this 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 this 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 for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0058] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and the technical principles employed. 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 has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments and may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present application. 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 enclosure area; The reaction culture area and the enclosed area are each provided with a corresponding electrode array, and each of the electrode 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 a water curtain, and the reaction culture area is enclosed by the water curtain; The electrode array corresponding to the reaction culture area is a passive electrode array; The electrode array corresponding to the enclosed area is an active electrode array.

2. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 1, characterized in that: The enclosed area includes a plurality of sub-enclosed areas; Each sub-enclosed area is provided with a corresponding electrode array.

3. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 2, 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.

4. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 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.

5. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 4, characterized in that: The water curtain is arranged between each of the sample inlet and / or sample outlet and the reaction culture area.

6. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 2, 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 layer, a first passivation layer, a driving electrode layer, a second passivation layer and a hydrophobic layer.

7. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 6, characterized in that: The reaction culture area and each sub-enclosed area are provided with corresponding functional area labels.

8. The microfluidic chip for suppressing volatilization according to claim 7, characterized in that: Each electrode on the electrode array is provided with a corresponding electrode number.

9. A pipetting control method, applied to a volatilization-suppressing microfluidic chip according to any one of claims 1 to 8, 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: Injecting water droplets through the injection hole on the enclosed area, and forming the water curtain by moving the water droplets.

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