Solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of automatic control, in particular to a solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics, which comprises a control module, a detection module, a solid fixing module, a solid plate and a digital microfluidic chip, the solid fixing module can be fixed below the digital micro-fluidic chip; the solid plate is used for loading a solid, is detachable, can be inserted into the solid fixing module and sends the solid to the digital micro-fluidic chip; a sample inlet and outlet area, a solid-liquid reaction area and a detection area are arranged on the digital micro-fluidic chip and are connected through electrodes; a liquid storage tank is arranged in the sample inlet and outlet area and is used for storing a reaction solution; the control module controls the voltage of each electrode to realize micro-droplet movement, a solution in the liquid storage tank is controlled to move to the solid-liquid reaction area to contact with a solid to react, and the solution can also be moved out of the solid-liquid reaction area to interrupt the participation of the solid in the reaction process; the control module can also control the micro-droplets to be detected to move to the detection area; the detection module is used for detecting the micro-droplets to be detected in the detection area through a sensor probe of the detection module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of solid-liquid reaction control in the field of automatic control, and in particular to a solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics. Background Art

[0002] Solid-liquid reaction is an important process widely used in the fields of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, materials science, etc. In solid-liquid reaction, solid and liquid interact to achieve the transformation of target substances through chemical reactions or physical changes. Such reactions are widely used in processes such as catalyst reactions, drug preparation, and material synthesis. However, due to the complexity and heterogeneity of solid-liquid systems, the control of solid-liquid reactions faces many challenges, including the difficulty in accurately controlling the reaction rate and efficiency, the uneven mixing of reactants, and the difficulty in online monitoring and regulation of the reaction process. Digital microfluidics (DMF) is an innovative microfluidic technology that realizes the automation of reactions by precisely controlling the position and movement of droplets on a microfluidic chip. This technology is based on electric field drive, which enables droplets to be moved, merged, or split on a microfluidic platform, providing an efficient way to process liquid samples.

[0003] In many chemical reactions and catalytic processes, effective contact between liquids and solids is the key to achieving reaction optimization and improving reaction efficiency. However, traditional reaction systems are usually unable to accurately control the contact mode between droplets and solids, which often leads to low reaction efficiency, long reaction time or unstable results. In addition, it is difficult to control the separation of solid catalysts and liquids in traditional solid-liquid reactions. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop a device that can efficiently control the contact between microdroplets and solid catalysts. At present, the control of solid-liquid reactions mainly relies on traditional macro reactors, which are usually difficult to achieve precise control of reaction conditions. For example, traditional stirred reactors have challenges in the dispersion of catalysts and the uniform mixing of droplets, and it is difficult to monitor and adjust the various stages of the reaction process in real time. These problems limit the efficiency of the reaction and the quality of the product, and also increase the complexity of the operation. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the problems existing in the related art, the present application provides a solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics, which can control microfluidic and solid reactions, achieve high-throughput and efficient control, improve the controllability of solid-liquid reactions, and mix better, which is convenient for real-time monitoring and adjustment. The device of the embodiment of the present application not only improves the control accuracy of the reaction process, but also enhances the reaction monitoring capability, providing an effective solution for the optimization and efficient conduct of chemical reactions.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present application, a solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics is provided, comprising: a control module, a detection module, a solid fixing module, a solid plate and a digital microfluidic chip. The control module is used to control the movement of micro-droplets, and the solid fixing module is detachable, and different solid substances are installed for reaction according to different reactions. The digital microfluidic chip is provided with an inlet and outlet sample area, a solid-liquid reaction area and a detection area, and each area is connected by an electrode; the inlet and outlet sample area is provided with a liquid reservoir, and the liquid reservoir is used to store a solution for reaction; the control module controls the voltage of each electrode to realize the movement of micro-droplets, and the solution in the liquid reservoir is controlled to separate into tiny droplets, and then move to the solid-liquid reaction area and solid contact reaction, and the moving step is determined according to the reaction; the control module can also control the separation of droplets and solids to control the reaction process; the solid fixing module can be placed below the digital microfluidic chip, or it can be placed at the upper electrode plate of the digital microfluidic chip.

[0006] In an optional embodiment, the solid plate is used to place solids, and can be fixed on the solid fixing module through the fixing groove to send the solids into the solid holes of the digital microfluidic chip. The solids can be reactants, catalysts and adsorbents used in the reaction.

[0007] In an optional embodiment, the solid fixing module is used to fix the solid plate, and the upper part of the solid fixing module is abutted and fixed to the substrate of the digital microfluidic chip, thereby fixing the position of the solid plate.

[0008] In an optional embodiment, the inlet and outlet sample area is provided with a liquid reservoir; the liquid reservoir stores droplets, and the sealed droplets are liquids participating in the entire reaction and detection, which can be separated into tiny droplets under the control of the control module. The control module can also control a preset number of tiny droplets to react and separate from solids, and can control the micro droplets to be tested to move to the detection area during the reaction.

[0009] In an optional embodiment, the detection zone may include the solid-liquid reaction zone, and detection may be performed during the reaction or during solid-liquid separation.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the control module adjusts the potential difference between electrodes based on the principle of dielectric wetting technology to adjust the contact angle of the micro-droplets, thereby achieving separation and movement of the micro-droplets.

[0011] The technical solution in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application sets up a solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics, which can perform micro-level upgrade and high-efficiency time-efficiency control on micro-droplets, improve the controllability of solid-liquid reactions, and can control the mixing and separation of liquids and solids, and perform real-time detection, thereby improving the flexibility and applicability of the reaction, achieving high-precision control, and improving the timeliness of detection.

[0012] At the same time, the detection device is small in size and can be carried to various places for online testing. There is no need to collect the sample solution back to the laboratory for testing, which has good timeliness and convenience.

[0013] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application.

[0014] For better understanding and implementation, the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 2 A side view of a digital microfluidic solid-liquid reaction control device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a digital microfluidic chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic cross-sectional view in the vertical direction of a solid fixing module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view in the vertical direction of a solid plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0021] 10. Solid fixing module; 11. Solid board slot; 20. Solid board; 21. Solid; 22. Solid column limiting slot; 23. Solid column limiting buckle; 24. Solid support column; 25. Spring; 26. Spring fixing column; 30. Digital microfluidic chip; 31. Dielectric layer; 32. Electrode layer; 33. Substrate; 34. Hydrophobic layer; 35. Detection area; 36. Electrode; 37. Liquid storage tank; 38. Solid hole; 39. Sample inlet and outlet area; 310. Solid-liquid reaction area; 4. Detection module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0023] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for which protection is sought, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0024] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0025] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal connection of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0027] The embodiment of the present application discloses a solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics, which can control the contact or separation of microdroplets and solids, control the reaction process, monitor the droplet status in real time, and detect the reaction droplets at each stage of the reaction.

[0028] See also Figure 1 The solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics includes: a control module (not shown), a detection module, and a digital microfluidic chip, a solid plate and a solid fixing module arranged in sequence from top to bottom.

[0029] During the solid-liquid reaction and detection process, the reaction reagents and detection reagents before and after the reaction are controlled to separate, mix and transfer in the form of microdroplets, and the control module is used to control the separation and transfer of the microdroplets. The control module can use any suitable controller, circuit or signal processor to achieve control and regulation of the digital microfluidic chip. For example, the control module can include but is not limited to various forms of control units such as computers, microprocessors, program controllers, analog circuits or digital circuits. This flexible design ensures that in different application scenarios, the optimal control module can be selected to form a detection system to meet specific microfluidic operation requirements and performance standards. The reaction reagents are all the necessary reagents for the solid to participate in the reaction. The reaction reagents can be configured according to the needs of the solid-liquid reaction and the role of the solid in the reaction. If some of the microdroplets to be tested cannot be detected directly, they need to react before they can be detected, so detection reagents will need to be added;

[0030] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the digital microfluidic chip 30 includes a substrate 33, an electrode layer 32 and a hydrophobic layer 34 arranged in sequence from bottom to top, wherein the substrate 33 is provided with a fixing hole, and the substrate 33 is fixed to the solid fixing module 10 through the fixing hole and the fixing member; the electrode layer 32 is used to arrange the electrode 36; the dielectric layer 31 is used to isolate the electrode 36 and the droplet; the hydrophobic layer 34 is used to reduce the contact angle of the droplet so that the droplet is easy to move. The digital microfluidic chip 30 can choose whether to add an upper electrode plate (not shown) according to different reaction requirements.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, the digital microfluidic chip 30 is provided with an inlet and outlet sample area 39, a solid-liquid reaction area 310 and a detection area 35, and each area is connected by an electrode 36. If an adjacent electrode 36 is selected as the target electrode 36, the voltage of the target electrode 36 can be adjusted to a larger value, and the micro droplets move from the current electrode 36 to the target electrode 36. The size, shape, number and arrangement direction of the electrodes 36 on the digital microfluidic chip 30 are not limited by this embodiment. The inlet and outlet sample area 39 is provided with a liquid reservoir 37 for storing all solutions used for the reaction. The liquid reservoir 37 may include one or more, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0032] like Figure 2As shown, the substrate 33 of the digital microfluidic chip 30 and the solid fixing module 10 cooperate with each other. When in use, the solid plate 20 is inserted into the solid plate slot 11. At this time, the solid column limiting buckle 23 is at the lower part of the solid column limiting slot 22. After the solid plate 20 moves to the target position, the spring fixing column 26 is stuck in the predetermined position of the solid fixing module 10. The spring 25 of the solid plate 20 will lift the solid support column 24 of the solid plate 20, so that the solid column limiting buckle 23 is at the upper part of the solid column limiting slot 22. The solid 21 is lifted up and embedded in the solid hole 38. The solid hole 38 is located in the center of the solid-liquid reaction area 310 of the digital microfluidic chip 30 and is used for subsequent reactions.

[0033] The detection module 4 is a module for detecting the position of the droplet or detecting the state parameters of the droplet. In combination with the control module, the position of the droplet or the reaction state can be detected and monitored in real time by electrochemistry, capacitance, spectroscopy, spectroscopy, etc. The detection module 4 of this example is arranged above the digital microfluidic chip 30, which has a detection probe. The detection module 4 detects the micro droplets to be detected in the detection area 35 through its detection probe. Optionally, the detection module 4 is a detector, which includes but is not limited to a camera, a spectrometer, a spectrophotometer, a mass spectrometer, an electrochemical and fluorescence analyzer, and is used to select an appropriate detection method according to the characteristics of the substance to be detected. In this embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the detector is a camera, and the detection area 35 is the entire digital microfluidic chip 30, which can detect the progress of the reaction and the position of the droplet in real time.

[0034] The control module is used to control the merging, separation and transfer of micro-droplets, and controls the movement of droplets by controlling the voltage of the electrode 36 to generate a potential difference through the control circuit.

[0035] The above technical solution of this embodiment sets up a solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics, which can perform micro-liter precise control and high-efficiency monitoring and detection of micro-droplets, and can separate reaction droplets and solids, and control reaction efficiency and reaction progress. In addition, the detection device is small in size and suitable for a variety of reactions. The detection device can be carried to various places for online detection, without the need to collect sample solutions back to the laboratory for detection, and has good timeliness.

[0036] In an optional embodiment, the control module is based on the principle of dielectric wetting technology, and adjusts the potential difference between each electrode 36 to adjust the contact angle of the micro-droplet, thereby achieving the separation and movement of the micro-droplet. The control module can be composed of a controller and a voltage control circuit, and the specific form is not limited in this embodiment.

[0037] During installation, the solid fixing module 10 is first fixed under the substrate 33 of the digital microfluidic chip 30, and fixed through the fixing holes and fixing parts. Then the required solid 10 is placed on the solid support column 24 on the solid plate 20 and inserted along the solid plate slot 11 of the solid fixing module 10. When it moves to the predetermined position, the spring 25 will lift the solid support column 24 of the solid plate 20, and push the solid 21 out of the hydrophobic layer 34 of the digital microfluidic chip 30, so that the solid 21 contacts the reacting droplet.

[0038] During detection, by adding the reaction solution into the corresponding liquid reservoir 37, the control module controls the voltage of the electrode 36 to separate the sample solution in the liquid reservoir 37 into micro-droplets, and then the micro-droplets are moved to the solid-liquid reaction zone 310 in sequence for reaction, and the detection device monitors the position and reaction state of the droplets in real time. During the reaction process, the droplets and the solid 21 can be controlled to separate at any time to interrupt the reaction, and the droplets can also be moved back to the reaction zone to continue the reaction after the interruption. If the solid 21 is a catalyst or the single contact is not fully reacted, after the single experiment is completed, the above steps can be repeated to continue the experiment. If the same solid 21 can be used for different reactions, more liquid reservoirs 37 can be set, and different sample solutions are added to different liquid reservoirs 37 for different reactions. If the reagents for the entire detection need to be replaced, the reagents in the liquid reservoir 37 can also be extracted, and the droplets in the remaining positions are all moved to the vacant liquid reservoir 37 for discharge, and then new reagents are added. The solid 21 is realized by replacing the solid plate 20, which ensures the utilization rate of the device.

[0039] The technical solution in the above embodiment of the present application sets up a solid-liquid reaction device based on digital microfluidics, which can be combined with a variety of detection devices to perform micro-liter high-efficiency detection on micro-droplets, monitor the state of the reaction in real time, and control the separation or mixing of droplets and solids at any time during the reaction process to control the degree of reaction. In addition, the detection device is small in size and can be carried to various places for online detection, without the need to collect the sample solution back to the laboratory for detection, which has good timeliness.

[0040] Note that the above is only a preferred embodiment 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 solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics, characterized in that: include: Control module, detection module, solid fixing module, solid plate and digital microfluidic chip; The solid plate has a solid required for the reaction fixed thereon; The digital microfluidic chip is provided with a sample inlet and outlet area, a solid-liquid reaction area and a detection area, and each area is connected by electrodes; the sample inlet and outlet area is provided with a liquid storage tank for storing pre-added reactants and waste liquid; the solid-liquid reaction area and the detection area can overlap; The control module is used to control the voltage of each electrode to realize the movement of the micro-droplets, and the reactants in the liquid storage tank are controlled to move to the solid-liquid reaction area to react with the solid; the control module can also control the micro-droplets to be tested to move to the detection area; The detection module has a detection probe, and the detection module detects the micro-droplets to be detected in the detection area through the detection probe.

2. The solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solid fixing module and the solid plate are fixed by a fixing member, the solid is mounted on the solid plate, the solid plate is mounted on the solid fixing module, and the solid fixing module is mounted above or below the digital microfluidic chip.

3. The solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics according to claim 2, characterized in that: The solid fixing module has a fixing structure for fixing the solid plate, so that the solid plate can be replaced during use without disassembling the solid fixing module.

4. The solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics according to claim 2, characterized in that: The solid plate is movable, and the solid on the solid plate is also movable. When the solid moves to a designated position, the solid will be pushed onto the top of the digital microfluidic chip by the loading mechanism of the solid plate.

5. The solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solid-liquid reaction zone is used for the reaction between liquid and solid, and the reagents used for the reaction should not damage the digital microfluidic chip during the reaction.

6. The solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module is based on the principle of dielectric wetting technology and adjusts the potential difference between the electrodes to adjust the contact angle of the micro-droplets, thereby achieving the separation and movement of the micro-droplets.

7. The solid-liquid reaction control device based on digital microfluidics according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection module is arranged above or inside the digital microfluidic chip and has a detection sensor probe. The detection module detects the state and position of the micro-droplet to be detected in the detection area through its detection probe.

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