Mineral-embedded micro-fluidic chip integrated with pore interaction function and preparation method of mineral-embedded micro-fluidic chip

Abstract

The invention discloses an embedded mineral micro-fluidic chip integrated with a pore interaction function and a preparation method thereof, the embedded mineral micro-fluidic chip is used for geological water rock chemical research, and the chip comprises an upper layer cover plate and a bottom layer substrate which are tightly attached; the upper surface of the bottom substrate comprises a parallel embedding area, a reaction solution mixing area and a seepage area which are connected in sequence; the parallel embedding area is connected with the reaction solution mixing area through a first circulation channel, and the seepage area is connected with the reaction solution mixing area through a second circulation channel; the parallel embedding area is used for reacting solid particles with a solution; the reaction solution mixing area is used for mixing reaction solutions; the seepage area is used for a rock seepage process; the upper-layer cover plate is provided with a vertical connection channel penetrating through the thickness direction, the vertical connection channel is communicated with an input port of the parallel embedding area and an output port of the seepage area, solid particles are embedded into the micro-fluidic chip, and the problems that in actual research, solution mixing is not uniform, the mixing speed is low, and the mixing efficiency is low are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment and geological water and rock, and in particular to an embedded mineral microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Microfluidics, also known as microfluidic chip technology, is a technology that accurately controls and manipulates microscale fluids and even submicron structures. Microfluidic chips are made of silicon, metal, polymer, glass, quartz and other materials through micromachining technology to process micron to submillimeter-scale fluid channels, reaction or detection chambers, filters or sensors and other microstructural units, and then manipulate the fluid in the micron-scale space, and cooperate with fluid control or analysis instruments to complete the processing, sorting, cracking, separation and analysis. Due to the microscale structure, the fluid in the microfluidic chip produces special properties that are different from the macroscale; at the same time, it also has the advantages of fast reaction speed and large-scale parallelism.

[0003] At present, the research on microfluidics mainly focuses on the manufacturing process of microfluidic chips and the application of microfluidic technology in various fields. In terms of the manufacturing process of microfluidic chips, the materials used to make chips and the chip microstructure are the main research hotspots. At present, the design of microfluidic chips adopts an integral design. In the research on microfluidic technology, many chips can solve the microfluidic experiments of liquid-liquid reaction and liquid-gas reaction, but cannot meet the requirements of microfluidic experiments of solid-liquid reaction. In the polymer flooding technology, microfluidic chips that simulate the pore system of porous media are usually used to study the interaction between polymers and reservoir rocks to simulate the flow of liquids in the interaction between polymers and reservoir rocks, but to a certain extent ignore the chemical reactions between materials and reservoir rocks. In the study of microbial mineralization mechanism, microbial calcium carbonate deposition is induced to visualize the microbial mineralization process, but it is impossible to visualize whether soil particles are cemented together due to microbial mineralization. The reason is that solid particles cannot be placed in microfluidic chips. In the research on geological water-rock chemical processes, relatively few microfluidic technologies are used, and the methods are not well established. At present, there is a method of using rock slices as materials for making microfluidic chips, but this method will inevitably involve the complex chemical composition of the rock slices themselves and poor light transmittance. In the design of many microfluidic chips, the chips mostly appear in an integrated form, but with the progress of relevant microfluidic experiments, micro-particle control chips for gas-liquid reactions and liquid-liquid reactions gradually cannot meet the actual research needs. Especially in the water-rock chemistry that is most commonly involved in geological research, it is necessary to study the flow of microscopic liquids and the process of water chemistry, and traditional microfluidic chips still need to be improved. In addition, the design of microfluidic chips often involves the problem of solution mixing, and traditional mixing methods such as mixers, shakers or oscillators are not suitable for microfluidic chips. How to make the solutions involved in microfluidic chips mix evenly has become a new problem. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the embedded mineral microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function provided by the present invention not only solves the problem of using solid research object materials to make microfluidic chips, meets the experimental purpose of water chemistry of the research object, but also avoids the problems of uneven solution mixing, slow mixing speed, low mixing efficiency, etc. in actual research.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned invention object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: an embedded mineral microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function for geological water-rock chemistry research, characterized in that it includes: a tightly fitted upper cover plate and a bottom substrate;

[0006] The upper surface of the bottom substrate includes a parallel embedding area, a reaction solution mixing area and a seepage area connected in sequence;

[0007] The parallel embedded zone is connected to the reaction solution mixing zone through a first circulation channel, and the percolation zone is connected to the reaction solution mixing zone through a second circulation channel;

[0008] The parallel embedded zone is used for reacting the solid particles with the solution;

[0009] The reaction solution mixing zone is used to mix the reaction solution;

[0010] The seepage zone is used for rock seepage process;

[0011] The upper cover plate is provided with a vertical connection channel penetrating in the thickness direction, and the vertical connection channel is respectively connected with the input port of the parallel embedded area and the output port of the seepage area.

[0012] Furthermore: the parallel embedded area includes three parallel embedded units with the same structure and size, each of the parallel embedded units is composed of a square solid particle embedded grid, each square solid particle embedded grid has a side length of 0.1mm and a depth of 0.2mm, and each square solid particle embedded grid is provided with flow gaps of equal width on all sides.

[0013] Furthermore: the output port of each of the parallel embedded units is connected to the input end of the reaction solution mixing zone through the first circulation channel, and the first circulation channel 6 has a depth of 0.2 mm and a width of 0.02 mm.

[0014] Furthermore: the reaction solution mixing zone is connected in reverse using two Archimedean spirals, and the input port and the output port of the reaction solution mixing zone are located at two ends of a horizontal position.

[0015] Furthermore: each of the seepage zones is composed of cylindrical protrusions, the cylindrical protrusions are used to simulate rock particles, and pore channels are included between the cylindrical protrusions.

[0016] Furthermore: the seepage zone also includes a connecting groove, and the connecting groove is used to simulate a rock pore channel.

[0017] The present application also discloses a method for preparing a microfluidic chip, comprising:

[0018] Step 1: Cut and polish the glass sample into glass plates of corresponding sizes;

[0019] Step 2: Place the glass substrate into a laser engraving machine for engraving to obtain an upper cover plate, a bottom substrate, and a solid particle-assisted embedded cover plate;

[0020] Step 3: Clean the upper cover plate, the bottom substrate, and the solid particle-assisted embedded cover plate, and use ethanol and deionized water to remove surface impurities and contaminants;

[0021] Step 4: Cover the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate onto the bottom substrate, align it and fix it;

[0022] Step 5: Fill the solid particles from the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate;

[0023] Step 6: Remove the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate, cover the upper cover plate on the bottom substrate, align the injection port and the outlet port, and place them in a hot press to enhance the bonding strength and complete the chip bonding.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0025] 1. Based on the "series-parallel" embedded area, series-parallel channels can be set according to actual needs to meet the independent process of each reaction process;

[0026] 2. A square solid particle embedding grid is designed in the parallel embedding area, and solid particles can be embedded in the grid to meet the needs of solid-liquid reaction;

[0027] 3. The Archimedean spiral is used as the design support in the solution mixing area, and two Archimedean spirals are connected in reverse, which not only increases the length of the mixing pipeline during the solution mixing process, but also designs the input and output ports at both ends of the horizontal position, thereby increasing the scope of application of the solution mixing area design on other microfluidic chips;

[0028] 4. In the seepage zone, the liquid seepage process in the dual medium channels of rock pores and fractures is fully restored to simulate the rock seepage process in real situations, in order to obtain relevant experimental conclusions and provide a strong basis for geological work. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 The overall structure diagram of the embedded mineral microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function;

[0030] Figure 2 A plan view of the lower substrate of an embedded mineral microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function;

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the parallel embedded area;

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the reaction solution mixing zone;

[0033] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the seepage zone.

[0034] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of solid particle assisted embedding cover.

[0035] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the solid particle embedding area.

[0036] Among them: 1. Upper cover plate; 2. Bottom substrate; 3. Parallel embedding area; 4. Reaction solution mixing area; 5. Seepage area; 6. First circulation channel; 7. Second circulation channel; 8. Square solid particle embedding grid; 9. Flow gap; 10. Connecting groove; 11. Pore channel; 12. Cylindrical protrusion; 13. Solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate; 14. Solid particle embedding area; 15. Through-type circular hole; 16. Filtration area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The specific implementation modes of the present invention are described below so that those skilled in the art can understand the present invention. However, it should be clear that the present invention is not limited to the scope of the specific implementation modes. For those of ordinary skill in the art, as long as various changes are within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined and determined by the attached claims, these changes are obvious, and all inventions and creations utilizing the concept of the present invention are protected.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, an embedded mineral microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function is provided for geological water-rock chemistry research, comprising: an upper cover plate 1 and a bottom substrate 2 that fit closely together;

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the upper surface of the bottom substrate 2 includes a parallel embedding area 3, a reaction solution mixing area 4 and a seepage area 5 which are connected in sequence;

[0040] The parallel embedded area 3 is connected to the reaction solution mixing area 4 through a first circulation channel 6, and the percolation area 5 is connected to the reaction solution mixing area 4 through a second circulation channel 7;

[0041] The parallel embedding area 3 is used for reacting the solid particles with the solution;

[0042] The reaction solution mixing zone 4 is used to mix the reaction solution;

[0043] The seepage zone 5 is used for rock seepage process;

[0044] The upper cover plate 1 is provided with a vertical connection channel penetrating in the thickness direction, and the vertical connection channel is respectively connected with the input port of the parallel embedded area 3 and the output port of the seepage area 5.

[0045] In this embodiment, the bottom substrate 2 is 13 mm long, 5 mm wide and 3 mm thick; the length and width of the upper cover plate 1 are consistent with the bottom substrate 2, and its thickness is set to 1 mm to facilitate the use of a microscope to observe the chip reaction process.

[0046] like Figure 3 As shown, the parallel embedded area 3 includes three parallel embedded units with the same structure and size, each of which is composed of a square solid particle embedded grid 8, each square solid particle embedded grid 8 has a side length of 0.1 mm and a depth of 0.2 mm, and each square solid particle embedded grid 8 is surrounded by flow gaps 9 of equal width.

[0047] The three parallel embedding units of the parallel embedding area 3 operate independently and do not interfere with each other, and can realize the observation of the reaction, mixing and flow of three or less solid particles and solutions. The parallel embedding area 3 is set to allow the solution to react with the solid on the microfluidic chip to realize the visualization of the solid-liquid reaction process in the field of microfluidics. The parallel embedding area 3 is based on the "series-parallel" embedding area, and series-parallel channels can be set according to actual needs to meet the independent process of each reaction process;

[0048] In this embodiment, the output port of each of the parallel embedded units is connected to the input end of the reaction solution mixing zone 4 through the first circulation channel 6, and the depth of the first circulation channel 6 is 0.2 mm and the width is 0.02 mm;

[0049] The parallel embedding area 3 can simultaneously carry out the water chemical reaction of three reactants, and the solid reactants of the three parallel embedding units can enter the solution mixing area 4 through the first flow channel flow channel 6 for mixing after their respective reactions;

[0050] Considering the sufficiency of the reaction between the embedded reactant and the liquid, a larger solid-liquid contact area is required. Therefore, a square solid particle embedding grid 8 is designed in the parallel embedding unit, and a suitable flow gap 9 is designed on the square solid particle embedding grid 8 to allow the solution to pass through and react with the reactant in the grid. The size of the grid determines the reaction speed of the reaction process. The larger the grid, the larger the reactant particles, the smaller the specific surface area, and the smaller the surface area in contact with the liquid. Conversely, the smaller the grid, the smaller the reactant particles, the larger the specific surface area of ​​the reactant, and the larger the contact area.

[0051] In this example, two flow gaps 9 with a width of 0.025 mm are set on each side of the grid. Putting the reactant particles in the grid can effectively control the movement of the reactants and avoid the reactants flowing with the liquid. The design of the flow gaps 9 should be as small and dense as possible. The small and dense flow gaps 9 can make the liquid flow more smoothly in the chip; not only that, considering that after the reactant particles are embedded, as the reaction proceeds, the volume of the reactant particles may decrease or the volume of the embedded particles themselves may be smaller than that of the grid, resulting in the reactant being moved by the liquid. The flow gaps 9 play a "filtering" role, which largely limits the flow of the reactant particles with the liquid.

[0052] Although the entire parallel embedded unit can be embedded with reactant particles, from the perspective of practical use, it is reasonable to place the reactants in the front part where the liquid enters the embedded area, and leave a suitable distance in the rear part of the grid without placing the reactants. The reaction studied occurs in the front half, and the grid-like grid in the rear half acts as a filter. Even if some particles are transported, they can be blocked by the flow gaps in the rear half, preventing the possibility of fine particles of the reactants blocking the flow channel.

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, the reaction solution mixing zone 4 is connected in reverse using two Archimedean spirals, and the input port and the output port of the reaction solution mixing zone 4 are located at two ends of a horizontal position.

[0054] The reaction solution mixing area 4 of the embedded microfluidic chip is the middle structural part of the chip, which needs to play the function of connecting the past and the future. In the prior art, it is mentioned that the Fibonacci curve is used to mix the solution with the characteristics of high efficiency, convenience and quickness. However, the structure only satisfies the function of mixing the microfluidic chip in the design of the solution input port and the output port. The input port of the microfluidic chip must be input from the middle part of the Fibonacci curve, which makes it difficult to assume the function of the design as an intermediate link. For this reason, the present invention adopts the Archimedean spiral as the design support, and connects the two Archimedean spirals in reverse, which increases the length of the mixing pipeline in the solution mixing process, designs the input port and the output port at both ends of the horizontal position, and increases the scope of application of the solution mixing area design on other microfluidic chips.

[0055] Moreover, after the liquid enters the Archimedean spiral, the liquid in the channel will increase its contact area due to the centrifugal force, and the present invention adopts two positive and negative Archimedean spirals to form a complete mixing zone channel. The design of the channel effectively reduces the size of the mixing zone, extends the length of the mixing channel, and increases the mixing time of the liquid and the mixing effect.

[0056] like Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 As shown, each of the seepage zones is composed of cylindrical protrusions 12, which are used to simulate rock particles, and pore channels 11 are included between the cylindrical protrusions 12. The seepage zone 5 also includes a connecting groove 10, which is used to simulate a rock pore channel.

[0057] like Figure 6 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, in order to embed solid particles into the parallel embedding area 3, a solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate 13 is further provided, and the size of the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate 13 is consistent with that of the upper cover plate 1;

[0058] In this embodiment, the square solid particles embedded in the grid 8 are 0.1 mm square grids, with 10 rows and 20 columns;

[0059] The solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate 13 is provided with a solid particle embedding area 14 at a corresponding position of the square solid particle embedding grid 8, and the solid particle embedding area 14 includes 10 rows and 17 columns of through-type circular holes 15 with a diameter of 0.1 mm. By matching the solid particle auxiliary cover plate 13 with the bottom substrate 2, the solid particles are placed into the corresponding parallel embedding area 3 from the circular holes above the solid particle auxiliary embedding plate 13;

[0060] In addition, the solid particle embedding area 14 also has 3 rows of areas without through circular holes 15 as filtering areas to play a filtering role and prevent the movement of solid particles from causing channel blockage. Therefore, only 17 rows of through circular holes 15 are set in the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing an embedded mineral microfluidic chip with an integrated pore interaction function is provided, which is used to manufacture the embedded mineral microfluidic chip with an integrated pore interaction function of the present invention, comprising the following steps:

[0062] Step 1: Cut and polish the glass sample into glass plates of corresponding sizes;

[0063] Step 2: Place the glass substrate into a laser engraving machine for engraving to obtain an upper cover plate, a bottom substrate, and a solid particle-assisted embedded cover plate;

[0064] Step 3: Clean the upper cover plate, the bottom substrate, and the solid particle-assisted embedded cover plate, and use ethanol and deionized water to remove surface impurities and contaminants;

[0065] Step 4: Cover the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate onto the bottom substrate, align it and fix it;

[0066] Step 5: Fill the solid particles from the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate;

[0067] Step 6: Remove the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate, cover the upper cover plate on the bottom substrate, align the injection port and the outlet port, and place them in a hot press to enhance the bonding strength and complete the chip bonding.

[0068] In the traditional geological field, the study of water-rock chemistry has been miniaturized, overcoming the problems of large instruments and equipment and cumbersome operation steps in most traditional research. In the research on microfluidic chips in the geological field, rock slices are used as materials for making microfluidic chips, but due to the poor light transmittance of rock chips, the complex composition of the rock itself, and the difficulty of making them, the microfluidic chips produced are very different. This application not only meets the basic requirements of microfluidic chips, but also realizes the requirements of rock research in the geological field. In addition, the reactions of various minerals in the water-rock chemistry process can be accurately realized by embedding single or multiple minerals. Combined with the design of the seepage zone in the example, the seepage of each reaction solution in the rock pores and fissures under the conditions of single or mixed action can be clearly observed, which greatly reduces the inaccurate experimental results caused by the complex rock composition, greatly reduces the workload of geologists, and improves the quality and efficiency of geological work.

[0069] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An embedded mineral microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function for geological water-rock chemistry research, characterized in that: include: An upper cover plate (1) and a bottom substrate (2) that fit tightly together; The upper surface of the bottom substrate (2) comprises a parallel embedding area (3), a reaction solution mixing area (4) and a percolation area (5) which are connected in sequence; The parallel embedded zone (3) is connected to the reaction solution mixing zone (4) via a first circulation channel (6), and the percolation zone (5) is connected to the reaction solution mixing zone (4) via a second circulation channel (7); The parallel embedding zone (3) is used for reacting the solid particles with the solution; The reaction solution mixing zone (4) is used to mix the reaction solution; The seepage zone (5) is used for rock seepage process; The upper cover plate (1) is provided with a vertical connection channel penetrating in the thickness direction, and the vertical connection channel is respectively connected to the input port of the parallel embedded area (3) and the output port of the seepage area (5).

2. The mineral-embedded microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The parallel embedding area (3) includes three parallel embedding units of the same structure and size, each of which is composed of a square solid particle embedding grid (8), each square solid particle embedding grid (8) has a side length of 0.1 mm and a depth of 0.2 mm, and each square solid particle embedding grid (8) is provided with flow gaps (9) of equal width on all sides.

3. The mineral-embedded microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function according to claim 2, characterized in that: The output port of each parallel embedded unit is connected to the input end of the reaction solution mixing zone (4) through the first circulation channel (6), and the first circulation channel (6) has a depth of 0.2 mm and a width of 0.02 mm.

4. The mineral-embedded microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reaction solution mixing zone (4) is connected in reverse using two Archimedean spirals, and the input port and the output port of the reaction solution mixing zone (4) are located at two ends of a horizontal position.

5. The mineral-embedded microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the seepage zones is composed of cylindrical protrusions (12), wherein the cylindrical protrusions (12) are used to simulate rock particles, and pore channels (11) are provided between the cylindrical protrusions (12).

6. The mineral-embedded microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function according to claim 5, characterized in that: The seepage zone (5) further comprises a connecting groove (10), and the connecting groove (10) is used to simulate a rock pore channel.

7. A method for preparing a microfluidic chip, for preparing an embedded mineral microfluidic chip with integrated pore interaction function as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: include: Step 1: Cut and polish the glass sample into glass plates of corresponding sizes; Step 2: Place the glass substrate into a laser engraving machine for engraving to obtain an upper cover plate, a bottom substrate, and a solid particle-assisted embedded cover plate; Step 3: Clean the upper cover plate, the bottom substrate, and the solid particle-assisted embedded cover plate, and use ethanol and deionized water to remove surface impurities and contaminants; Step 4: Cover the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate onto the bottom substrate, align it and fix it; Step 5: Fill the solid particles from the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate; Step 6: Remove the solid particle auxiliary embedding cover plate, cover the upper cover plate on the bottom substrate, align the injection port and the outlet port, and place them in a hot press to enhance the bonding strength and complete the chip bonding.

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