Microfluidic Chip With Gel-Aqueous Grooves For Reagent Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Micro-Total Analysis Systems (μTAS) devices face challenges in stabilizing multiple reagents during complex analyses, requiring multiple pumps or valves, which complicates the structure and leads to potential contamination and limited manipulation capabilities due to the need for external reagent supply and instability in droplet manipulation.
Innovation Solution
A chip device with grooves on a substrate, alternately filled with gel and aqueous liquid phases, using magnetic particles that can be moved by an external magnetic field to transport samples through the grooves, allowing for stable reagent storage and manipulation without the need for external pumps or valves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple pumps or valves are used to stabilize reagents in conventional μTAS devices, then reagent stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the pumps and valves from the system entirely. Instead of using active pumping mechanisms, the device relies on passive reagent movement through grooves and channels formed directly in the substrate, eliminating the need for complex external pumping equipment while maintaining reagent stability and flow control.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate itself provides the flow paths and reagent storage structures through grooves and channels. The system is self-sufficient, using the substrate's physical structure to guide reagent flow and maintain stability without requiring external active components like pumps or valves.
2Quantity of substance
If external reagent supply is used in conventional devices, then reagent availability is improved, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
Reagents are pre-loaded into grooves and channels within the substrate before the analysis process begins. This preliminary action allows the device to operate in a sealed state throughout the analysis, eliminating the need for external reagent supply during operation and thereby preventing contamination while ensuring reagent availability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If droplet manipulation is used in conventional devices, then sample handling flexibility is improved, but manipulation stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the EWOD-based droplet manipulation system with a groove-based passive flow system. Instead of using electrical fields to manipulate droplets, the device uses physically formed grooves and channels in the substrate to guide reagent and sample flow, providing both flexibility in sample handling paths and stability in manipulation through fixed structural guidance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a compact, cost-effective device that can perform multiple manipulations in a sealed state with improved operability, stabilizing reagents throughout the process and reducing contamination risks.
Implementation Method 1
using magnetic particles that can be moved by an external magnetic field to transport samples through the grooves
Data Source
AI summary
A chip device for manipulating an object component is described, in which multiple liquid substances such as reagents required for a series of manipulations on a sample are stably secured in separated states throughout the manipulations within the device. The chip device includes a manipulation chip, magnetic particles, and a magnetic field application means. The manipulation chip includes a substrate, a groove formed in the surface of the substrate, and a manipulation medium accommodated in the groove such that gel phases and aqueous liquid phases are alternately disposed in the longitudinal direction of the groove and are in contact with each other. The magnetic particles are for capturing and carrying the object component. The magnetic field application means is capable of moving the magnetic particles in the longitudinal direction of the groove in the substrate by the application of a magnetic field to the substrate.