Micro-fluidic chip experiment cold and hot table device and micro-fluidic chip experiment method
By setting up multiple independent temperature control units and displacement control mechanisms on the microfluidic chip experimental heating and cooling stage, the problem of slow overall heating or cooling speed of microfluidic chips was solved, enabling flexible temperature adjustment and efficient research on fluid flow and heat transfer laws.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA PETROLEUM & CHEMICAL CORP
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-10
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, the overall heating or cooling speed of microfluidic chips is slow, inconvenient to operate, and has a narrow research scope, making it impossible to conduct detailed studies on the heat transfer efficiency based on fluid flow.
Design a microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device, which uses multiple temperature control units that are independently controlled to be arranged in a horizontal direction and are adjacent to each other. The temperature of the temperature control unit changes in a gradient. The chip position is adjusted by a displacement control mechanism to achieve flexible temperature adjustment and avoid overall heating or cooling.
It enables flexible adjustment of the chip's internal temperature, facilitating the study of fluid flow and heat transfer patterns under different temperature gradients. It is easy to operate and saves time.
Smart Images
Figure CN121819979A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the field of microfluidic technology, in particular to a microfluidic chip experimental cold and hot stage device and a microfluidic chip experimental method. BACKGROUND
[0002] Microfluidic technology is a technology for manipulating fluid in a microchannel, which has good development prospects in the fields of basic research and medical detection of biology, chemistry, materials and energy. The special structure and size of the microchannel make it have high specific surface area, low fluid volume and short mass transfer distance, so it has important application potential in fluid heat transfer, mass transfer, reaction and other processes. At the microscale, temperature change has an important influence on fluid behavior and heat transfer performance, so it is necessary to accurately control and stably maintain the temperature in the microchannel.
[0003] At present, common microfluidic research mainly places the chip on a cold and hot stage, adjusts the temperature of the cold and hot stage, controls the overall internal temperature of the chip, and then observes the formation time and distribution of the internal fluid in the microchannel of the chip at different temperatures. However, the current experimental platform can only be heated or cooled as a whole, so that the chip as a whole is in high or low temperature, and the research is carried out, but the overall heating or cooling not only has slow temperature conversion speed, is inconvenient to operate, and has narrow research range, and cannot be according to the specific flow of the fluid. Heat transfer efficiency and other aspects of research.
[0004] Therefore, it is urgent to propose a corresponding solution for the problem of overall heating or cooling which not only has slow temperature conversion speed, is inconvenient to operate, and has narrow research range. SUMMARY
[0005] The purpose of the present application is to overcome the problems of the prior art, such as overall heating or cooling which not only has slow temperature conversion speed, is inconvenient to operate, and has narrow research range, and cannot be according to the specific flow of the fluid. Heat transfer efficiency and other aspects of research, and provide a microfluidic chip experimental cold and hot stage device and a microfluidic chip experimental method.
[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application provides a microfluidic chip experimental cold and hot stage device, which comprises a cold and hot stage for carrying a microfluidic chip and a displacement control mechanism for controlling the planar movement of the microfluidic chip, wherein the cold and hot stage comprises a plurality of temperature control units which are independently controlled in temperature, the temperature control units are adjacent in turn along the horizontal direction of the cold and hot stage, and the temperature of adjacent temperature control units changes in a gradient, so as to control the temperature of the cold and hot stage to change in a gradient along the horizontal direction.
[0007] In some embodiments, the temperature control unit comprises a circulating pipe and / or an electric heating pipe installed inside the cooling and heating platform, the preset temperature of the adjacent temperature control unit is sequentially increased, and the independent control temperature variation range of each temperature control unit is-80℃ to-20℃, -20℃ to 20℃, 20℃ to 80℃, and 80℃ to 300℃, respectively.
[0008] In some embodiments, the circulating pipe is provided with at least one of cooling liquid, circulating water or liquid nitrogen.
[0009] In some embodiments, the adjacent temperature control units are detachably connected.
[0010] In some embodiments, the cooling and heating platform and the microfluidic chip are installed in the housing having an accommodating space inside, and the upper surface of the housing is provided with an observation window.
[0011] In some embodiments, the length and width of the observation window are not less than the length of the diagonal line of the cooling and heating platform.
[0012] In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a protective gas inlet and outlet and a pipeline inlet on one side, a liquid delivery pipeline passes through the pipeline inlet and communicates with the microfluidic chip, and the liquid delivery pipeline is flexibly connected with the microfluidic chip.
[0013] In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a chip support on the upper surface of the cooling and heating platform, the microfluidic chip is fixed on the chip support, and the chip support is connected with the displacement control mechanism to control the plane movement of the chip support along the upper surface of the cooling and heating platform.
[0014] In some embodiments, the chip support comprises a bottom plate for carrying the microfluidic chip and a side plate flexibly connected with the side edge of the bottom plate, and the length and width of the chip support range from 30mm to 50mm.
[0015] The second aspect of the present application provides a microfluidic chip experiment method, comprising the following steps:
[0016] S1, fixing the microfluidic chip in the chip support, and placing the chip support on the cooling and heating platform;
[0017] S2, opening the multiple independent temperature control units in the cooling and heating platform, making the temperature of the cooling and heating platform change in a gradient along the horizontal direction, positioning the chip support at different positions on the cooling and heating platform, and making the fluid partition in the microfluidic chip be at different temperatures.
[0018] In the above technical solution, the cold and hot table carrying the microfluidic chip is provided with multiple temperature control units independently controlled in temperature, each temperature control unit has a different temperature change range, and the temperature control units are sequentially adjacent along the horizontal direction of the cold and hot table, the temperature of the adjacent temperature control units changes in a gradient, so that the temperature of the cold and hot table changes in a gradient along the horizontal direction, so that the internal temperature of the chip can be flexibly adjusted by moving the microfluidic chip, without the need to manipulate the cold and hot table to uniformly heat or cool the chip, and the internal fluid of the microfluidic chip can be simultaneously at different temperatures, facilitating the study of fluid flow conditions and heat transfer laws under different temperature gradients, and according to the required temperature of the experiment, the microfluidic chip can be adjusted to be at different positions of the cold and hot table by the displacement control mechanism, without the need to wait for the cold and hot table to change temperature, convenient operation, time saving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 is a side view schematic diagram of the microfluidic chip experimental cold and hot table device of the present disclosure;
[0020] Figure 2 is a top view schematic diagram of the microfluidic chip experimental cold and hot table device of the present disclosure.
[0021] REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0022] 1 cold and hot table 2 displacement control mechanism
[0023] 3 housing 4 observation window
[0024] 5 protective gas inlet and outlet 6 pipeline inlet and outlet
[0025] 7 chip support DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, not all. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0027] In the present application, unless otherwise stated, the orientation words such as "up, down" and the like used to indicate the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the design 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, therefore it cannot be understood as a limitation on the design.
[0028] In the description of the present design, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "provided with", "connected" and the like should be broadly understood, for example, "connected" can be fixedly connected, or detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present design can be understood according to the specific circumstances.
[0029] In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" and the like are only for descriptive purposes and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0030] In order to overcome the problems of slow conversion temperature speed, inconvenient operation and narrow research range of overall heating or cooling in the prior art, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present application provides a microfluidic chip experimental cooling and heating platform device, which comprises a cooling and heating platform 1 for carrying a microfluidic chip and a displacement control mechanism 2 for controlling the planar movement of the microfluidic chip. The cooling and heating platform 1 comprises a plurality of temperature control units which are independently controlled in temperature and are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction of the cooling and heating platform 1. The temperature of adjacent temperature control units changes in a gradient, so as to control the temperature of the cooling and heating platform 1 to change in a gradient in the horizontal direction.
[0031] Specifically, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 A plurality of independently temperature-controlled temperature control units are arranged in the cooling and heating platform 1 for carrying the microfluidic chip. The temperature change interval of each temperature control unit is different, and the temperature control units are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction of the cooling and heating platform 1. The temperature of adjacent temperature control units changes in a gradient, so that the temperature of the cooling and heating platform 1 changes in a gradient in the horizontal direction. By moving the microfluidic chip, the internal temperature of the chip can be flexibly adjusted. It is not necessary to manipulate the cooling and heating platform 1 to uniformly heat or cool the chip. Moreover, the internal fluid of the microfluidic chip can be simultaneously at different temperatures, which facilitates the research on the fluid flow and heat transfer law under different temperature gradients. According to the required temperature of the experiment, the microfluidic chip can be adjusted to different positions of the cooling and heating platform 1 by the displacement control mechanism 2, without waiting for the cooling and heating platform 1 to convert the temperature. The operation is convenient and time-saving.
[0032] In some embodiments, the temperature control unit comprises a circulating pipe and / or an electric heating pipe installed in the cooling and heating platform 1. The preset temperature of adjacent temperature control units can be sequentially increased. The independent control temperature change interval of each temperature control unit is -80℃ to -20℃, -20℃ to 20℃, 20℃ to 80℃ and 80℃ to 300℃, respectively.
[0033] Specifically, the preset maximum temperature of the heating of the previous temperature control unit is the same as the preset minimum temperature of the heating of the adjacent temperature control unit, and the same applies to the subsequent temperature control units, so that the temperature in the adjacent areas of the cold and hot table 1 can be sequentially increased, avoiding the occurrence of temperature faults, and then the microfluidic chip can be moved to the required temperature area for experiments by the external displacement control mechanism 2, facilitating the study of fluid flow conditions and heat transfer laws under different temperature gradients, and the cold and hot table 1 has high and low temperature control at the same time, so as to study the fluid behavior inside the microchannel and the transmission characteristics under cold and hot conditions, meeting different experimental needs.
[0034] Further, at least one of cooling liquid, circulating water or liquid nitrogen is arranged in the circulating pipe. Specifically, the circulating pipe of the temperature control unit with a temperature change range of-80℃ to-20℃ can be filled with liquid nitrogen, the circulating pipe of the temperature control unit with a temperature change range of-20℃ to 20℃ can be filled with chilled brine, the circulating pipe of the temperature control unit with a temperature change range of 20℃ to 80℃ can be filled with hot water, and the temperature control unit with a temperature change range of 80℃ to 300℃ can be controlled by electric heating, so that each temperature control unit can independently control the temperature.
[0035] Further, a temperature control sensor connected with the temperature control unit can be arranged on the cold and hot table 1, so as to monitor the temperature of different areas of each temperature control unit on the cold and hot table 1 in real time, so as to make the temperature control more accurate and improve the precision of experiments such as the formation time and flow of fluid under different temperatures at microscale.
[0036] In some embodiments, the adjacent temperature control units are detachably connected. It can be understood that each temperature control unit is modular and detachably connected with each other, so that the number and position of the temperature control units can be adjusted at any time according to specific experimental needs, and the operation is simple.
[0037] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the housing 3 with an accommodating space inside is further included, and the cold and hot table 1 and the microfluidic chip are installed in the housing 3, and the upper surface of the housing 3 is provided with an observation window 4.
[0038] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1 , the cold and hot table 1 and the microfluidic chip can be installed in the housing 3 to avoid external pollution affecting the accuracy of the experiment, and the observation window 4 is arranged on the housing 3, so that the operator can observe the formation time and distribution of the fluid in the microfluidic chip under different temperatures through the observation window 4. Wherein, the housing 3 can be a cube structure, and the side length can be adjusted between 100mm to 200mm, and the height can be adjusted between 50mm to 80mm.
[0039] Further, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the length and width of the observation window 4 are not less than the length of the diagonal line of the cold and hot table 1. In this way, the microfluidic chip can be observed by the operator through the observation window 4 regardless of the position of the microfluidic chip on the cold and hot table 1, so as to avoid the visual blind area.
[0040] Further, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the shell 3 is provided with a protective gas inlet and outlet 5 and a pipeline inlet and outlet 6 on one side, and the infusion pipeline is communicated with the microfluidic chip through the pipeline inlet and outlet 6, and the infusion pipeline is flexibly connected with the microfluidic chip.
[0041] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the infusion pipeline can be communicated with the microfluidic chip through the pipeline inlet and outlet 6, so as to deliver the fluid required by the experiment to the microchannel of the microfluidic chip through the infusion pipeline, and the infusion pipeline can be flexibly connected with the microfluidic chip, so as to avoid damage to the infusion pipeline when the microfluidic chip moves. In addition, the protective gas inlet and outlet 5 can be provided on one side of the shell 3 to deliver the protective gas into the shell 3 through the protective gas inlet and outlet 5.
[0042] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a chip support 7 is further arranged on the upper surface of the cold and hot table 1, the microfluidic chip is fixed on the chip support 7, and the chip support 7 is connected with the displacement control mechanism 2 to control the plane movement of the chip support 7 along the upper surface of the cold and hot table 1.
[0043] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the microfluidic chip can be placed on the chip support 7, the microfluidic chip is clamped and fixed by the chip support 7, and the chip support 7 is drivingly connected with the displacement control mechanism 2, the chip support 7 is driven to move by the displacement control mechanism 2, and the microfluidic chip is driven to move along the upper surface of the cold and hot table 1, so as to adjust the position of the microfluidic chip in real time, so as to place the microfluidic chip in different temperature areas for heating or cooling, and meet different experimental requirements.
[0044] In some embodiments, the displacement control mechanism 2 can drive the microfluidic chip to move along the plane of the cold and hot table 1, and the displacement movement range is the same as the length and width of the cold and hot table 1, so that the microfluidic chip can be on the upper surface of the cold and hot table 1, and the microfluidic chip can be prevented from falling or moving away from the observation range of the observation window 4.
[0045] Further, the chip support 7 comprises a bottom plate bearing the microfluidic chip and a side plate telescopically connected with the side of the bottom plate, and the length and width of the chip support 7 range from 30 mm to 50 mm. It can be understood that the chip support 7 is a telescopic frame structure, and the position of the side plate is adjusted by telescoping to clamp the microfluidic chip, so as to avoid the gap and be applicable to microfluidic chips of different sizes, thereby realizing universality.
[0046] The second aspect of the present application provides a microfluidic chip experiment method, comprising the following steps:
[0047] S1, fixing the microfluidic chip in the chip support 7, and placing the chip support 7 on the cooling and heating table 1;
[0048] S2, opening the plurality of independently temperature-controlled temperature control units in the cooling and heating table 1, so that the cooling and heating table 1 presents a temperature gradient in the horizontal direction, and positioning the chip support 7 at different positions on the cooling and heating table 1, so that the fluid partitions in the microfluidic chip are at different temperatures.
[0049] Specifically, the microfluidic chip can be clamped and fixed by using the chip support 7, and the chip support 7 is placed on the cooling and heating table 1, then the plurality of independently temperature-controlled temperature control units in the cooling and heating table 1 are opened, so that the cooling and heating table 1 can present different temperatures in different areas, and then the position of the microfluidic chip is moved according to the required temperature of the experiment, so that the microfluidic chip can be positioned above the cooling and heating table 1 preheated to the required temperature, without waiting for the cooling and heating table 1 to convert the temperature, which is convenient to operate and saves time; and the microfluidic chip can be moved to different positions, so that the internal fluid of the microfluidic chip is at different temperatures at the same time, which is convenient for studying the fluid flow and heat transfer law under different temperature gradients.
[0050] Several specific examples are provided below:
[0051] Example 1
[0052] The microfluidic chip experiment cooling and heating table device is constructed, the shell 3 is made of CPVC (chlorinated polyvinyl chloride) material, the side length is 160 mm, and the height is 60 mm. The silver partition temperature control platform in the cooling and heating table 1 is a square structure with a side length of 50 mm, which is composed of 5 temperature control modules with a side length of 10 mm. The temperature control range of each temperature control unit is 10℃ to 80℃, and the heat exchange medium in the circulating pipe is hot water. The chip support 7 is a rectangular structure with a length of 40 mm and a width of 30 mm. The shell 3 is provided with an observation window 4 with a diameter of 55 mm at the top, a protective gas inlet and outlet 5 with a diameter of 6 mm on the side, and a pipe inlet and outlet 6 with a diameter of 1.6 mm.
[0053] The nitrogen is used as the protective gas, and the cold and hot table device is continuously introduced during use. The microfluidic chip with a T-shaped channel structure is used, the chip is 40mm long and 30mm wide, the internal channel is 800 microns wide and 400 microns deep. A 0.1wt% to 5wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) aqueous solution is used as the continuous phase, silicone oil is used as the dispersed phase, the channel outlet temperature is 25°C, the channel inlet temperature is adjusted in the range of 10°C to 80°C, the flow of the two phases is adjusted, and it is observed that the microscale dispersed phase droplet size increases from 670 microns to 890 microns as the inlet temperature increases.
[0054] Example Two
[0055] The microfluidic chip with the same structure as in Example One is used to experiment the cold and hot table device, the shell 3 is replaced with PEEK, the temperature control range is 100°C to 150°C, and the electric heating temperature control is used.
[0056] The nitrogen is used as the protective gas, and the microfluidic chip with a coaxial variable-diameter flared structure is used, the chip is 40mm long and 30mm wide, the internal channel cross section of the chip is circular, the upstream channel inner diameter of the flared portion is 400 microns, the downstream channel inner diameter is 1000 microns, and the flared length is 500 microns. Methyl silicone oil is used as the continuous phase, air is used as the dispersed phase, the channel outlet temperature is 80°C, the channel inlet temperature is adjusted in the range of 100°C to 150°C, the flow of the two phases is adjusted, and it is observed that the microscale dispersed phase bubble size increases from 520 microns to 990 microns as the inlet temperature increases.
[0057] Example Three
[0058] The microfluidic chip with the same structure as in Example One is used to experiment the cold and hot table device, the shell 3 is replaced with polycarbonate, the temperature control range is -60°C to -20°C, and liquid nitrogen refrigeration is used.
[0059] The nitrogen is used as the protective gas, and the microfluidic chip with a coaxial variable-diameter flared structure is used, the chip is 40mm long and 30mm wide, the internal channel cross section of the chip is circular, the upstream channel inner diameter of the flared portion is 400 microns, the downstream channel inner diameter is 1000 microns, and the flared length is 500 microns. Ethanol is used as the continuous phase, air is used as the dispersed phase, the fluid outlet temperature is -20°C, the fluid inlet temperature is adjusted in the range of -60°C to -20°C, the flow of the two phases is adjusted, and it is observed that the microscale dispersed phase bubble size increases from 320 microns to 710 microns as the temperature increases.
[0060] Example Four
[0061] The microfluidic chip with the same structure as in Example One is used to experiment the cold and hot table device, the shell 3 is replaced with PEEK, the temperature control range is 20°C to 80°C, and hot water temperature control is used.
[0062] A microfluidic chip with coaxial variable-diameter flared structure is used for protection of nitrogen, the chip is 40mm long and 30mm wide, the internal channel of the chip is circular, the upstream channel of the flared structure is 400 microns in diameter, the downstream channel is 1000 microns in diameter, and the flared length is 500 microns. Paraffin is used as the dispersed phase, and the aqueous solution of 0.1wt%-5wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is used as the continuous phase, the outlet temperature of the channel is 20℃, the inlet temperature of the channel is adjusted in the range of 60℃-90℃, the flow of the two phases is adjusted, it is observed that with the increase of temperature, the size of the micro-scale dispersed phase bubble increases from 460 microns to 830 microns, and it is also observed that the dispersed phase paraffin droplets gradually solidify into monodisperse paraffin particles in the downstream.
[0063] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the present application is not limited thereto. Within the technical concept of the present application, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present application. Each specific technical feature is combined in any suitable manner. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application does not further describe various possible combination manners. However, these simple modifications and combinations should also be regarded as disclosed content of the present application, and all belong to the protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device, characterized in that, The device includes a hot and cold stage (1) for supporting a microfluidic chip and a displacement control mechanism (2) for controlling the planar movement of the microfluidic chip. The hot and cold stage (1) includes multiple temperature control units that independently control the temperature of each other. The temperature control units are sequentially adjacent to each other along the horizontal direction of the hot and cold stage (1), and the temperature of adjacent temperature control units changes in a gradient to control the temperature of the hot and cold stage (1) to change in a gradient along the horizontal direction.
2. The microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature control unit includes a circulation pipe and / or an electric heating pipe installed inside the hot and cold table (1). The preset temperature of adjacent temperature control units increases sequentially. The independent control temperature range of each temperature control unit is -80℃ to -20℃, -20℃ to 20℃, 20℃ to 80℃ and 80℃ to 300℃, respectively.
3. The microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The circulation pipe contains at least one of the following: coolant, circulating water, or liquid nitrogen.
4. The microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjacent temperature control units are detachably connected.
5. The microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a housing (3) with internal storage space, in which the hot and cold stage (1) and the microfluidic chip are installed, and an observation window (4) is provided on the upper surface of the housing (3).
6. The microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The length and width of the observation window (4) are not less than the length of the diagonal of the hot and cold stage (1).
7. The microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The housing (3) has a protective gas inlet / outlet (5) and a pipeline inlet / outlet (6) on one side. The infusion pipeline passes through the pipeline inlet / outlet (6) and is connected to the microfluidic chip. The infusion pipeline is flexibly connected to the microfluidic chip.
8. The microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a chip holder (7) disposed on the upper surface of the hot and cold stage (1), the microfluidic chip is fixed on the chip holder (7), and the chip holder (7) is connected to the displacement control mechanism (2) to control the chip holder (7) to move in a plane along the upper surface of the hot and cold stage (1).
9. The microfluidic chip experimental hot and cold stage device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The chip holder (7) includes a base plate that supports the microfluidic chip and a side plate that is retractably connected to the side of the base plate. The length and width of the chip holder (7) range from 30 mm to 50 mm.
10. A microfluidic chip experimental method, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Fix the microfluidic chip in the chip holder (7) and place the chip holder (7) on the hot and cold stage (1); S2. Open the multiple independent temperature control units in the hot and cold stage (1) so that the temperature of the hot and cold stage (1) changes in a gradient along the horizontal direction, and position the chip holder (7) at different positions on the hot and cold stage (1) so that the fluid partition in the microfluidic chip is at different temperatures.