Technical background
In recent years, biotech development proposes increasingly higher demands to droplet treatment technology: in a first aspect, the low loss of sample
Demand.For example unicellular sample (such as fertilized eggs) of microsequencing sample, section sample, the rare sample of cancer (such as CTC cell) sample
In the preparations of product, characterization technique, the integrality of biological sample is kept to be even more important.And for digital PCR, digital
Other digital quantitative technologies such as MDA keep the integrality of sample up to the necessary condition that 99% or more is even more technology, i.e., at sample
It needs to guarantee sample loss few as far as possible in reason, detection process.However, using the droplet treatment skill of traditional microfluidic chip solution
Art inevitably generates droplet treatment medium residual, and nucleic acid, albumen in sample is caused to wait analysis component loss.
Second aspect, uniformity demands.These for micro-example precision system is standby, detection technique, and need to generate
Droplet size is uniform, cannot again excessive difference, cause to bring tendentiousness and uncertainty in subsequent experimental.
The third aspect, high-throughput demand.With being increasing for upstream sample number, the need that extensive sample is prepared simultaneously
Ask continuous growth.Existing micro flow chip technology generates the technology of drop, and every instrument is at most only capable of making 8 samples drop simultaneously
Change, due to its cumbersome pipe design, fluid control design case is no longer satisfied expansion scale, the needs of flux.
Fourth aspect, refrigeration demand.Biological sample, especially DNA, RNA, protein sample are more fragile.Also, some are anti-
It after answering liquid to configure, will react under room temperature (such as MDA), need quick (< 10min) (Celsius less than 10 in low temperature
Degree, preferably at 0-4 degrees Celsius) generate drop.Conventional method cannot easily cool down to micro flow chip, and generate speed
Also not fast enough.
When liquid is very small, the characteristic completely different with macroscopical liquid is shown.Such as face size 10
In × 10 μm of microchannels, fluid is in laminar condition, the macrofluid of heat transfer and mass transfer all with routine, such as common laboratory
It is different in beaker or the rubber tube of 1 centimetre of end face.All the time, quickly the accurate drop for generating micron level is a Xiang Ju great
Engineering challenge.Micro-fluidic chip can quickly generate the drop of controlled diameter, but its device is complicated, higher cost.Ink-jet
Technology can produce the drop of high speed, but its liquid-drop diameter uniformity is bad, and needs ink discharge device, be not suitable for commonly
Biochemistry Experiment room.Therefore, development easily quickly generates uniform droplet, such as 300 microns hereinafter, have very heavy
The Biochemical Significance wanted.
The technology of the drop provided by the invention generated based on high inertia force, meets above-mentioned 4 demands well.1)
Noresidue.Whole drops, completely via droplet treatment mouth, generate drop, will not generate residual in the high centrifugal force field of centrifuge.
2) controllable monodisperse.The equilibrium state that whole drops generate drop is all the same, so drop size is accurately identical, and repeatability
Good, controlled range is big, influences without liquid turbulence etc..3) high-throughput.Due to only centrifugal force being needed to can produce drop, it is only necessary to one
Centrifuge (such as thermo PICO17, PICO 21, eppendorf 5430R etc.), is received using 1.5mL centrifuge tube on platform routine table
Collection can make the droplet treatment of 24 samples simultaneously, if further using 8 townhouse pipes, 96 orifice plates, 384 orifice plates, even 1536 holes
The form of plate, and be stacked, it is easy to a desk centrifuge is used, while realizing the liquid of thousands of or even up to ten thousand independent samples
Dropization.
Summary of the invention
In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention proposes a kind of big aqueous phase droplets such as simple to generate new method.Using used
Property power drive droplet treatment medium, pass through microchannel, be broken after flow out airway mouth, generation drop and is fallen in trapping medium.With
The liquid for generating drop contact can be air or the out-phase of low-density.
Fracture of drop under the conditions of inertia force meets a specific physical process: the terrestrial gravitation suffered by the drop is big
When the surface tension of most weakness, drop fracture.Using determining inertia force constant, this principle is commonly utilized in measurement
On solution surface tension, referred to as drip method, size is by 0.5-2mm etc..And the inertia force and adjustment tension of variation are used, come high
Speed generates small size, and the principle of surface tension is not only utilized, more for wide bioid in the drop of 5-200 μ m diameter
Learn meaning.Uniform fine droplet has huge potentiality in the context of detection of biology or chemistry.
In the present invention, so-called acceleration is referred under the action of extraneous non-natural power, such as centripetal force, tractive force,
So that the power that liquid is contrary by acceleration, so that the oriented trend in contrast to the movement of acceleration direction of liquid.This
In invention, effect of first liquid by inertia force forms drop by droplet treatment device.First liquid is also referred to as droplet treatment
Medium.
A kind of generation device of drop of the present invention, which is characterized in that include acceleration generation device, be used to generate centripetal
Acceleration;Include the first liquid;Comprising droplet treatment device, have microchannel, work of first liquid in acceleration generation device
The drop of 5-300 μ m diameter is generated with the lower microchannel by droplet treatment device;Comprising collection device, it is used to collect generation
Drop;Wherein, the first liquid is in hydrophobic state on the surface of droplet treatment device exit portion.Wherein the internal diameter of the microchannel is 1-
100 μm, length 0.1-10mm.
The present invention provides a kind of production method of drop, which is characterized in that includes acceleration generation device, is used to generate
Centripetal acceleration;Include the first liquid;Comprising droplet treatment device, has microchannel, the first liquid is in acceleration generation device
Under the action of the drop of 5-300 μ m diameter is generated by the microchannel of droplet treatment device;Comprising collection device, it is used to collect production
Raw drop;Wherein, the first liquid is in hydrophobic state on the surface of droplet treatment device exit portion.The wherein internal diameter of the microchannel
It is 1-100 μm, length 0.1-10mm.
Wherein the first liquid refers to the liquid or solution of common low viscosity.Such as first liquid be water, cell culture
It include the combination of cell, DNA, RNA or protein in the solution or liquid of the substances such as liquid, ethyl alcohol.
Droplet treatment device is the device with microchannel.Such as common capillary, narrow meshed film or narrow meshed plate;
The internal diameter of capillary or the diameter of aperture are 1-100 μm;The material of droplet treatment device can be for inorganic material such as: glass, quartz,
Silicon;Or common organic plastic material is such as: polystyrene, polycarbonate, polymethylacrylic acid, polyamide, polyethylene, polychlorostyrene second
Alkene, polypropylene;Fluoro-containing plastic such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), PVDF etc..
According to further preferred technical solution, the aperture is circular hole or polygonal hole;The internal diameter of the square hole is
Its side length is 1-100 μm.
According to further preferred technical solution, the diameter of the drop is 10-250 μm, preferably 20-200 microns;It is described
The internal diameter of microchannel is 2-90 microns, preferably 5-50 microns;The length of microchannel is 0.5-6mm, preferably 1-5mm.
According to further preferred technical solution, droplet treatment device is 1,2 ... ..n, wherein n is greater than 2 integer.
According to further preferred technical solution, collection device is that pipe is collected by centrifugation.
According to further preferred technical solution, it further can also include the storage device of the first liquid, be used for
Store the first liquid.
It can also include further second liquid, be located in collection device, for collecting the liquid of the first liquid generated
Drop, the part of the outlet of the droplet treatment device and second liquid do not contact.First liquid is before being converted to drop and is converted to
It is not contacted with second liquid in drop.
According to further preferred technical solution, the acceleration generation device is centrifuge.
According to further preferred technical solution, the acceleration can be constant or variation.
According to further preferred technical solution, the microchannel is straight or curved.
According to further preferred technical solution, droplet treatment device is the tube or cone that there is opening in front end.
It further include delay medium or deferred mount according to further preferred technical solution.
According to further preferred technical solution, droplet treatment device and storage device are an entirety.
According to further preferred technical solution, droplet treatment device materials are inorganic material, organic material or composite material.
Inorganic material is glass, quartz, ceramics, one of metal.Organic material is polystyrene, polyether-ether-ketone, polyester macromolecule
One of material.Composite material is the mixture of one or more organic materials and/or inorganic material.
According to further preferred technical solution, the whole of the droplet treatment device or only exit portion are by hydrophobic
And/or Hydrophilic Surface Treatment, so that the first liquid is in hydrophobic state on the surface of droplet treatment device exit portion;The side of surface treatment
Method has: directly covering painting, chemical reaction modification, chemical deposition etc..
It according to demand, can not include the storage device of the first liquid, such as using capillary as droplet treatment device, hair
Tubule can inherently store a certain amount of liquid, as shown in Figure 1.It according to demand, can further include the first liquid
Storage device can be the material different with droplet treatment device;It is also possible to material identical with droplet treatment device, and can
To form an entirety with droplet treatment device.
Second liquid is also referred to as trapping medium, mainly there is following effect:
(1) it does not dissolve each other with water phase.
(2) buoyancy is provided, the gravity that drop receives is greatly decreased, keeps the drop generated not because centrifugal force ruptures, fusion.
(3) viscosity is provided, drop decrease speed is reduced, drop is buffered, avoids merging.
Activating agent, stable droplet are provided.
(4) density is less than droplet treatment phase, and aqueous phase droplets can be allowed to be deposited to trapping medium bottom, avoid newly generating with top
Dripping drops collision, generate fusion.
(5) prevent moisture from evaporating.In subsequent experimental, as prevented moisture from evaporating during PCR
(6) image forming medium, subsequent analysis, the mobile phase of fluorescent collecting etc. are used as.
Device, that is, droplet treatment device of drop is generated, simplest droplet treatment device is capillary.Capillary can be by one
Root or a plurality of composition.It can be constituted by a capillary or mostly with capillary, porous capillary or perforated membrane, porous can also be used
Plate, as shown in Figure 2.
The manufacture of tubule can be drawn after machining by being machined, wet etching, and the techniques such as dry etching are configured with
The processes such as cutting, polishing are completed.
Tubule materials can be for inorganic material such as: glass, quartz, silicon;Or common organic plastic material is such as: polystyrene, gathers
Carbonic ester, polymethylacrylic acid, polyamide, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene;Fluoro-containing plastic such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), PVDF
Deng.
Tubule or tubule group surface need to modify, and the result of modification should make droplet treatment medium be unlikely to spread in micro-pipe nozzle
It opens.Droplet treatment medium and the contact angle on surface should be greater than 90 degree.
The device overall structure is divided into three parts.Droplet treatment device (on), collecting pipe (under) two parts composition;Droplet treatment pipe
Area and micro-pipe area two parts are held comprising drop.
The effect of droplet treatment device is temporarily to hold droplet treatment medium and generate drop using microcosmic and high inertia force.Its table
Face should have low adsorption or so to held droplet treatment medium (usually water phase) and solute.Droplet treatment pipe bottom is micro-pipe
Area, micro-pipe area and holding are fully sealed between area, can be bonded or be integrated, so that under inertia force effect, all drops
Change medium completely extends across micro-pipe and gets in collecting pipe.
Collecting pipe can be conventional centrifuge tube or orifice plate, or special matched collecting pipe.Trapping medium is held in collecting pipe,
Usually inert organic solvents, and density is less than droplet treatment medium.Trapping medium page height must not be excessively high, cannot contact micro-
Area under control lower end;Trapping medium can not be very few, it is necessary to can effectively collect the drop fallen.Usual trapping medium is that droplet treatment is situated between
10 times or more of matter total amount.
Inertia force is so that the first liquid generates the power of microlayer model by the microchannel of droplet treatment device.Common inertia
There are many kinds of power, such as can be with the droplet treatment device and collecting pipe described in human hand held, and whipping can promote liquid to pass through back and forth
The microchannel of certain size generates drop, but it can not generate uniform drop, not be able to satisfy actual application.It can incite somebody to action
Droplet treatment device is mounted in the bottom of rocking equipment along the centripetal direction of rocking equipment.Rotating device, such as centrifuge can be with
Stable inertia force is provided.
Delay start design.Because inertia force not up to balances in accelerator, the drop of generation is uneven.In order to
Completely make the big drops such as whole droplet treatment media generations, it is necessary to not generate liquid in the accelerated period of acceleration generation device
Body.Implementation has two classes: 1, increase device, the openable organ of, such as seals with wax such as under certain inertia force;Or 2, increase by one
Kind high viscosity high density liquid is being held in pipe, and this liquid is first flowed out from micropore, and the liquid for really needing droplet treatment is protected
Top is stayed in, is blocked and flows out again for a period of time.Residence time is determined by the volume of addition high density liquid.Retardance liquid should have
Following feature: 1, droplet treatment medium of getting along well is miscible or reacts, and has enough chemical inertnesses.2, do not generate drop or generate
Drop cannot merge or generate drop and can distinguish and separate, and be not involved in subsequent reactions.It 3, can be miscible with collection liquid.
The principle that drop generates can be explained by following calculating:
Critical state equation:
2 π r γ=Gm...... (1)
γ: surface tension, unit (mN.m);R: microchannel diameter.Unit (m);G: centrifugation force value.Unit (N/m2);M:
Drop mass.
The density formula of liquid:
V: droplet size.R: liquid-drop diameter.ρ: droplet density.
(2) it brings into (1) and obtains:
However, repeatedly generation etc. is big if under given conditions, the inertia force that adjustable drop is subject to can be continuous
Drop.Also, by adjusting: it γ, G, r, ρ, can adjust droplet size (V), to change the drop of unit liquid volume
Number.
The adjustment of surface tension γ.By adding ion, bioactive agent composition in water phase, γ can be reduced, drop is made to become smaller.
Activating agent can be Span activating agent, Tween activating agent, triton activating agent, fluorine-containing surfactant, such as EA activating agent, perfluor
Octanoic acid, perfluor amide etc..γ is proportional to V
The adjustment of G.The size for adjusting inertia force can adjust the size of G especially by the revolving speed of adjustment centrifuge, and G is logical
Often at 1,000-1,000,000m/s2 (0.1-100krcf).1/G is proportional to V.
The adjustment of r.Adjust microchannel size, thus it is possible to vary droplet size.Smaller microchannel diameter can produce smaller
Drop.R is proportional to V.
The adjustment of ρ fluid density.Such as increase glucose, the solutes such as glycerol, adjustable water density 1.0-1.2g/mL.1/ρ
It is proportional to V.
Drop generate speed be it is adjustable, because of the limitation of revolution.Flow velocity, revolution and flow resistance have following relationship.
The pressure difference p of its volume flow Q and pipe both ends, the relationship of flow resistance R:
Q=p/R
Pressure difference p is in inertia force G, the relationship of page height h and fluid density ρ:
P=ρ Gh
The flow resistance R of laminar flow round pipe liquid calculates as follows:
In above formula: the coefficient of viscosity η (cst) of the radius r of micro-pipe, length L and fluid.
By adjusting flow resistance R, acceleration G, liquid level.Can adjust drop generate speed, thus change experiment it is total when
Between.
Adjust L capillary pipe length.Design adjustment.It is optional from 10 μm of -10mm.
Adjust r capillary radius.Different size is optional.From 1-100 μm.
Adjust the viscosity of the first liquid of η.Temperature is lower, and viscosity is bigger.
The drop that the method provided by the invention for generating drop generates is uniform, and device is simple, can be with direct combination to centrifugation
It is used in the equipment such as machine.By experiment, we are had surprisingly found that, if the first liquid is on the surface of droplet treatment device exit portion
It cannot be in hydrophobic state, then can not generate monodisperse drop.When the outlet of droplet treatment device does not contact second liquid, generate
Drop have better uniformity.The drop uniformity of generation is good, and can accomplish very high flux.