Multi-channel micro-fluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of medicine preparation, in particular to a multi-channel micro-fluidic chip for preparing medicine microspheres, which comprises a chip base and a chip end cover, the chip end cover is arranged on the chip base; a liquid medicine bin and a base liquid bin are arranged on the chip end cover; the liquid medicine bin is separated from the base liquid bin through a partition wall; the chip end cover is also provided with a channel; the channel is communicated with the liquid medicine bin and the base liquid bin; the liquid medicine contained in the liquid medicine bin and the base liquid contained in the base liquid bin enter the channel and flow to the output end of the channel. The chip end cover and the chip base are unique in shape, the liquid medicine bin and the base liquid bin are reasonable in layout, the liquid medicine and the base liquid can be orderly distributed in a specific space through the design, and a good foundation is provided for subsequent operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of drug preparation technology, and in particular to a multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres. Background Technology

[0002] The principle of microfluidic preparation of droplet microspheres is based on microfluidics technology. By precisely controlling the flow of two or more immiscible fluids in a microchannel, the interfacial tension and shear force are used to shear the inner phase fluid into uniform droplet microspheres by the outer phase fluid. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a multi-channel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres, so as to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres, comprising a chip base and a chip end cap;

[0005] The chip end cap is disposed on the chip base;

[0006] The chip end cap is provided with a drug reservoir and a base liquid reservoir;

[0007] The drug solution tank and the base liquid tank are separated by a partition wall;

[0008] The chip end cap is also provided with a channel;

[0009] The channel is connected to the drug solution tank and the base liquid tank;

[0010] The medicine liquid in the medicine liquid tank and the base liquid in the base liquid tank enter the channel and flow to the output end of the channel.

[0011] Furthermore, both the chip end cap and the chip base are circular;

[0012] The liquid reservoir is circular and is located at the center of the chip end cap;

[0013] The base liquid reservoir is circular and overlaps with the geometric center of the drug liquid reservoir.

[0014] Furthermore, the drug solution and the base liquid are immiscible liquids.

[0015] Furthermore, multiple channels are provided;

[0016] All of the channels described are straight lines;

[0017] The virtual axes of all the channels intersect at the geometric center of the chip end cap.

[0018] Furthermore, the channel is formed by a recessed structure on the lower end face of the chip end cap and the top surface of the chip base.

[0019] Furthermore, the upper ends of the drug solution tank and the base liquid tank are provided with openings for adding the drug solution and the base liquid.

[0020] Furthermore, a protrusion is provided at the lower end of the partition wall;

[0021] The vertical height of the lower end face of the protrusion is lower than the vertical height of the top of the channel;

[0022] The thickness of the protrusion is the same as the thickness of the partition wall.

[0023] Furthermore, the protrusion is detachably connected to the partition wall.

[0024] Furthermore, the protrusion includes an upper end face, a lower end face, an inner end face, and an outer end face;

[0025] The upper end face and the outer end face are non-processed surfaces, while the lower end face and the inner end face are processed surfaces;

[0026] The treated surface has a higher material surface energy compared to the untreated surface.

[0027] Furthermore, the treated surface is provided with annular nano-pits.

[0028] Furthermore, it also includes guide sidewalls;

[0029] The guide sidewall is connected to the protrusion and extends along the axial direction of the channel, reaching towards the side of the channel away from the liquid reservoir.

[0030] Furthermore, the inner wall of the guide sidewall is a processed surface.

[0031] By adopting the above technical solution, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0032] (1) The chip end cap and chip base have unique shapes, and the drug tank and base liquid tank are reasonably laid out. This design allows the drug and base liquid to be distributed in an orderly manner in a specific space, providing a good foundation for subsequent operations.

[0033] (2) Multiple linear channels with virtual axes intersecting at the geometric center of the chip end cap allow multiple channels to operate simultaneously, greatly improving the efficiency of microsphere fabrication compared to traditional single-channel microfluidic chips.

[0034] (3) The channel is formed by the concave structure of the lower end face of the chip end cap and the top surface of the chip base. This structure is simple and easy to manufacture, while ensuring the sealing and stability of the channel, which helps the drug liquid and base liquid to flow stably in the channel.

[0035] (4) Openings are provided at the top of the drug liquid tank and the base liquid tank to facilitate the addition of drug liquid and base liquid, so that operators can replenish the liquid in a timely manner according to actual needs, thus improving the convenience of use.

[0036] (5) A protrusion is provided at the lower end of the partition wall, and the vertical height of the lower end face of the protrusion is lower than the vertical height of the top of the channel. The thickness is the same as that of the partition wall. This design can effectively prevent unnecessary mixing of the drug solution and the base liquid before they enter the channel, thus ensuring the accuracy of the working process.

[0037] (6) The treated surface of the protrusion has a higher material surface energy than the untreated surface, and the treatment layer is provided with annular nano-pits. This surface treatment method can reduce the liquid tension of the material surface and help improve the shear quality of the drug microspheres. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres disclosed in this application after a vertical explosion;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a top-view schematic diagram of the planar structure of the multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres disclosed in this application;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a planar cross-sectional view from the front view of the multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres disclosed in this application;

[0042] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the multi-channel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres disclosed in this application after each part is completely exploded vertically.

[0043] Figure label:

[0044] 1-Chip base; 2-Chip end cap; 3-Drug reservoir; 4-Base liquid reservoir; 5-Separator wall; 6-Channel; 7-Drug; 8-Base liquid; 9-Protrusion; 10-Upper end face; 11-Lower end face; 12-Inner end face; 13-Outer end face; 14-Guide side wall. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The technical solutions of this application will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0046] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0047] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0048] It should also be noted that the specific embodiments or implementation methods described below are a series of optimized settings listed in this application to further explain the specific application content, and these settings can be combined or used in conjunction with each other.

[0049] The present application will be further explained below with reference to specific implementation methods.

[0050] like Figure 1-4 As shown, this embodiment provides a multi-channel 6-microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres, including a chip base 1 and a chip end cap 2;

[0051] The chip end cap 2 is disposed on the chip base 1;

[0052] The chip end cap 2 is provided with a drug liquid tank 3 and a base liquid tank 4;

[0053] The drug liquid tank 3 and the base liquid tank 4 are separated by a partition wall 5;

[0054] The chip end cap 2 is also provided with a channel 6;

[0055] The channel 6 is connected to the drug liquid tank 3 and the base liquid tank 4;

[0056] The medicine 7 contained in the medicine tank 3 and the base liquid 8 contained in the base liquid tank 4 enter the channel 6 and flow to the output end of the channel 6.

[0057] As a further embodiment of this embodiment, both the chip end cap 2 and the chip base 1 are circular;

[0058] The liquid medicine tank 3 is circular and is located at the center of the chip end cap 2;

[0059] The base liquid tank 4 is circular and overlaps with the geometric center of the drug liquid tank 3.

[0060] As a further embodiment of this example, the drug solution 7 and the base solution 8 are immiscible liquids.

[0061] As a further implementation of this embodiment, multiple channels 6 are provided;

[0062] All of the aforementioned channels 6 are straight lines;

[0063] The virtual axes of all the channels 6 intersect at the geometric center of the chip end cap 2.

[0064] As a further embodiment of this example, the channel 6 is formed by the concave structure provided on the lower end face 11 of the chip end cap 2 and the top surface of the chip base 1.

[0065] As a further embodiment of this example, the upper ends of the drug liquid tank 3 and the base liquid tank 4 are provided with openings for adding drug liquid 7 and base liquid 8.

[0066] As a further embodiment of this embodiment, the lower end of the partition wall 5 is provided with a protrusion 9;

[0067] The vertical height of the lower end face 11 of the protrusion 9 is lower than the vertical height of the top end of the channel 6;

[0068] The thickness of the protrusion 9 is the same as the thickness of the partition wall 5.

[0069] As a further embodiment of this invention, the protrusion 9 is detachably connected to the partition wall 5.

[0070] As a further embodiment of this example, the protrusion 9 includes an upper end face 10, a lower end face 11, an inner end face 12, and an outer end face 13;

[0071] The upper end face 10 and the outer end face 13 are non-processed surfaces, while the lower end face 11 and the inner end face 12 are processed surfaces.

[0072] The treated surface has a higher material surface energy compared to the untreated surface.

[0073] As a further embodiment of this invention, the processed surface is provided with annular nano-pits.

[0074] As a further embodiment of this invention, a guide sidewall 14 is also included;

[0075] The guide sidewall 14 is connected to the protrusion 9 and extends along the axial direction of the channel 6, extending to the side of the channel 6 away from the liquid medicine tank 3.

[0076] As a further embodiment of this example, the inner wall of the guide sidewall 14 is a processed surface.

[0077] As a further embodiment of this example, the guide sidewall 14 forms a channel 6, allowing the liquid medicine 7 to pass through the channel 6 and be cut into spheres of liquid medicine 7 suspended in the base liquid 8 by the liquid tension at the end of the guide sidewall 14.

[0078] In this embodiment, a multi-channel 6-channel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres is disclosed. First, the protrusions 9 undergo surface treatment. Surface treatment can be one or more of plasma treatment, corona treatment, surface coating, ion implantation, and laser treatment. Since the untreated surfaces are the upper end face 10 and the outer end face 13, which are perpendicular and adjacent to each other, when the entire protrusion 9 needs treatment, only the upper end face 10 and the outer end face 13 need to be covered to avoid treatment, while the other two end faces are fully treated. The upper end face 10 and the outer end face 13 are covered by an L-shaped ring. During treatment, the protrusions 9 are first placed in the surface treatment device, forming a ring around multiple protrusions 9. Then, the L-shaped ring is simply placed over the protrusions 9, covering the upper end face 10 and the outer end face 13, and the treatment device is then turned on for treatment. Existing technologies offer two processing methods: partial processing and overall processing. Partial processing can treat individual surfaces of each protrusion 9, but it is costly, difficult to operate, and time-consuming as each protrusion 9 is processed individually. While overall processing of the entire structure is simple, quick, and low-cost, it results in the outer end face 13 and upper end face 10 of the protrusion 9 being processed, while the upper end face 10 and outer end face 13 should not be processed (the specific reasons are explained in the following paragraph). Therefore, in the initial design of this embodiment, the two end faces that do not need to be processed are arranged as adjacent end faces, requiring only simple covering.

[0079] In this embodiment, of the four end faces of the protrusion 9, the upper end face 10 is used to connect with the bottom end of the partition wall 5. To ensure a tight connection between the protrusion 9 and the partition wall 5, the upper end face 10 is not treated, because treated end faces are prone to pits or pinholes, resulting in a loose connection. The outer end face 13 is in contact with the base liquid 8, so it is not treated. The inner end face 12 and the lower end face 11 are in contact with the drug solution 7. The drug solution 7 flows out from the drug solution tank 3 and from the gap between the protrusion 9 and the chip base 1, and merges with the base liquid 8. Because the inner end face 12 and the lower end face 11 are treated, these two end faces have higher material surface energy, thereby using interfacial tension and shear force to shear the drug solution 7 into uniform droplet microspheres and suspend them in the base liquid 8.

[0080] In this embodiment, laser is preferably used to process the lower end face 11 and the inner end face 12, and the processing method is the engraving of annular nano-pits. Since the surfaces to be engraved are the lower end face 11 and the inner end face 12, during engraving, it is only necessary to first lift the protrusion 9, place the laser engraving head below the protrusion 9 on the geometric virtual central axis of the protrusion 9, and control the laser engraving head to rotate along the virtual central axis to perform laser engraving on the protrusion 9. Since the protrusion 9 form a circular ring, it is only necessary for the laser engraving head to rotate around the axis once to complete the processing of all the protrusion 9. In addition, the method of processing the protrusion 9 in a ring in this embodiment is also a preferred method. For example, if the protrusion 9 are arranged in a line, the laser engraving head will either swing in place or move in parallel during operation. Parallel movement is more difficult to operate and requires too high processing accuracy, while swinging in place will result in different distances between different protrusion 9 and the engraving head, resulting in different processing effects and differences in the end face characteristics of different protrusion 9, which makes the channels 6 different.

[0081] The base liquid 8 and the drug solution 7 are respectively contained in the base liquid tank 4 and the drug solution tank 3. The base liquid 8 and the drug solution 7 are added from the top of the base liquid tank 4 and the drug solution tank 3 and flow downwards into the channel 6. During outflow, the base liquid 8 fills the channel 6 without obstruction, while the drug solution 7 is cut into droplets suspended in the base liquid 8 after passing through the protrusion 9 and / or the guide sidewall 14 and moves towards the output end.

[0082] The microfluidic chip disclosed in this application has multiple channels 6 (i.e., flow channels). After adding base liquid 8 and drug liquid 7 to the top of the base liquid tank 4 and the drug liquid tank 3, the base liquid 8 and drug liquid 7 flow out of the multiple channels 6 in different directions. Compared with the single-channel 6 (i.e., single-flow channel) microfluidic chips commonly used in the prior art, the multi-flow channel microfluidic chip disclosed in this application is more efficient, and the base liquid 8 and drug liquid 7 of the multiple channels come from the same base liquid tank 4 and drug liquid tank 3, making it more convenient to operate during use.

[0083] By adopting the above technical solution, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0084] (1) The shape design of the chip end cap 2 and the chip base 1, as well as the layout of the drug tank 3 and the base liquid tank 4, provide reasonable space for the storage and flow of drug 7 and base liquid 8, ensuring that the liquid flows in an orderly manner within the chip and reducing mutual interference before the liquid is mixed.

[0085] (2) The drug solution 7 and the base liquid 8 are immiscible, and the channel 6 is designed as multiple straight lines with their virtual axes intersecting at the geometric center of the chip end cap 2. Combined with the treatment of the specific end face of the protrusion 9, the drug solution 7 can be precisely sheared into uniform droplet microspheres and suspended in the base liquid 8 by using interfacial tension and shear force, thereby improving the preparation quality of drug microspheres.

[0086] (3) The channel 6 is formed by the concave structure of the lower end face 11 of the chip end cap 2 and the top surface of the chip base 1. This structure is simple and easy to manufacture, which ensures the sealing and stability of the channel 6, and is conducive to the stable flow of the drug liquid 7 and the base liquid 8 in the channel 6, reducing the risk of liquid leakage.

[0087] (4) The opening design at the top of the drug tank 3 and the base liquid tank 4 makes it convenient to add drug 7 and base liquid 8 at any time, meet different experimental needs, and improve the flexibility and convenience of chip use.

[0088] (5) The surface treatment of the specific end face of the protrusion 9, especially the setting of the annular nano-pits on the treatment layer, enhances the interaction between the liquid and the surface of the protrusion 9, further optimizes the flow and mixing effect of the drug liquid 7 and the base liquid 8, and helps to improve the preparation efficiency and quality of drug microspheres.

[0089] (6) Compared with the single-channel 6 microfluidic chip, this chip has multiple channels 6. The base liquid 8 and the drug liquid 7 flow out from the same base liquid tank 4 and drug liquid tank 3 to multiple channels 6 in different directions, which significantly improves the preparation efficiency of drug microspheres and makes the operation more convenient.

[0090] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres, characterized in that, Includes the chip base and chip end cap; The chip end cap is disposed on the chip base; The chip end cap is provided with a drug reservoir and a base liquid reservoir; The drug solution tank and the base liquid tank are separated by a partition wall; The chip end cap is also provided with a channel; The channel is connected to the drug solution tank and the base liquid tank; The medicine liquid contained in the medicine liquid tank and the base liquid contained in the base liquid tank enter the channel and flow to the output end of the channel; The drug solution and the base solution are immiscible liquids.

2. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the chip end cap and the chip base are circular. The liquid reservoir is circular and is located at the center of the chip end cap; The base liquid reservoir is circular and overlaps with the geometric center of the drug liquid reservoir.

3. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple channels are provided; All of the channels described are straight lines; The virtual axes of all the channels intersect at the geometric center of the chip end cap; The channel is formed by a recessed structure on the lower end face of the chip end cap and the top surface of the chip base.

4. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper ends of the drug solution tank and the base liquid tank are provided with openings for adding the drug solution and base liquid.

5. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower end of the partition wall is provided with a protrusion; The vertical height of the lower end face of the protrusion is lower than the vertical height of the top of the channel; The thickness of the protrusion is the same as the thickness of the partition wall.

6. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 5, characterized in that, The protrusion is detachably connected to the partition wall.

7. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 6, characterized in that, The protrusion includes an upper end face, a lower end face, an inner end face, and an outer end face; The upper end face and the outer end face are non-processed surfaces, while the lower end face and the inner end face are processed surfaces; The treated surface has a higher material surface energy compared to the untreated surface.

8. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 7, characterized in that, The treated surface is provided with annular nano-pits.

9. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes the guide sidewall; The guide sidewall is connected to the protrusion and extends along the axial direction of the channel, reaching towards the side of the channel away from the liquid reservoir.

10. The multichannel microfluidic chip for preparing drug microspheres according to claim 9, characterized in that, The inner wall of the guide sidewall is the processing surface.

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