Microsphere Chip Self-Assembly via UV Adhesive and Centrifugation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Biological chip processing technologies face challenges with complex processes, low drop hole rates, and poor stability due to errors in chip-etched apertures and uneven microsphere sizes, limiting their efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A method for preparing a microsphere chip using a silicon dioxide chip with a microsphere self-assembly technique, involving cleaning and ultraviolet curing adhesive coating, followed by centrifugation to ensure precise microsphere placement within micropores, utilizing a Feifanli 3217 UV glue and specific concentrations of microsphere solutions to achieve high drop hole rates and reduced impurities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If randomly adding coded microspheres to microstructurally-processed chips is used, then the chip can be processed with etched apertures, but the drop hole efficiency is limited due to errors in aperture dimensions and uneven microsphere sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing the chip surface with UV adhesive coating and curing before microsphere addition. The adhesive layer is prepared in advance with specific thickness (1-3 μm) and uniformity, creating a controlled environment that ensures high drop hole efficiency (>99%) and stable microsphere placement, eliminating the need for random addition methods.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional biological chip processing methods are used, then the process can be implemented with standard equipment, but the process becomes complex and the drop hole rate remains low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the UV adhesive thickness to 1-3 μm and controlling the microsphere concentration at 2×10^5 particles/mL. These precise parameter adjustments simplify the manufacturing process while achieving >99% drop hole rate, transforming a complex low-efficiency process into a simple high-efficiency method suitable for factory production.
3Productivity
If high concentration microsphere solutions are used to improve drop hole rate, then more microspheres are deposited, but impurities and residual microspheres increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses UV adhesive as an intermediary substance between the chip surface and microspheres. The adhesive layer acts as a mediator that selectively binds microspheres to the chip aperture, enabling high drop hole rate while preventing residual microspheres and impurities from adhering to non-target areas. This intermediary mechanism resolves the contradiction between productivity and substance loss.
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 method achieves a drop hole rate of over 99% with fewer impurities, reduces production costs, and enables rapid assembly suitable for factory production, making it suitable for spatial transcriptome chip applications.
Implementation Method 1
uniformly spin-coating an ultraviolet curing adhesive on a surface of the cleaned glass slide, then performing ultraviolet radiation, and forming a uniform thin film on the surface of the glass slide
Implementation Method 2
adding a silicon dioxide microsphere solution... and performing centrifugation, so that the silicon dioxide microspheres are assembled at positions corresponding to the micropores
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for preparing a microsphere chip and an application thereof. The method for preparing a microsphere chip includes using a silicon dioxide glass slide etched with micropores, as a substrate, uniformly smearing a layer of an ultraviolet adhesive on the silicon dioxide glass slide, then adding coded silicon dioxide microspheres, and centrifugating to obtain a biological chip having a spatial decoding capability.