Microfluidic Receiving Area Capillary Dosing for Blood Pretreatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microfluidic devices for separating components of sample liquids, such as blood, often lack efficient pretreatment methods and metering systems, which can lead to inefficient and undefined separation processes.
Innovation Solution
A microfluidic device with a receiving area that utilizes capillary forces to stop or decelerate the sample liquid, allowing for pretreatment with a detachable dry chemical before separation, featuring an inclined ramp and cover design for simple dosing and pretreatment, and a fluidic connection for controlled passage to the separating device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a chemical is integrated in the separating device or filter element for pretreatment, then the separation process can be performed, but the pretreatment is not well-defined and the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into functionally independent modules: a receiving device with a receiving area for pretreatment, and a separate separating device for component separation. The receiving area contains a chemical for pretreatment, while the separating device contains the filter element. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The pretreatment function is extracted from the separating device and placed in a separate receiving device. The chemical for pretreatment is located in the receiving area, which is spatially separated from the separating device. This extraction allows the pretreatment process to be well-defined and controlled independently from the separation process.
2Reliability
If the sample liquid flows directly to the separating device, then the separation process is simple, but the pretreatment cannot be performed effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving area is designed to hold and pretreat the sample liquid before it reaches the separating device. A chemical in the receiving area performs the pretreatment by contacting the sample liquid, ensuring that the sample is properly prepared before separation. This preliminary action improves pretreatment effectiveness without significantly impacting separation throughput.
3Ease of operation
If the receiving area is designed without capillary force control, then the device structure is simple, but the sample liquid cannot be stopped or decelerated for proper dosing
Solution Approach 1:
Mechanical dosing controls are replaced with capillary force-based control in the receiving area. The structure of the receiving area is designed to utilize capillary forces to automatically stop or decelerate the sample liquid flow, enabling precise dosing without complex mechanical mechanisms. This substitution simplifies the device structure while improving ease of operation.
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
Enables a simple, defined, and efficient pretreatment of the sample liquid before separation, improving the throughput and efficiency of component separation by spatially and temporally separating pretreatment from the separation process.
Implementation Method 1
a receiving area for stopping or decelerating the sample liquid by capillary force
Implementation Method 2
a chemical that can be detached from the sample liquid for pretreating the sample liquid before being fed to a separating device
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
The device (1) has a separation unit (3) for separating components of a liquid sample, which is supplied from an accommodation device (4). A microfluidic structure (5) is arranged downstream to the separation unit for discharging the liquid sample after separation of the components. The accommodation device comprises an accommodation region (7) for dosing, retaining or retarding the liquid sample by capillary force or chemicals (13) for pretreatment of the liquid sample before supply of the liquid sample to the separation unit. The chemicals are dissolved by the liquid sample. The chemicals contain agglutination agent or coagulation-inhibiting agent. An independent claim is also included for a method for separating components of a liquid sample i.e. blood.