JP2013044528A - Microchannel device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the collapse and blocking of a microchannel from occurring by compression bonding heat making a resin film bend toward the side of the microchannel during the bonding of a base plate having the microchannel and the resin film.SOLUTION: A microchannel device 100 is constituted by a resin base plate 2 having a channel groove 1 on at least one face thereof and a resin film 3 superimposed on the face where the channel groove 1 is formed. The bending of the resin film toward a channel side is prevented by applying a pneumatic pressure of 0.05-0.20 MPa to the inside of the channel groove during the thermocompression bonding of the resin base plate 2 and the resin film 3, so that the microchannel device excellent in stability of a flow channel shape is obtained.

Description

The present invention relates to a microchannel device and a manufacturing method thereof.

Recently, research on the miniaturization of chemical reactions and separation systems using microfabrication technology called microreactors and microanalysis systems has become active, and nucleic acids, proteins and sugars performed on microchannel chips with microchannels. Applications such as analysis and synthesis of chains, rapid analysis of trace chemicals, and high-throughput screening of pharmaceuticals and drugs are expected. As an advantage of miniaturization of such a system, it is considered to realize an inexpensive system that can be carried in a small space with a small amount of specimen or a reduced discharge amount of waste liquid. In addition, by improving the surface area to volume ratio, heat transfer and mass transfer can be speeded up. As a result, precise control of reaction and separation, high speed and high efficiency, and suppression of side reactions are expected. .

In general, a microchannel is manufactured by bonding two members of a microchannel chip substrate having fine processing to at least one member. Until now, glass has been mainly used as a substrate material for microchips. In order to make a microchannel with a glass substrate, for example, there is a method in which a metal or a photoresist resin is coated on the substrate, a microchannel pattern is exposed, and an etching process is performed after developing. Thereafter, the glass substrate is bonded by anodic bonding or the like (see Non-Patent Document 1). However, since extremely dangerous chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid are used for the etching process of glass, and exposure, development, and etching processes are performed for each sheet, the efficiency is very low and the cost is high.

These microchips can use various resin raw materials, and can be manufactured by injection molding. In injection molding, it is possible to efficiently and economically manufacture a micro-channel chip by introducing a thermosetting resin raw material melted into a mold cavity and cooling the mold cavity to cure the resin. Suitable for mass production. As a method for joining a substrate having a microchannel on one surface and a flat substrate, or a substrate having a protrusion on one surface, thermocompression bonding using a hot press is mainly performed (for example, Patent Document 1).

However, when trying to join a resin film and a substrate provided with a microchannel on one side by this joining method, the resin film may bend to the channel side due to heat generated by crimping, and the microchannel may be crushed or blocked. , Pasting was difficult.

Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-163269

It is an object of the present invention to prevent the resin film from being bent toward the flow channel side by the heat of pressure bonding when the substrate provided with the micro flow channel is bonded to the resin film, thereby causing the micro flow channel to be crushed or blocked.

This invention consists of the following (1)-(6).
(1) A microchannel device comprising a resin substrate having a channel groove formed on at least one surface, and a resin film laminated on the surface where the channel groove is formed. A microchannel device characterized in that the surface of the resin film on the microchannel side is flat. (2) The microchannel device according to (1), wherein the resin film has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.
(3) The microchannel device according to (1) or (2), wherein the laminate of the resin film and the flat portion of the resin substrate is bonded by thermocompression bonding.
(4) The microchannel device according to (3), wherein an air pressure of 0.05 to 0.20 MPa is applied to the channel groove during the thermocompression bonding.
(5) The microchannel device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the resin substrate and the resin film are made of plastic resin.
(6) In any one of (1) to (5), the plastic resin is selected from any of polycarbonate, polymethylpentene, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, cycloolefin copolymer, cycloolefin polymer, and polyethylene terephthalate. Description Microchannel device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a micro flow channel device that prevents the resin film from being bent toward the flow channel and has excellent flow channel shape stability.

It is a side view explaining the microchannel device by this invention. It is a top view of the microchannel device by this invention. It is a side view for demonstrating the manufacturing method of a microchannel device.

Hereinafter, the microchannel device of the present invention will be described.
The microchannel device of the present invention is a resin substrate having a channel groove formed on one surface thereof, and a resin film disposed so as to cover the surface on which the channel groove is formed. And a sticking step for obtaining a joined body.

The microchannel device 100 according to the present invention includes a resin substrate 2 in which a channel groove 1 is formed on one surface and a resin film that covers a surface of the resin substrate 2 on which the channel groove 1 is formed. (Fig. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2, a channel groove 1 is formed in the resin substrate 2. As a method of manufacturing the resin substrate 2 in which such a channel groove 1 is formed, for example, a method of manufacturing by injection molding, a method of cutting a channel in the resin substrate, or the like can be given. Among these, it is preferable from the viewpoint of productivity to use the resin substrate 2 in which the channel groove 1 is formed by injection molding.

Specifically, the flow path groove 1 preferably has a width of the flow path groove 1 of 1,000 μm or less and a depth of 0.01 to 0.5 mm. As a result, an experiment with a very small size is possible.

Examples of the resin constituting the resin substrate 2 include high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, various cyclic polyolefins, polymethyl methacrylate, polynorbornene, polyphenylene oxide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, and polymethylpentene. , Cycloolefin copolymer, cycloolefin polymer, polyamide, polyimide, polyester, semi-cured phenol resin, semi-cured epoxy resin, tetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride, and the like. Among these, polycarbonate, polymethylpentene, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, cycloolefin copolymer,
One or more selected from cycloolefin polymers and polyethylene terephthalate are preferred. Particularly preferred are polymethylmethacryloyl acetate and polycarbonate. Thereby, the transparency of the resin substrate 2 can be improved.

The outer shape of the resin substrate 2 may be any shape as long as it is easy to handle and analyze. For example, a size of about 10 mm square to 200 mm square is preferable, and 10 mm square to 100 mm square is more preferable. The outer shape of the resin substrate 2 may be matched to an analysis method and an analysis device, and examples thereof include a square shape, a rectangular shape, and a circular shape.

In the manufacturing method of the microchannel device of the present invention, the resin film 3 is bonded so as to cover the surface of the resin substrate 2 having the channel groove 1 described above on which the channel groove 1 is formed (see FIG. 3). As a result, the channel groove 1 is covered with the resin film 3 to form a micro channel.

  The resin constituting the resin film 3 is preferably the same as that of the resin substrate 2, and specifically, for example, high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, various cyclic polyolefins, polymethyl methacrylate, polynorbornene, polyphenylene. Oxide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, polymethylpentene, cycloolefin copolymer, cycloolefin polymer, polyamide, polyimide, polyester, semi-cured phenol resin, semi-cured epoxy resin, tetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene chloride And polyvinyl chloride. Among these, at least one selected from polycarbonate, polymethylpentene, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, cycloolefin copolymer, cycloolefin polymer, and polyethylene terephthalate is preferable. Particularly preferred are polymethylmethacryloyl acetate and polycarbonate.

The thickness of the resin film 3 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 to 1 mm. If the thickness of the resin film 3 exceeds 1 mm, the resin film 3 follows the unevenness of the resin substrate 2 when bonded to the resin substrate 2, the light transmittance is deteriorated, and the thermal conductivity is lowered. There is a problem. In addition, when the thickness of the resin film 3 is less than 0.01 mm, the resin film 3 itself may be destroyed when a liquid material such as water is allowed to flow through the fine channel portion. There is a case where wrinkles are likely to occur and the flow path cannot be sufficiently sealed.

Although the bending elastic modulus of the resin film 3 is not particularly limited, it is preferably 500 to 15,000 MPa. When the flexural modulus of the resin film 3 exceeds 15,000 MPa, the resin film 3 does not sufficiently follow the unevenness of the resin substrate 3 when bonded to the resin substrate 2, and the adhesion of the resin film 3 is reduced. There is a case. Further, if the flexural modulus is less than 500 MPa, the resin film 3 is likely to wrinkle at the time of bonding, and the flow path may not be sufficiently sealed.
The bending elastic modulus of the resin film 3 can be measured by, for example, the test method ASTM D790.

In the manufacturing method of the microchannel device of the present invention, the resin substrate 2 and the resin film 3 are bonded together, and the bonding characteristics are improved by filling the flow channel with gas and applying pressure during bonding. be able to.

The gas filled in the flow path is not particularly limited, but for example, an inert gas such as air, nitrogen, or argon is preferably used, and most preferably air.

The gas pressure is preferably 0.05 to 0.20 MPa, and most preferably 0.08 to 0.12 MPa. When the pressure exceeds 0.20 MPa, the resin substrate 2 and the resin film 3 to be bonded are separated from each other by the pressure, and the pressure leaks from a part of the bonded portion, which may cause the flow path to leak. On the other hand, when the pressure is lower than 0.05 MPa, there is a problem that the resin film is deflected by heating and the cross-sectional area of the flow path is reduced.

Examples of a method for bonding the resin substrate 2 and the resin film 3 include thermocompression bonding, adhesive bonding, and ultrasonic bonding. Among these, the method of heat welding is preferable in terms of the stability of the channel shape.

In this manner, the microchannel device 100 having excellent channel shape stability can be obtained by the manufacturing method of the present invention.
Specifically, there is no undesignated blockage in the fine channel portion, and even if water of 300 kPa pressure is passed through the fine channel portion, the joint portion is not damaged. When used as a biochip or a microanalysis chip, liquid or gas is allowed to flow through the microchannel part, but the fluid does not clog the microchannel, which is different from the intention designed when the chip is joined, In addition, it is sufficiently sealed for practical use so that liquid and gas components do not leak from the fine channel portion. Furthermore, use a plunger pump or the like to pour 300 kPa of water into the flow path of the biochip or microchemical chip. This can be confirmed by observation.

The microchannel device 100 obtained by the method of the present invention is, for example, a biochip that is at least one selected from a nucleic acid chip, a protein chip, an antibody chip, an aptamer chip, and a glycoprotein chip, or various microanalyses for chemical analysis. It can be suitably used for an analysis chip.

In addition, about the description of the manufacturing method of the microchannel device of this invention, although the groove | channel 1 for flow paths mentioned above was demonstrated, the manufacturing method of the microchannel device of this invention is not limited to this, For example, Y character The present invention can also be applied to a resin substrate having a groove having a branched shape.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Channel groove 2 Resin substrate 3 Resin film 100 Microchannel device

Claims (6)

A microchannel device comprising a resin substrate having a channel groove formed on at least one surface, and a resin film laminated on the surface on which the channel groove is formed,
A microchannel device, wherein a surface of a resin film on a microchannel side is flat. The microchannel device according to claim 1, wherein the resin film has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. The microchannel device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a laminate of the resin film and the flat portion of the resin substrate is bonded by thermocompression bonding. The microchannel device according to claim 3, wherein an air pressure of 0.05 to 0.20 MPa is applied to the channel groove during the thermocompression bonding. The microchannel device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resin substrate and the resin film are made of a plastic resin. The microchannel according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plastic resin is selected from polycarbonate, polymethylpentene, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, cycloolefin copolymer, cycloolefin polymer, and polyethylene terephthalate. device.

Images