Microreactor Array Platform Sealing Film and Vacuum Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies face challenges in efficiently controlling micro-reactions in high throughput parallel assays, particularly in maintaining the integrity of PCR reactions due to issues like biochemical surface absorption, air bubbles, and evaporation in small reaction volumes.
Innovation Solution
The microreactor array platform, which includes an array of microreactors, a sealing film, a reagent gap, an injector for reagent delivery, and an applicator for sealing liquid, enables rapid filling and sealing of microreactors to prevent evaporation, diffusion, and cross-contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If microreactors are used for high throughput parallel assays, then productivity and throughput are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to biochemical surface absorption, air bubbles, and evaporation in small reaction volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by applying vacuum to remove air from microreactors before adding reagents, and by pre-sealing microreactors with a sealing film before thermal cycling. These preliminary actions prevent air bubbles and evaporation during the assay process, thereby maintaining reaction integrity while enabling high throughput processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components including a sealing film that acts as a barrier between the microreactor contents and the external environment, preventing evaporation and contamination. The vacuum system serves as an intermediary mechanism to remove air bubbles before reagent addition, ensuring reliable reaction conditions across thousands of microreactors
2Loss of substance
If small reaction volumes are used in microreactors, then loss of substance is reduced, but reliability worsens due to evaporation and surface absorption effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible sealing film that conformally seals each microreactor, creating a closed system that prevents evaporation and contamination. This thin film barrier maintains small reaction volumes while ensuring reaction stability by eliminating gas-phase losses and preventing surface absorption from external environments
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates an inert environment by removing air from microreactors through vacuum application before adding reagents. This eliminates oxygen and other gases that could cause oxidation or interfere with biochemical reactions, thereby maintaining reaction stability in small volumes without increasing reagent consumption
3Productivity
If rapid filling and sealing of microreactors is implemented, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to potential incomplete filling or sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs self-service mechanisms where capillary forces and vacuum pressure automatically draw reagents into microreactors and force the sealing film onto reactor openings. This self-actuating process eliminates the need for precise mechanical positioning or slow automated dispensing, achieving both rapid processing and complete filling/sealing through physics-driven autonomous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatic principles by applying vacuum to microreactors to draw reagents in completely, and then applying pressure through the sealing liquid delivery system to force the sealing film onto each reactor opening. This pneumatic control enables rapid, complete filling and sealing operations while maintaining manufacturing precision through pressure-driven fluid dynamics
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
This platform allows for efficient and reliable high-throughput parallel assays by ensuring complete filling and sealing of microreactors, thereby maintaining the integrity of chemical reactions and reducing errors associated with evaporation and diffusion.
Implementation Method 1
A vacuum is applied to an array of microreactors to remove air from the microreactors
Implementation Method 2
A pressure differential is applied between a reagent in an injector and a reagent gap
Implementation Method 3
A sealing liquid is delivered against a first surface of the sealing film to displace the reagent with the sealing liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A microreactor array platform and method for sealing a reagent in microreactors of an array of microreactors are provided. The microreactor array platform includes an array of microreactors, and a sealing film having a first surface and an opposite second surface, the sealing film configured to movably seal the array of microreactors. The microreactor array platform also includes an injector for delivering a reagent into the array of microreactors via a fluid path between the array and the second surface of the sealing film, and an applicator for directing a sealing liquid against the first surface of the sealing film. The microreactor array platform further includes a system for creating a pressure differential between the reagent in the injector and a space between the array of microreactors and the second surface of the sealing film.