Bidirectional active micro-fluidic chip

Abstract

The utility model provides a bidirectional active micro-fluidic chip, which relates to the technical field of micro-fluidic control and comprises a lower-layer main body and an upper-layer main body, comprising a reaction area arranged on a first layer of a lower-layer main body, a fluid control hole formed in the first layer of the lower-layer main body, a liquid adding hole formed in the first layer of the lower-layer main body, a channel formed in the first layer of the lower-layer main body and a hemispherical inner groove formed in the first layer of the lower-layer main body, the waste liquid area is arranged on the second layer of the lower-layer main body, the waste liquid area runner is arranged on the waste liquid area, and the heating body groove is formed in the second layer of the lower-layer main body; by adopting a two-layer structure, a common one-way valve structure scheme is cancelled, static fluid one-way control is realized by utilizing a capillary phenomenon destroying method, a backflow phenomenon is avoided, bidirectional micro-fluidic control can be realized under the control of air pressure, and the control is simple and reliable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of microfluidics, and specifically relates to a bidirectional active microfluidic chip. Background Art

[0002] As a new type of analysis platform, microfluidic chip technology has the advantages of miniaturization, automation, integration, convenience, and rapidity, and has been widely studied and applied in many fields. Due to its great potential in the fields of biology, chemistry, medicine, etc., it has developed into a brand-new research field that intersects multiple disciplines such as biology, chemistry, medicine, fluidics, electronics, materials, and machinery.

[0003] Since the development of microfluidic technology to date, microfluidic platforms still cannot be batch-applied to the terminal market. The great constraints are closely related to chip costs and the process difficulty of batch manufacturing. These constraints are manifested in microfluidic chips as complex structures, high costs, poor consistency, and cumbersome manufacturing processes that are not conducive to mass production. Further technical research shows that microfluidic chips also need to properly solve problems such as cross-contamination and fine control of liquids at the microscale in the design aspect.

[0004] According to a bidirectional active microfluidic chip and its application method disclosed in Chinese Patent Application No. CN202110834557.5, it includes an upper substrate and a lower substrate; both the upper substrate and the lower substrate include a power area, a waste liquid storage area, a catalytic reaction area, and a filling area; the power area, the waste liquid storage area, the catalytic reaction area, and the filling area are sequentially distributed from left to right on the upper substrate and the lower substrate; the upper substrate is an L-shaped transparent plate. A simple double-layer structure is realized, and bidirectional microfluidics is achieved in cooperation with a microfluidic control device; the structure is simple, the size is small, and it is suitable for mass production; its sample and reaction fluid channels are independent of each other, and the channels adopt a bent tube design, using the hydrophilic force to keep the liquid relatively stationary; in cooperation with the microfluidic control device, precise control of the flow rate is achieved, and at the same time, the probability of contamination is reduced; the reaction area adopts a curved tube design, in cooperation with the bidirectional microfluidic design, which is conducive to the full mixing and heating of the sample and the reactant, and improves the reaction efficiency and detection accuracy.

[0005] The prior art effectively solves the problems existing in the existing active microfluidic chips, such as complex structure, large size, cumbersome production process, and being not conducive to mass production. Its principle realizes bidirectional active control of liquids, but does not solve the problem of liquid backflow.

[0006] In summary, therefore, the utility model provides a bidirectional active microfluidic chip to solve the above problems. Content of the Utility Model

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the utility model provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] A two-way active microfluidic chip, comprising

[0009] A lower-layer main body, including a reaction area arranged on the first layer of the lower-layer main body, a fluid control hole arranged on the first layer of the lower-layer main body, a liquid addition hole arranged on the first layer of the lower-layer main body, a channel arranged on the first layer of the lower-layer main body, a hemispherical inner groove arranged on the first layer of the lower-layer main body, a waste liquid area arranged on the second layer of the lower-layer main body, a waste liquid area flow channel arranged on the waste liquid area, and a heating body groove arranged on the second layer of the lower-layer main body.

[0010] Furthermore, in the present utility model, an upper cover is arranged on the first layer of the lower-layer main body, a blotting paper is arranged in the waste liquid area, and a PVC bottom plate is arranged on the step of the waste liquid area.

[0011] Furthermore, in the present utility model, the liquid addition holes include liquid addition hole a, liquid addition hole b, liquid addition hole c, liquid addition hole d, and liquid addition hole e, and one ends of the liquid addition hole a, liquid addition hole b, liquid addition hole c, liquid addition hole d, and liquid addition hole e are all communicated with a liquid storage area.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present utility model, the channel is used to connect the first layer and the second layer of the lower-layer main body, and the waste liquid area flow channel is in an arc-shaped groove shape.

[0013] Furthermore, in the present utility model, the lower-layer main body further includes assembly positioning columns and visual positioning marks arranged on the first layer, and the number of the assembly positioning columns and the visual positioning marks is two.

[0014] Beneficial effects: The present utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The present utility model adopts a two-layer structure, cancels the commonly used one-way valve structure scheme, realizes the unidirectional control of static fluid by using the method of destroying the capillary phenomenon, avoids the backflow phenomenon, and can also realize two-way microfluidics under the control of air pressure, and the control is simple and reliable. Description of the drawings

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the components of the microfluidic chip of the present utility model;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the first layer of the lower-layer main body of the present utility model;

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the second layer of the lower-layer main body of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the anti-backflow structure of the present utility model.

[0020] In the figure:

[0021] 1. Lower-layer main body; 101. Reaction area; 102. Fluid control hole; 103. Liquid addition hole; 103a. Liquid addition hole; 103b. Liquid addition hole; 103c. Liquid addition hole; 103d. Liquid addition hole; 103e. Liquid addition hole; 104. Channel; 105. Hemispherical inner groove; 106. Waste liquid area; 107. Waste liquid area flow channel; 108. Heating element groove; 109. Assembly positioning post; 110. Visual positioning mark; 2. Upper-layer cover; 3. Absorbent paper; 4. PVC bottom plate. Detailed implementation mode

[0022] In order to better understand the technical content of the present invention, specific embodiments are hereby given and described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows. In this disclosure, aspects of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and many illustrative embodiments are shown in the drawings. The embodiments of this disclosure do not necessarily define all aspects of the present invention. It should be understood that the various concepts and embodiments introduced above, as well as those described in more detail below, can be implemented in any of many ways, because the concepts and embodiments disclosed by the present invention are not limited to any implementation manner. In addition, some aspects disclosed by the present invention can be used alone, or in any suitable combination with other aspects disclosed by the present invention.

[0023] Embodiment 1

[0024] As Figure 1-2 shown, this is the first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment provides a bidirectional active microfluidic chip, including

[0025] A lower-layer main body 1, including a reaction area 101 provided on the first layer of the lower-layer main body 1, a fluid control hole 102 provided on the first layer of the lower-layer main body 1, a liquid addition hole 103 provided on the first layer of the lower-layer main body 1, a channel 104 provided on the first layer of the lower-layer main body 1, a hemispherical inner groove 105 provided on the first layer of the lower-layer main body 1, a waste liquid area 106 provided on the second layer of the lower-layer main body 1, a waste liquid area flow channel 107 provided on the waste liquid area 106, and a heating element groove 108 provided on the second layer of the lower-layer main body 1.

[0026] As Figure 1-2 shown, the description of the bidirectional fluid control principle:

[0027] The fluid control hole 102 communicates with the liquid addition hole a 1031, the liquid addition hole b 1032, the liquid addition hole c 1033, the liquid addition hole d 1034, and the liquid addition hole e 1035 through the channels of the channel 104 and the waste liquid area flow channel 107 within the two-layer structure, and finally communicates with the atmosphere.

[0028] Positive control:

[0029] When a negative pressure is generated by an external force at the fluid control hole 102, if it is necessary to control the liquid addition hole a1031, the liquid addition hole a1031 needs to be connected to the atmosphere, and at the same time, the liquid addition holes b1032, c1033, d1034, and e1035 need to be isolated from the atmosphere. When any one of the liquid addition holes b1032, c1033, d1034, and e1035 needs to be controlled, the principle is the same as that of controlling the liquid addition hole a1031. The liquid in the corresponding liquid storage area is driven by the atmosphere and flows unidirectionally through the hemispherical inner groove 105, reaction area 101, channel 104, and waste liquid area flow channel 107 in sequence, and finally reaches the waste liquid area on the second layer.

[0030] Reverse control:

[0031] When a positive pressure is generated by an external force at the fluid control hole 102, the fluid in the chip moves in the reverse direction of the above forward control, that is, the liquid flow direction changes to unidirectionally flow from the waste liquid area to the liquid storage area.

[0032] Based on the above two descriptions, by controlling the direction of positive and negative pressures at the fluid control hole 102, the two-way flow distance of the liquid in the flow channel can be controlled, thereby realizing two-way microfluidics.

[0033] As Figure 4 shown, a millimeter-level hemispherical inner groove 105 is set to break the capillary phenomenon. When the liquid on the left side of A moves unidirectionally from left to right due to capillary action, when it reaches the edge of the hemispherical inner groove 105 at C, the capillary phenomenon will be broken because the volume in front of the movement path suddenly increases several times, and the liquid will stay at the cut-off point shown in A. Similarly, the principle of breaking the capillary phenomenon of the fluid on the right side of B can be analyzed. Further, in order to enhance this effect, the inner surface of the hemispherical inner groove 105 at C can be hydrophobized. Because of its large volume, the process difficulty is greatly reduced. This structure can be formed in one step during the processing or injection molding of the microfluidic chip, without additional cost.

[0034] As Figure 2 shown at the hemispherical inner groove 105, furthermore, based on the anti-backflow principle, the crosstalk and cross-contamination problems between different liquid flow channels can be solved, that is, the hemispherical inner groove 105 structure shown in C can be placed in front of the pre-protected liquid flow channel.

[0035] Embodiment 2

[0036] Referring to Figure 1-3 , this is the second embodiment of the present invention, and this embodiment is based on the previous embodiment.

[0037] In this embodiment, an upper cover 2 is provided on the first layer of the lower main body 1, a blotting paper 3 is provided in the waste liquid area 106, and a PVC bottom plate 4 is provided on the step of the waste liquid area 106.

[0038] The liquid filling hole 103 includes liquid filling holes a1031, b1032, c1033, d1034 and e1035. One end of each of the liquid filling holes a1031, b1032, c1033, d1034 and e1035 is communicated with a liquid storage area.

[0039] The channel 104 is used to connect the first layer and the second layer of the lower main body 1. The waste liquid area flow channel 107 is in the shape of an arc-shaped groove.

[0040] The lower main body 1 further includes assembly positioning posts 109 and visual positioning marks 110 provided on the first layer. The number of both the assembly positioning posts 109 and the visual positioning marks 110 is two.

[0041] As Figure 1-3 shown, the microfluidic chip is a two-layer structure with a total of 4 components. The upper cover 2 is made of transparent acrylic material, and can also be replaced with transparent PC, PS or other transparent materials;

[0042] The lower main body 1 is made of black acrylic material, and can also be replaced with black PS material, and is the main body of a two-layer structure;

[0043] The absorbent paper 3 can also be replaced with any absorbent material;

[0044] The PVC bottom plate 4 is made of transparent or opaque PVC material, and can also be replaced with any non-metallic material with a certain hardness.

[0045] Embodiment 3

[0046] Refer to Figure 1-3 , which is the third embodiment of the present utility model. This embodiment is based on the first two embodiments.

[0047] In this embodiment, during assembly, the first layer of the lower main body 1 is evenly coated with UV glue first, then the upper cover 2 is placed on the lower main body 1. The assembly positioning posts 109 are used for alignment and positioning. The upper cover 2 is pressed down tightly and cured with an ultraviolet lamp. Then, UV glue is coated on the 1 mm wide step on the back of the lower main body 1. The absorbent paper 3 is placed in the waste liquid area 106, and then the PVC bottom plate 4 is placed on the step of the waste liquid area 106, pressed tightly and cured with an ultraviolet lamp.

[0048] Description of the anti-backflow structure principle:

[0049] In the microchannel size, no matter what method is used as the driving force of the liquid fluid, one factor that must be considered is that when this external force is withdrawn, the liquid will advance or retreat in the microchannel size due to capillary action, and is not affected by the gravity potential difference. This will cause unexpected fluid movement and result in uncontrollability;

[0050] Current practices: a.1. Set a check valve structure in the flow channel, or introduce other external objects with a principle similar to that of a check valve to disrupt the capillary phenomenon; a.2. Perform a strong hydrophobic treatment on the surface of the flow channel. However, the practice of a.1 increases the structural complexity and cost, and the practice of a.2 increases the process difficulty, and the effect often fails to meet expectations.

[0051] The present utility model provides millimeter-scale hemispherical inner grooves 105 to disrupt the capillary phenomenon. When the liquid on the left side of A uncontrollably undergoes capillary movement from left to right, when it reaches the edge of the hemispherical inner groove 105 at C, the capillary phenomenon will be disrupted due to the sudden several-fold increase in the volume in front of the movement path, and the liquid will stay at the cut-off point shown in A. Similarly, the principle of disrupting the capillary phenomenon of the fluid on the right side of B can be analyzed. Further, in order to enhance this effect, a hydrophobic treatment can be performed on the surface inside the hemispherical inner groove 105 at C. Since its volume is large, the process difficulty is greatly reduced, and this structure can be formed in one step during the processing or injection molding of the microfluidic chip without additional cost.

[0052] Based on the anti-backflow principle, the crosstalk and cross-contamination problems between different liquid flow channels can be solved.

[0053] Although the present utility model has been disclosed above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present utility model. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present utility model pertains can make various modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the present utility model shall be subject to that defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A two-way active microfluidic chip, characterized in that: It includes a lower layer main body (1), including a reaction area (101) arranged on the first layer of the lower layer main body (1), a fluid control hole (102) arranged on the first layer of the lower layer main body (1), a liquid addition hole (103) arranged on the first layer of the lower layer main body (1), a channel (104) arranged on the first layer of the lower layer main body (1), a hemispherical inner groove (105) arranged on the first layer of the lower layer main body (1), a waste liquid area (106) arranged on the second layer of the lower layer main body (1), a waste liquid area flow channel (107) arranged on the waste liquid area (106), and a heating element groove (108) arranged on the second layer of the lower layer main body (1).

2. The bidirectional active microfluidic chip according to claim 1, wherein: An upper layer cover (2) is arranged on the first layer of the lower layer main body (1), a blotting paper (3) is arranged in the waste liquid area (106), and a PVC bottom plate (4) is arranged on the step of the waste liquid area (106).

3. The bidirectional active microfluidic chip according to claim 1, wherein: The liquid addition hole (103) includes a liquid addition hole a (1031), a liquid addition hole b (1032), a liquid addition hole c (1033), a liquid addition hole d (1034) and a liquid addition hole e (1035), and one end of each of the liquid addition hole a (1031), the liquid addition hole b (1032), the liquid addition hole c (1033), the liquid addition hole d (1034) and the liquid addition hole e (1035) is communicated with a liquid storage area.

4. The bidirectional active microfluidic chip according to claim 1, wherein: The channel (104) is used to connect the first layer and the second layer of the lower layer main body (1), and the waste liquid area flow channel (107) is in the shape of an arc-shaped groove.

5. The bidirectional active microfluidic chip according to claim 1, wherein: The lower layer main body (1) further includes an assembly positioning post (109) and a visual positioning mark (110) arranged on the first layer, and the number of both the assembly positioning post (109) and the visual positioning mark (110) is two.

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