Micro-fluidic chip
By designing multiple capture flow channels and guides on the microfluidic chip, the two-dimensional array arrangement of liquid droplets is realized, which solves the problem of difficulty in forming a two-dimensional array in the prior art, and improves operational convenience and detection efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202311121723.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-31
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-28
AI Technical Summary
The existing microfluidic chips are difficult to form a two-dimensional array arrangement of droplets, which limits the detection and operation convenience of droplets.
A microfluidic chip is designed, including a substrate, a mobile phase flow channel, a dispersed phase flow channel and a plurality of capture flow channels. A plurality of capture chambers and corresponding guides are provided in the capture flow channel, and the guides extend toward the capture chamber for squeezing the droplets into the capture chamber, thereby realizing a two-dimensional array arrangement of the droplets.
By forming a two-dimensional array arrangement of droplets, the operation convenience of the microfluidic chip is improved, and the detection and processing of target droplets is facilitated.
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Figure CN119524939A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of microfluidics technology, and in particular, to a microfluidics chip. Background Art
[0002] As an important branch of microfluidic chip research, droplet microfluidics has been developed in recent years based on the traditional continuous flow microfluidic system. It is a non-continuous flow microfluidic technology that uses two immiscible liquid phases to produce dispersed microdroplets for experimental operations. Microdroplets have the characteristics of small volume, large specific surface area, fast speed, high flux, uniform size, closed system, and internal stability. They have important applications in chemistry, biology, medicine and other fields.
[0003] The generation of droplets on a microfluidic chip is a process in which one phase of a medium is dispersed in another immiscible or partially miscible medium. Two immiscible liquids, one of which is used as a continuous phase and the other as a dispersed phase. The dispersed phase is dispersed in the continuous phase in the form of small volume units to form droplets. Currently, the methods for forming droplets can be divided into two categories: passive and active. The passive method refers to controlling the generation of droplets by controlling the microchannel structure and the flow rate ratio of the two phases, while the active method generally drives and controls the generation of droplets by applying external force. Piezoelectric monodisperse droplet generation technology mainly applies a pulsed electrical signal to the piezoelectric material through a signal generating device, and then deforms the piezoelectric material through the inverse piezoelectric effect to squeeze the liquid in the liquid storage chamber, squeeze the liquid out of the nozzle, and finally form monodisperse droplets.
[0004] After the droplets are generated, droplet microfluidics mainly isolates the droplets by means of droplet arrays and dispersed emulsions. Droplet array technology refers to the technology of spreading droplets in channels or planes and marking droplets by their spatial positions. It is very suitable for long-term observation, physical or chemical property determination, and recovery of single target droplets. Droplet arrays can be mainly divided into one-dimensional droplet arrays and two-dimensional droplet arrays. One-dimensional droplet arrays refer to arranging droplets in sequence in capillaries or chip channels, and determining the positions of all droplets by the distance from the droplet generation site or the number of droplets. Two-dimensional droplet arrays refer to spreading droplets on the chip surface using micropits or capture structures on the chip surface or by arraying droplet channels to achieve the effect of two-dimensional arrangement of droplets. When the number of droplets is large and the number of target droplets is small, the combination of two-dimensional droplet array technology and array detection technology can quickly determine the position of the target droplet, which has its unique advantages compared to the one-dimensional droplet array method that requires each droplet to be detected one by one.
[0005] At present, it is difficult for microfluidic chips in related technologies to form a two-dimensional array arrangement of droplets. Summary of the invention
[0006] The embodiment of the present application is to provide a microfluidic chip, aiming to realize a two-dimensional array arrangement of droplets and improve the convenience of using the microfluidic chip.
[0007] The present application provides a microfluidic chip, comprising:
[0008] a substrate, the substrate comprising a sample injection region, a droplet generation region, and a droplet capture region;
[0009] The droplet capture area includes a plurality of capture channels, a plurality of capture chambers are arranged on one side of the capture channel, and the plurality of capture chambers are evenly spaced along the length direction of the capture channel;
[0010] The capture channel is provided with a plurality of guide parts on one side relative to the capture chamber, the guide parts correspond to the capture chamber one by one, the guide parts extend toward the side where the capture chamber is located, and the guide parts are configured to squeeze droplets into the corresponding capture chamber, thereby achieving droplet capture.
[0011] Optionally, the capture channel comprises a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is close to the droplet generation area;
[0012] Each of the guide portions is offset toward the first end relative to the corresponding capture chamber in the capture flow channel.
[0013] Optionally, a limiting portion is provided in the capture chamber at a position where the capture chamber is communicated with the capture flow channel.
[0014] Optionally, the guide portion includes at least one guide surface, and the guide surface extends obliquely from the inner wall of the capture channel toward the corresponding capture chamber.
[0015] Optionally, the cross-sectional shape of the capture chamber includes: rectangular, circular or polygonal;
[0016] The cross-sectional shape of the guide portion includes: semicircular, triangular or trapezoidal;
[0017] The cross-sectional shape of the limiting portion includes: an arc shape or a triangle shape.
[0018] Optionally, the injection area includes a mobile phase injection port and a dispersed phase injection port;
[0019] The droplet generation area comprises a mobile phase flow channel and a dispersed phase flow channel, wherein one end of the mobile phase flow channel is connected to the mobile phase injection port, and the other end is connected to the plurality of capture flow channels; one end of the dispersed phase flow channel is connected to the dispersed phase injection port, and the other end is connected to the mobile phase flow channel;
[0020] The position where the mobile phase flow channel is connected to the capture flow channel is located behind the position where the dispersed phase flow channel is connected to the mobile phase flow channel;
[0021] The substrate further comprises a collection area, wherein the collection area comprises a collection groove, and the collection groove is connected to one end of the plurality of capture flow channels away from the mobile phase flow channel.
[0022] Optionally, the end portion of the dispersed phase flow channel connected to the mobile phase flow channel is configured to be tapered.
[0023] Optionally, the microfluidic chip further comprises: a piezoelectric module, which is arranged on the substrate and located at one end of the dispersed phase flow channel close to the mobile phase flow channel, and the piezoelectric module is used to periodically squeeze the dispersed phase flow channel.
[0024] Optionally, the microfluidic chip further comprises: a buffer zone, the buffer zone comprising a buffer flow channel, the buffer flow channel being located between the mobile phase flow channel and the plurality of capture flow channels, one end of the buffer flow channel being connected to the mobile phase flow channel, and the other end of the buffer flow channel being connected to the plurality of capture flow channels;
[0025] The buffer flow channels are distributed in a serpentine shape.
[0026] Optionally, the microfluidic chip further includes: a dispersion area, the dispersion area includes a dispersion channel, the dispersion channel is located between the buffer channel and the plurality of capture channels, one end of the dispersion channel is connected to the buffer channel, and the other end is connected to the plurality of capture channels.
[0027] Beneficial effects:
[0028] The present application provides a microfluidic chip, which is provided with a substrate, wherein the substrate includes a sampling area, a droplet generation area and a droplet capture area, wherein the droplet capture area includes a plurality of capture channels, wherein a plurality of capture chambers and a corresponding plurality of guide parts are provided in the capture channels, wherein the guide parts extend toward the side where the capture chambers are located, and wherein the guide parts are configured to squeeze droplets into the corresponding capture chambers, thereby realizing droplet capture; when the microfluidic chip is used, a mobile phase medium and a dispersed phase medium are added through the sampling area, and droplets are generated in the droplet generation area, and then the mobile phase medium drives these droplets to enter different capture channels respectively, and when the droplets flow in the capture channels, the droplets will enter the capture chambers under the action of the guide parts and be confined in the capture chambers, thus, after the capture chambers in each capture channel have captured the droplets, a two-dimensional array arrangement of the droplets is formed on the microfluidic chip, thereby enabling operators to more conveniently use the microfluidic chip to detect target droplets, thereby improving the convenience of using the microfluidic chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.
[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a microfluidic chip proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0031] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the connection position between the dispersed phase flow channel and the mobile phase flow channel in a microfluidic chip proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0032] Figure 3 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of a capture chamber with a semicircular guide portion in a microfluidic chip proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0033] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of a capture chamber with a triangular guide portion in a microfluidic chip proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0034] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of a capture chamber with a trapezoidal guide portion in a microfluidic chip proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0035] Figure 6 It is a simulated trajectory diagram of a mobile phase medium mixed with droplets flowing in a capture flow channel having a capture chamber, as proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0036] Figure 7 It is a simulated trajectory diagram of a mobile phase medium mixed with droplets flowing in a capture flow channel having a capture chamber and occupying a capture chamber, as proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0037] Figure 8 It is a simulated trajectory diagram of a mobile phase medium mixed with droplets flowing in a capture flow channel having capture chambers and occupying two capture chambers, as proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0038] Fig. 9 It is a simulated trajectory diagram of a mobile phase medium mixed with droplets flowing in a capture flow channel having capture chambers and occupying three capture chambers, as proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0039] Fig.10 It is a simulated trajectory diagram of a mobile phase medium mixed with droplets flowing in a capture flow channel having capture chambers and occupying four capture chambers, as proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0040] Fig.11It is a simulated trajectory diagram of a mobile phase medium mixed with droplets flowing in a capture flow channel with capture chambers and occupying all capture chambers, as proposed in one embodiment of the present application;
[0041] Fig.12 This is a simulated trajectory diagram of a mobile phase medium mixed with droplets proposed in an embodiment of the present application flowing in a capture channel with capture chambers and continuing to flow after occupying all capture chambers.
[0042] Explanation of the reference numerals: 10, substrate; 20, mobile phase flow channel; 201, mobile phase injection port; 30, dispersed phase flow channel; 301, dispersed phase injection port; 40, capture flow channel; 401, capture chamber; 402, guide portion; 4021, guide surface; 403, limit portion; 404, first end; 405, second end; 50, collecting tank; 60, piezoelectric module; 70, buffer flow channel; 80, dispersed flow channel; A1, injection area; A2, droplet generation area; A3, buffer zone; A4, dispersion area; A5, droplet capture area; A6, collection area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0043] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions 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 this application.
[0044] Reference Figure 1 As shown, a microfluidic chip disclosed in an embodiment of the present application includes a substrate 10, a mobile phase flow channel 20, a dispersed phase flow channel 30, a plurality of capture flow channels 40 and a collection tank 50.
[0045] Specifically, the substrate 10 is the basic part of the microfluidic chip. The substrate 10 can be made of rigid materials, such as glass, or flexible materials, such as PET. The substrate 10 is divided into different areas. For example, the substrate 10 may include a sampling area A1, a droplet generation area A2, a droplet capture area A5 and a collection area A6. The corresponding flow channels are located in the corresponding areas. For example, multiple capture flow channels 40 are located in the droplet capture area A5, and the collection tank 50 is located in the collection area A6. However, it should be noted that these areas are only virtual areas divided to more conveniently illustrate the positions of different flow channels on the substrate 10. It can be understood that the sampling area A1, the droplet generation area A2, the droplet capture area A5 and the collection area A6 are distributed in sequence.
[0046] Reference Figure 1As shown, the mobile phase flow channel 20 is arranged on the substrate 10, and the mobile phase flow channel 20 includes a mobile phase injection port 201, wherein the mobile phase injection port 201 is located in the injection area A1, and the mobile phase flow channel 20 is located in the injection area A1 and the droplet generation area A2, and the mobile phase medium can be added into the mobile phase flow channel 20 through the mobile phase injection port 201, and then the mobile phase medium will flow along the mobile phase flow channel 20. The mobile phase medium can be water or other solutions.
[0047] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the dispersed phase flow channel 30 is arranged on the substrate 10, and the dispersed phase flow channel 30 is arranged in parallel with a part of the mobile phase flow channel 20. The dispersed phase flow channel 30 also includes a dispersed phase injection port 301, wherein the dispersed phase injection port 301 is located in the injection area A1, and the dispersed phase flow channel 30 is located in the injection area A1 and the droplet generation area A2. The dispersed phase medium can be added into the dispersed phase flow channel 30 through the dispersed phase injection port 301, and then the dispersed phase medium will flow along the dispersed phase flow channel 30. The dispersed phase medium can be a biological cell or the like.
[0048] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, one end of the dispersed phase flow channel 30 away from the dispersed phase injection port 301 is connected to the flow, and a piezoelectric module 60 is also provided at the position of the dispersed phase flow channel 30 on the substrate 10, and the piezoelectric module 60 surrounds a part of the dispersed phase flow channel 30, and the piezoelectric module 60 is connected to an external power supply through an electrode; at the same time, the end connecting the dispersed phase flow channel 30 and the mobile phase flow channel 20 is set to be conical. The conical end can form a nozzle, and when the dispersed phase flow channel 30 flows to this position, the piezoelectric module 60 can be periodically deformed under the action of the output voltage, thereby mechanically squeezing the dispersed phase flow channel 30, squeezing the dispersed phase medium from the nozzle into the mobile phase flow channel 20, and forming droplets dispersed in the mobile phase medium. It can be understood that the piezoelectric module 60 and the position where the dispersed phase flow channel 30 is connected to the mobile phase flow channel 20 are both located in the droplet generation area A2.
[0049] Further, refer to Figure 1 As shown, a plurality of capture channels 40 are arranged in parallel on the substrate 10, and the mobile phase channel 20 is respectively connected to the plurality of capture channels 40, and the position where the mobile phase channel 20 is connected to the capture channel 40 is located after the position where the dispersed phase channel 30 is connected to the mobile phase channel 20, so that the mobile phase medium with droplets will flow evenly into each capture channel 40. In the embodiment of the present application, in order to improve the droplet capture efficiency, a total of eight capture channels 40 are provided; in other embodiments, nine, ten or more capture channels 40 may also be provided, and those skilled in the art may increase or decrease the number of capture channels 40 according to actual needs.
[0050] Reference Figure 3 As shown, a plurality of capture chambers 401 are arranged on one side of the capture channel 40, and the plurality of capture chambers 401 are evenly spaced along the length direction of the capture channel 40. In the embodiment of the present application, the size of each capture chamber 401 is adapted to the size of a single droplet, and each capture chamber 401 can capture one droplet, that is, after a droplet enters the capture chamber 401, other droplets cannot enter the capture chamber 401, which can be more conducive to the operator to find the target droplet and detect the target droplet.
[0051] Generally speaking, the size of the capture chamber 401 needs to be slightly larger than the size of the droplet. For example, if the diameter of a single droplet is 90 μm, then the width or diameter of the capture chamber 401 can be set to 95 μm, which is more conducive to the preservation of the droplet. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the capture chamber 401 can also be selected according to needs, for example, the cross-sectional shape of the capture chamber 401 can be set to a rectangle, a circle, or a polygon. In an embodiment of the present application, the cross-sectional shape of the capture chamber 401 is a rectangle, and the width of the capture chamber 401 is 95 μm.
[0052] The number and spacing of the capture chambers 401 can be set according to actual needs. In the embodiment of the present application, the spacing between the capture chambers 401 is greater than or equal to 150 μm and less than or equal to 200 μm. For example, the spacing between the capture chambers 401 can be 150 μm, 160 μm, 170 μm, 180 μm, 190 μm, 200 μm, etc.
[0053] Further, refer to Figure 3 As shown, a plurality of guide portions 402 are provided on one side of the capture channel 40 relative to the capture chamber 401, and the guide portions 402 correspond to the capture chamber 401 one by one, and the guide portions 402 extend toward the side where the capture chamber 401 is located. After the mobile phase medium drives the droplets into the capture channel 40, the mobile phase medium drives the droplets to flow, and when the droplets flow to the position of the guide portions 402, since the guide portions 402 extend toward the side where the capture chamber 401 is located, the droplets will flow into the capture chamber 401 under the interaction of the driving force of the mobile phase medium on the droplets and the supporting force of the guide portions 402 on the droplets, thereby achieving the capture of the droplets.
[0054] Further, refer to Figure 1 As shown, the collecting tank 50 is connected to one end of the plurality of capture flow channels 40 away from the mobile phase flow channel 20. The final waste liquid can be collected by the collecting tank 50 to avoid environmental pollution caused by the waste liquid.
[0055] Further, Figure 6-Figure 12The simulation of the mobile phase medium driving the droplets to flow in the capture channel is shown. Figure 6-Figure 12 It can be seen that the droplets will enter a capture chamber in sequence along the flow direction of the mobile phase medium, and after a capture chamber is occupied by a droplet, the other droplets will flow in sequence and enter the next capture chamber until all capture chambers are occupied by droplets, thus achieving the capture of droplets.
[0056] Through the microfluidic chip provided in the embodiment of the present application, by capturing droplets in each capture chamber 401 in a plurality of capture channels 40, a two-dimensional droplet array can eventually be formed in the droplet capture area A5 on the substrate 10, so that operators can more conveniently use the microfluidic chip to detect target droplets, thereby improving the convenience of using the microfluidic chip; at the same time, the microfluidic chip provided in the embodiment of the present application integrates the generation and capture of droplets into the same chip, making the chip more convenient to use.
[0057] In an optional embodiment, referring to Figure 3 As shown, an embodiment of the present application further provides a microfluidic chip, in which a limiting portion 403 is provided in the capture chamber 401 at a position where the capture chamber 401 is connected to the capture channel 40 .
[0058] Specifically, the position of the limiting part 403 is the entrance of the capture chamber 401, and the limiting part 403 is located on both sides of the entrance of the capture chamber 401. It can be understood that the limiting parts 403 on both sides will form a limiting area, and the size of the limiting area is smaller than the size of a droplet. For example, if the diameter of a single droplet is 90μm, the width or diameter of the limiting area can be set to 85μm, so that the droplet can be limited.
[0059] In the process of droplets entering the capture chamber 401, the droplets are supported by the guide part 402 and pushed by the mobile phase medium, so the droplets will be squeezed into the limiting area and finally squeezed into the capture chamber 401. After the droplets enter the capture chamber 401, they are no longer affected by other external forces, so the droplets will be restricted in the capture chamber 401 by the limiting part 403 and cannot escape, thereby improving the capture efficiency of the capture channel 40 for droplets.
[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, the guide portion 402 is an arc-shaped protrusion disposed at the entrance of the capture chamber 401. Of course, the guide portion 402 can also be configured as other shapes, such as a triangle.
[0061] In an optional embodiment, referring to Figure 3As shown, an embodiment of the present application also provides a microfluidic chip, in which a capture channel 40 includes a first end 404 and a second end 405, wherein the first end 404 is close to a droplet generation area A2, and the second end 405 is close to a collection area A6, and each guide portion 402 is offset toward the first end 404 relative to the respective corresponding capture chamber 401 in the capture channel 40.
[0062] Specifically, in this embodiment, the guide portion 402 is not directly opposite to the corresponding capture chamber 401, and the guide portion 402 is offset by a certain distance relative to the corresponding capture chamber 401 toward the side where the droplet generation area A2 is located. That is to say, when the mobile phase medium drives the droplets to move, the droplets will first move to the position of the guide portion 402. In this way, the guide portion 402 can enable the droplets to accurately enter the corresponding capture chamber 401, thereby improving the capture efficiency of the capture channel 40.
[0063] Further, refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the cross-sectional shape of the guide portion 402 may include a semicircle, a triangle, a trapezoid or an ellipse, etc. The guide portion 402 includes at least one guide surface 4021, which extends obliquely from the capture channel 40 toward the corresponding capture chamber 401. When the droplet moves to the position of the guide portion 402, under the force of the guide portion 402 on the droplet and the force of the mobile phase medium on the droplet, the droplet will flow along the extension direction of the guide surface 4021, and finally the droplet enters the capture chamber 401. It should be noted that the guide surface 4021 can be an actual plane or a virtual plane, which mainly depends on the shape of the guide portion 402 itself.
[0064] For example, refer to Figure 3 As shown, when the cross-sectional shape of the guide portion 402 is set to be a semicircle, the guide surface 4021 is the surface where the tangent line of the arc surface of the guide portion 402 is located. At this time, the guide surface 4021 is a virtual plane; refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, when the cross-sectional shape of the guide portion 402 is a triangle or a trapezoid, the guide surface 4021 is an inclined surface in the guide portion 402 , and at this time, the guide surface 4021 is an actual plane.
[0065] In the embodiment of the present application, the cross-sectional shape of the guide portion 402 is set to be semicircular. Since the semicircular guide portion 402 has no edges or corners, it is possible to prevent the guide portion 402 from causing damage to the droplet. Therefore, when the cross-sectional shape of the guide portion 402 is triangular or trapezoidal, it is also necessary to prevent the edges and corners of the guide portion 402 from directly contacting the droplet.
[0066] In an optional embodiment, referring to Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present application further provides a microfluidic chip, which also includes a buffer zone A3, and the buffer zone A3 includes a buffer channel 70.
[0067] Specifically, the buffer channel 70 is disposed on the substrate 10, and the buffer channel 70 is located between the mobile phase channel 20 and the plurality of capture channels 40, one end of the buffer channel 70 is connected to the mobile phase channel 20, and the other end is connected to the plurality of capture channels 40. After the droplets are generated and enter the mobile phase channel 20, the mobile phase medium will drive the droplets to flow into the buffer channel 70 first, and in the buffer channel 70, the flow speed of the mobile phase medium and the droplets is slowed down, so that the droplets can be better mixed with the mobile phase medium, so that the distribution of the droplets is more uniform.
[0068] In the embodiment of the present application, in order to increase the length of the buffer channel 70 as much as possible, the buffer channel 70 is distributed in a serpentine shape, so that the mobile phase medium can drive the droplets to flow in the buffer channel 70 for a longer time, which is more conducive to the mixing of the mobile phase medium and the droplets.
[0069] Further, refer to Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, a dispersion area A4 is further provided between the buffer area A3 and the droplet capture area A5, and the dispersion area A4 includes a dispersion channel 80, one end of which is connected to the buffer channel 70, and the other end of which is connected to a plurality of capture channels 40. The dispersion channel 80 mainly serves to uniformly introduce the mobile phase medium into each capture channel 40.
[0070] Specifically, the dispersion channel 80 is not a single channel. In the embodiment of the present application, the dispersion channel 80 includes a main channel, two first flow channels, four second flow channels and eight third flow channels, wherein the main channel is connected to one end of the buffer channel 70 away from the mobile phase flow channel 20, the two first flow channels are connected to the main channel at the same time, and then each first flow channel is connected to two second flow channels at the same time, each second flow channel is connected to two third flow channels at the same time, and the eight third flow channels are respectively connected to eight capture flow channels 40, so that the mobile phase medium mixed with droplets can flow evenly into the eight capture flow channels 40 through the main channel, two first flow channels, four second flow channels and eight third flow channels, thereby improving the convenience of using the microfluidic chip.
[0071] The present application provides a microfluidic chip, which is provided with a substrate 10, a mobile phase flow channel 20, a dispersed phase flow channel 30, a plurality of capture flow channels 40 and a collecting tank 50, wherein each flow channel is provided on the substrate 10, and the dispersed phase flow channel 30 is connected with the mobile phase flow channel 20, and the mobile phase flow channel 20 is connected with the plurality of capture flow channels 40, and the capture flow channel 40 is provided with a plurality of capture chambers 401 and a corresponding plurality of guide portions 402; when the microfluidic chip is used, the mobile phase medium and the dispersed phase medium are added to the mobile phase flow channel 20 and the dispersed phase flow channel 30 respectively, and the dispersed phase flow channel 30 can be The dispersed phase medium is formed into droplets and enters the mobile phase flow channel 20. Then, the mobile phase medium drives these droplets to enter different capture channels 40 respectively. When the droplets flow in the capture channel 40, the droplets enter the capture chamber 401 under the action of the guide part 402 and are confined in the capture chamber 401. In this way, after the capture chamber 401 in each capture channel 40 captures the droplets, a two-dimensional array arrangement of droplets is formed on the microfluidic chip, so that the operator can use the microfluidic chip more conveniently to detect the target droplets, thereby improving the convenience of using the microfluidic chip.
[0072] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.
[0073] It should also be noted that, in this article, the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or terminal device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or terminal device. Without more restrictions, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or terminal device comprising the element.
[0074] The technical solution provided by the present application is described in detail above. The principle and implementation method of the present application are described in this article using specific examples. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the present application, and the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present application. At the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the present application, there will be different forms of changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here, and the obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the present application.
Claims
1. A microfluidic chip, characterized in that: include: a substrate, the substrate comprising a sample injection region, a droplet generation region, and a droplet capture region; The droplet capture area includes a plurality of capture channels, a plurality of capture chambers are arranged on one side of the capture channel, and the plurality of capture chambers are evenly spaced along the length direction of the capture channel; The capture channel is provided with a plurality of guide parts on one side relative to the capture chamber, the guide parts correspond to the capture chamber one by one, the guide parts extend toward the side where the capture chamber is located, and the guide parts are configured to squeeze droplets into the corresponding capture chamber, thereby achieving droplet capture.
2. The microfluidic chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The capture channel comprises a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is close to the droplet generation region; Each of the guide portions is offset toward the first end relative to the corresponding capture chamber in the capture flow channel.
3. The microfluidic chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting portion is provided in the capture chamber at a position where the capture chamber communicates with the capture flow channel.
4. The microfluidic chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide portion includes at least one guide surface, and the guide surface extends obliquely from the inner wall of the capture flow channel toward the corresponding capture chamber.
5. The microfluidic chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape of the capture chamber includes: rectangular, circular or polygonal; The cross-sectional shape of the guide portion includes: semicircular, triangular or trapezoidal; The cross-sectional shape of the limiting portion includes: an arc shape or a triangle shape.
6. The microfluidic chip according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The injection area includes a mobile phase injection port and a dispersed phase injection port; The droplet generation area comprises a mobile phase flow channel and a dispersed phase flow channel, wherein one end of the mobile phase flow channel is connected to the mobile phase injection port, and the other end is connected to the plurality of capture flow channels; one end of the dispersed phase flow channel is connected to the dispersed phase injection port, and the other end is connected to the mobile phase flow channel; The position where the mobile phase flow channel is connected to the capture flow channel is located behind the position where the dispersed phase flow channel is connected to the mobile phase flow channel; The substrate further comprises a collection area, wherein the collection area comprises a collection groove, and the collection groove is connected to one end of the plurality of capture flow channels away from the mobile phase flow channel.
7. The microfluidic chip according to claim 6, characterized in that: The end portion of the dispersed phase flow channel connected to the mobile phase flow channel is configured to be tapered.
8. The microfluidic chip according to claim 6, characterized in that: The microfluidic chip also includes: The piezoelectric module is arranged on the substrate and is located at one end of the dispersed phase flow channel close to the mobile phase flow channel. The piezoelectric module is used to periodically squeeze the dispersed phase flow channel.
9. The microfluidic chip according to claim 6, characterized in that: The microfluidic chip also includes: A buffer zone, the buffer zone comprising a buffer flow channel, the buffer flow channel being located between the mobile phase flow channel and the plurality of capture flow channels, one end of the buffer flow channel being connected to the mobile phase flow channel, and the other end of the buffer flow channel being connected to the plurality of capture flow channels; The buffer flow channels are distributed in a serpentine shape.
10. The microfluidic chip according to claim 9, characterized in that: The microfluidic chip also includes: The dispersion zone includes a dispersion channel, the dispersion channel is located between the buffer channel and the plurality of capture channels, one end of the dispersion channel is connected to the buffer channel, and the other end is connected to the plurality of capture channels.
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