JP6957412B2 - adapter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an adapter that connects a microchannel tip having an injection hole communicating with the microchannel and a pipette or tube for injecting a sample into the microchannel, and more particularly, a sample injected into the microchannel. Regarding the adapter that prevents backflow.

The microchannel chip is a device in which a fine microchannel having a width of about 500 nm to 1 mm and an injection hole for opening the microchannel to the outside are formed, and a small amount of a sample such as an organic compound or a biological sample can be extracted from the injection hole. It is used for purposes such as mixing, reacting, synthesizing, extracting, and analyzing a sample by injecting it into a microchannel.

Conventionally, when a sample is flowed into a microchannel from a tube connected to a pipette or a pressure pump, the sample is injected into the microchannel at a predetermined injection pressure without leaking around the opening of the injection hole. , Attach a gasket made of elastic material to the tip of the pipette or tube, attach the gasket to the periphery of the injection hole on the surface of the microchannel tip, and inject the sample from the tip of the pipette or tube into the injection hole, or vertically. A tubular adapter through which the insertion hole penetrates in the direction is attached around the injection hole of the microchannel tip, and the sample is injected into the injection hole from the tip of a pipette or tube inserted into the insertion hole.

However, when the pipette or tube is pulled out after injecting the sample into the microchannel through the injection hole, the inside of the injection hole communicating with the microchannel becomes negative pressure, and the sample injected into the microchannel flows back into the injection hole. However, there is a problem that the entire amount of the sample cannot be injected into the microchannel, or the injected sample overflows from the injection hole or the opening of the insertion hole.

Therefore, patent documents 1 to 3 and the like have proposed backflow prevention means for preventing backflow of a sample injected into the microchannel in the microchannel. Of these, in the method for preventing backflow described in Patent Document 1, a neck portion in which the inner dimension of the microchannel is sharply narrowed toward the injection hole is provided in the microchannel, and the sample is injected into the microchannel by the neck portion. It prevents the backflow of the sample.

Further, in the backflow prevention method described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, the inner diameter of the microchannel is changed by the pressurization control of the pressurizing portion, the sample is injected into the microchannel, and then the pressurizing portion is added. Pressure or depressurization is controlled to narrow or block the microchannel to prevent backflow of the sample.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a nozzle 100 is also known in which the direction of the opening at the tip is adjusted to prevent the backflow of the sample injected into the microchannel (Patent Document 4). The nozzle 100 cuts the nozzle 100 with its tip inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 100, and allows the nozzle 100 to flow through the injection hole 102 so that the inclined opening 100a at the tip faces the injection direction A of the micro flow path 101. Insert into the road 101. Since the sample discharged from the tip of the nozzle 100 flows in the injection direction of the microchannel 101 facing the opening 100a, it is possible to prevent backflow to the injection hole 102.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a microfluidic system 110 is also known in which the opening of the injection hole 111 communicating with the microchannel is closed with a valve body 112 to prevent backflow of the sample (Patent Document 5). In this microfluidic system 110, a sample server 113 made of a tubular body is closely attached around the opening of the injection hole 111 of the microchannel chip 115, and the pressurizing device 114 is pushed down in the sample server 113 to reach the sample server 113. The stored sample is injected from the injection hole 111 into the microchannel at a predetermined injection pressure. After injecting the sample into the microchannel, the rod 112a integrated with the valve body 112 is lowered to close the injection hole 111 with the valve body 112 to prevent the sample from flowing back.

JP-A-2017-67620 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-101081 JP-A-2007-248218 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-164480 Japanese Patent No. 4551123

The backflow prevention method described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 for preventing backflow of a sample by narrowing or blocking a part of the microchannel requires a configuration in which the inner diameter of the fine microchannel is changed. , It is necessary to manufacture and assemble the neck part and the pressurizing part of the microchannel with high precision, and the structure is complicated, so that it is not practical.

Further, since the backflow prevention structure is provided in a part of the microchannel, there is a problem that the entire microchannel cannot be used for the reaction and mixing of the sample.

The nozzle 100 shown in FIG. 10 can temporarily prevent the backflow of the sample when the sample is injected into the microchannel, but after the nozzle 100 is pulled out, the injection hole 102 becomes a negative pressure and the sample flows back. Therefore, it does not solve the essential problem of preventing backflow of the sample.

Further, the microfluidic system 110 shown in FIG. 11 requires a control mechanism for controlling the operation of the pressurizing device 114 and the opening / closing operation of the valve body 112, and the pressurizing device 114 and the pressurizing device 114 in the tubular sample server 113. Since the rod 112a that opens and closes the valve body 112 is moved in the vertical direction, the entire system becomes complicated and expensive, and cannot be used as a backflow prevention structure for a general-purpose microchannel.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an adapter that prevents backflow of a sample injected into a microchannel with a simple configuration.

In order to achieve the above object, the adapter according to claim 1 is a cylindrical body through which an insertion hole for inserting a pipette or a tube tip for injecting a sample into a microchannel of a microchannel chip penetrates vertically. The bottom surface of the cylindrical body is closely attached around the opening of the injection hole communicating with the microchannel on the surface of the microchannel chip, and the tip is inserted into the insertion hole from a pipette or tube through the injection hole. It is an adapter that injects a sample into a microchannel, and has a blocking wall made of an elastomer that blocks the insertion hole. The blocking wall is made by molding PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) with a mold and integrating it into a cylindrical body. It is characterized in that a slit is formed in the blocking wall so that the tip of the pipette or tube can be inserted and removed.

Since the bottom surface of the cylindrical body is closely attached around the opening of the injection hole communicating with the micro flow path, the injection hole and the insertion hole communicate with each other in a sealed state.

Since a slit is formed in the blocking wall made of elastomer, the slit can be expanded to insert and remove the tip of the pipette or tube into the blocking wall, and the injection hole is inserted from the tip of the pipette or tube through which the blocking wall is inserted. The sample can be injected into. Further, when the pipette or tube is pulled out from the slit after injecting the sample, the gap between the slits is closed and the insertion hole is blocked by the blocking wall, so that the sample does not flow back even if the injection hole becomes negative pressure.

PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) has a high elastic limit, and even if the slit is wide open, if the pipette or tube is pulled out, the original shape in which the slit gap is closed is restored.

Further, the inner surface of the slit is in close contact with the outer circumference of the slit or the tube, and the sample is less likely to leak from the gap of the slit.

The adapter according to claim 2 is characterized in that at least a part of the inner diameter above the blocking wall of the insertion hole is smaller than the outer diameter of the tip of the pipette or tube to be inserted into the insertion hole.

The tip of the pipette or tube abuts on the inner wall of the insertion hole, which is shorter than the outer shape of the tip, before reaching the slit of the barrier, and the tongue piece of the barrier is separated by the slit by expanding the diameter of the insertion hole. Bends upward and the slit opens.

The adapter according to claim 3 is characterized in that a plurality of slits intersecting with each other at the central axis of the insertion hole are formed in the blocking wall.

Multiple slits that intersect at the central axis of the insertion hole guide the tip of the pipette or tube to be inserted into the insertion hole to pass through the barrier along the central axis of the insertion hole.

In the adapter according to claim 4 , the tubular main body is integrally formed by fixing between the opposing laminated surfaces of a plurality of tubular portions laminated in the vertical direction, and the blocking wall is formed by laminating any of the tubular portions. It is characterized in that it is integrally formed along a surface.

Since the blocking wall is integrally formed along the laminated surface of any of the tubular portions that are separately formed, a slit to be formed in the blocking wall or the blocking wall can be easily formed.

The adapter according to claim 5 is characterized in that, at least at a portion in the extension direction of the slit, a laminated surface facing the laminated surface of the tubular portion integrally formed with the blocking wall is fixed.

Since the laminated surfaces of the cylinders are fixed and integrated at the part in the extension direction of the slit, even if the pipette or tube is repeatedly inserted and removed from the slit, the slit cracks to the part where the laminated surfaces of the cylinder are fixed. Does not progress.

The adapter according to claim 6 is characterized in that the bottom surface of the tubular main body is closely attached to the surface of the microchannel chip via a double-sided tape having adhesive layers formed on both sides.

Since the adapter with a slit in the blocking wall is removable to the microchannel tip, the bottom surface of the tubular body is covered with double-sided tape only around the injection hole of the microchannel chip where the sample may flow back. Can be attached in close contact with each other.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a check valve for preventing backflow of a sample can be formed by a simple process of forming a slit in a blocking wall that blocks an insertion hole.

Further, since the adapter according to the present invention needs to be attached only to the microchannel chip in which the sample may flow back, it can be used as a backflow prevention means for the general-purpose microchannel chip.

Further , since the blocking wall is integrally molded with the tubular body, the blocking wall that blocks the insertion hole can be molded at the same time as the molding of the tubular body.

In addition, the tubular body made of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) has a high elastic limit, and even if the pipette or tube is inserted and the slit is wide open, the inner surface of the slit is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pipette or tube, and the injection pressure is increased. Even if the sample is injected with a pipette, the sample does not leak from the gap of the slit.

In addition, since the tubular body is molded from PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), which is a translucent material, the inserted state of the pipette or tube to be inserted into the insertion hole of the tubular body or the sample to be sent from the pipette or tube to the microchannel. You can visually check the color and amount of.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the slit formed in the blocking wall is opened before the pipette or the tube reaches the blocking wall, and the tip of the pipette or the tube can be easily inserted into the slit.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the tip of the pipette or tube is guided so as to pass through the blocking wall along the central axis of the insertion hole, it is easy to position the tip above the opening of the injection hole. , The sample can be reliably injected into the injection hole.

According to the invention of claim 4 , a blocking wall for blocking the insertion hole in the middle of the insertion hole and a slit formed in the blocking wall are formed along the laminated surface which is the end surface of the tubular portion to be separately formed. Therefore, each can be easily formed.

According to the invention of claim 5 , even if the pipette or the tube is repeatedly inserted and removed from the slit, the slit does not progress.

According to the invention of claim 6 , since the bottom surface of the tubular body is closely attached to the surface of the microchannel chip via the double-sided tape having adhesive layers formed on both sides, the sample may flow back. The adapter can be detachably attached only around the injection hole, and the adapter with a slit in the barrier can be reused.

It is a vertical cross-sectional view which cut the adapter 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention attached to a micro flow path chip 10 along a slit 6. It is a cross-sectional view which cut the adapter 1 by the line AA of FIG. It is a vertical cross-sectional view which shows the state which the pipette 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 3 of the adapter 1 shown in FIG. It is an exploded perspective view of the adapter 20 which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention attached around the injection port 11a of a microchannel chip 10. It is a top view of the adapter 20. It is a perspective view of the adapter 20 seen from diagonally below. It is a vertical sectional view of the adapter 20 attached to the microchannel chip 10. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 3 of the adapter 20 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is further inserted from the insertion position shown in FIG. 8 until the blocking wall 27 of the adapter 20 is inserted. It is a vertical cross-sectional view of the conventional nozzle 100 which prevents the backflow of a sample. It is a vertical sectional view of the conventional microfluidic system 110 which prevented the backflow of a sample.

Hereinafter, the adapter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the following description in the present specification, the configuration of each part will be described with each direction shown in FIG. 1 as the vertical and horizontal directions. This adapter 1 mixes, reacts, synthesizes, and extracts a pipette 50 that discharges a trace amount of an organic compound, a biological sample, or the like from the tip, and a sample that is injected into a microchannel 14 having a width and depth of 500 nm to 1 mm. The injection hole 11 communicating with the microchannel 14 for injecting a sample from the pipette 50 inserted into the adapter 1 into the microchannel 14 for connecting the microchannel chip 10 to be separated or analyzed. It is installed upright around the inlet 11a.

As shown in each figure, the adapter 1 is injection molded using a mold using PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) as a molding material, and has a cylindrical shape formed by penetrating the insertion hole 3 in the vertical direction. It is composed of a main body 2 and a blocking wall 5 described later. Here, the tubular main body 2 is molded by injection molding, but it can be manufactured by any manufacturing method such as transfer molding or compression molding.

As shown in FIG. 1, a blocking wall 5 that crosses and blocks the insertion hole 3 is integrally formed with the cylindrical main body 2 at an intermediate position of the insertion hole 3. Further, the blocking wall 5 is provided with two slits 6 and 6 which intersect each other orthogonally at a position where the central axis of the insertion hole 3 passes and which vertically traverse from the upper surface to the lower surface of the blocking wall 5, respectively. There is. Both ends of each slit 6 reach the boundary position between the blocking wall 5 and the tubular body 2, so that the blocking wall 5 is formed by four fan-shaped tongue pieces 5a separated by two orthogonal slits 6, 6. It is composed. As described above, since the blocking wall 5 is also molded from the elastomeric PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), the four tongue pieces 5a act as elastic pieces that are cantilevered and supported at the boundary with the tubular body 2. In the free state where no external force is received, all the adjacent tongue pieces 5a and 5a are in close contact with each other, the gaps between the slits 6 and 6 are closed, and the insertion hole 3 is blocked by the blocking wall 5.

In the microchannel chip 10 for injecting a sample using the adapter 1, the lower surface of the upper substrate 16 on which the microchannel 14 is exposed faces the upper surface of the lower substrate 17, and the facing surfaces of the lower substrate 17 and the upper substrate 16 face each other. An injection port 11a of an injection hole 11 communicating with the microchannel 14 is opened on the surface of the microchannel chip 10 which is manufactured by fixing the space between them and is the upper surface of the upper substrate 16.

The adapter 1 is in a posture in which the central axis of the insertion hole 3 stands at a position on the surface 10a of the microchannel chip 10 penetrating the injection port 11a, and the bottom surface 2a of the cylindrical body 2 is the entire surface around the injection port 11a. In a state of being in close contact with the 10a, the bottom surface 2a of the adapter 1 and the surface 10a of the microchannel chip 10 are fixedly attached.

The bottom surface 2a of the tubular body 2 and the surface 10a around the injection port 11a may be fixed by using an adhesive, but here, the bottom surface 2a of the tubular body 2 and the microchannel which are in contact with each other are fixed. The surface 10a of the chip 10 is subjected to plasma treatment or excimer treatment by irradiating it with plasma, and the two are integrally bonded by surface modification.

As shown in FIG. 1, the insertion hole 3 of the tubular body 2 is an injection hole of the microchannel tip 10 by surface-modifying the bottom surface 2a of the tubular body 2 and the surface 10a of the microchannel tip 10. It communicates with 11 and is mounted upright on the surface 10a of the microchannel chip 10 in a state where the entire communication peripheral area is sealed.

Hereinafter, the operation of the adapter 1 when injecting a sample from the pipette 50 into the microchannel 14 using the adapter 1 configured as described above will be described. In the standby state before inserting the pipette 50 into the insertion hole 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the four tongue pieces 5a separated by the slit 6 are not subjected to external force, so that the adjacent tongue pieces 5a are adjacent to each other. The gaps between the slits 6 and 6 are closed with the 5a in close contact with each other.

When the sample is injected from the pipette 50 into the microchannel 14, the tip 50a of the pipette 50 is inserted through the opening above the insertion hole 3 of the adapter 1 that stands on the surface 10a of the microchannel chip 10. At the time of this insertion, since the cylindrical main body 2 is formed of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) having a high elastic limit, the pipette is oriented in an inclined direction with respect to the insertion hole 3 whose central axis is in the vertical direction. Even if 50 is inserted, the cylindrical main body 2 is elastically deformed so that the insertion hole 3 coincides with the insertion direction, and the tubular main body 2 is not damaged by an excessive external force.

When the tip 50a of the pipette 50 is inserted downward into the insertion hole 3 of the adapter 1, the tip 50a comes into contact with the blocking wall 5, the tongue piece 5a is pushed downward, and the blocking wall 5 is expanded while expanding the slit 6. Insert. Since the two slits 6 and 6 bored in the barrier wall 5 at right angles to each other intersect at a position where the central axis of the insertion hole 3 passes, the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 passes through each slit 6. In the process of expanding, the central axis of the insertion hole 3 is guided to insert the blocking wall 5, and the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 inserts the blocking wall 5 at the insertion position shown in FIG. It is located above.

Since the periphery where the insertion hole 3 and the injection hole 11 communicate with each other is sealed, the sample is dropped from the tip 50a of the pipette 50 to the injection port 11a, or a predetermined injection pressure is applied from the tip 50a of the pipette 50. By injecting the sample into the injection port 11a, the sample is injected into the microchannel 14.

After injecting the required total amount of sample, the tip 50a of the pipette 50 is pulled upward from the insertion hole 3, and the four tongue pieces 5a and 5a formed of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) are adjacent tongue pieces. The shape returns to the standby state in which the 5a and 5a are in close contact with each other, and the insertion hole 3 is blocked by the blocking wall 5 in which the gaps between the slits 6 and 6 are closed. As a result, by pulling out the pipette 50 from the insertion hole 3, the pressure inside the insertion hole 3 becomes negative compared to the internal pressure of the microchannel 14, but the sample injected into the microchannel 14 flows back into the insertion hole 3. Never.

Next, the adapter 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. In the description of the second embodiment, the same number will be assigned to the configuration having the same or the same operation as the configuration of the adapter 1 according to the first embodiment, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the adapter 20 according to the second embodiment, the upper cylinder portion 25 and the lower cylinder portion 26, which have the same outer shape but different cylinder lengths, are individually made of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) as a molding material. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper cylinder portion 25 formed using a mold and the upper cylinder portion 26 and the lower cylinder portion 26 are integrally laminated by fixing the fixing portions 29 between the opposing laminated surfaces 25a and 26a. The cylindrical main body 21 is cylindrical.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, when the lower tubular portion 26 is molded, along the upper end of the insertion hole 3 penetrating the lower tubular portion 26, that is, along the laminated surface 26a which is the upper surface of the lower tubular portion 26. A blocking wall 27 that blocks the insertion hole 3 is integrally formed.

The blocking wall 27 is also provided with two slits 28, 28 that intersect each other orthogonally at a position where the central axis of the insertion hole 3 passes and vertically traverse from the upper surface to the lower surface of the blocking wall 27, respectively. Both ends of each slit 28 reach the boundary position (the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 4) between the laminated surface 25a of the upper tubular portion 25 and the fixed portion 29 between the laminated surfaces 26a of the lower tubular portion 26, and the blocking wall 27 is formed. It is composed of four fan-shaped tongue pieces 27a separated by two orthogonal slits 28 and 28. The four tongue pieces 27a act as elastic pieces that are cantilevered and supported with the fixing portion 29 as the base end, and in a free state where no external force is received, all the adjacent tongue pieces 27a and 27a are in close contact with each other and the slits 28, The gap of 28 is closed, and the insertion hole 3 is blocked by the blocking wall 27.

In the present embodiment, since the blocking wall 27 is formed at the end of the lower tubular portion 26 that is individually formed, the blocking wall 27 that blocks the insertion hole 3 at the intermediate position of the insertion hole 3 can be easily provided in the tubular main body 21. A slit 28 that vertically traverses the blocking wall 27 from the upper surface to the lower surface can also be formed by supporting either the upper surface or the lower surface of the blocking wall 27 and easily drilling from the other surface.

As shown in FIG. 7, the opening edge of the upper end of the insertion hole 3 penetrating the upper tubular portion 25 is a gently curved surface 25b that guides the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 into the insertion hole 3. On the inner inner wall surface of the insertion hole 3, a constricted portion 24 having an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion holes 3 above and below the insertion hole 3 is formed by integrally projecting ribs around the central axis of the insertion hole 3. It is formed. The inner diameter of the constricted portion 24 is smaller than the outer diameter of the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 before the tip reaches the blocking wall 27, so that when the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 3, as described later, The inner diameter of the constricted portion 24 is expanded, the upper part of the tubular main body 21 is curved outward from the central axis of the insertion hole 3, and the constricted portion 24 causes the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 to be along the central axis in the vertical direction. Be supported.

The fixing between the upper cylinder portion 25 and the lower cylinder portion 26 in the fixing portion 29 is integrally joined here via an adhesive, but is heat-welded or between the laminated surfaces 25a and 26a as in the first embodiment. Any fixing means can be adopted as long as it can be integrally bonded such as surface modification treatment.

In the tubular body 21 of the adapter 20 in which the upper tubular portion 25 and the lower tubular portion 26 are integrated, the central axis of the insertion hole 3 penetrates the injection port 11a via the double-sided tape 7 having adhesive layers formed on both sides. It is attached in an upright position on the surface 10a of the microchannel chip 10. With the adapter 20 attached to the microchannel chip 10, the double-sided tape 7 is in close contact with the bottom surface 21a of the tubular body 21 and the entire surface 10a around the injection port 11a, so that the insertion hole 3 and the injection hole 11 are in close contact with each other. The surrounding area is sealed.

Since the adapter 20 is detachably attached to the surface 10a of the microchannel chip 10 using the double-sided tape 7, the adapter 20 is used as a general-purpose adapter to be attached only to the microchannel chip 10 where backflow of the sample may occur. Can be done.

Hereinafter, the operation of the adapter 20 when injecting the sample from the pipette 50 into the microchannel 14 will be described. In the standby state before inserting the pipette 50 into the insertion hole 3, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the four tongue pieces 27a separated by the slit 28 are not subjected to external force, so that the adjacent tongue pieces 27a are adjacent to each other. , 27a are in close contact with each other, and the gaps between the slits 28 and 28 are closed.

When the sample is injected from the pipette 50 into the microchannel 14, the tip 50a of the pipette 50 is inserted through the opening above the insertion hole 3 of the adapter 20 as shown in FIG. In the process of inserting the pipette 50, a constricted portion 24 having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is formed at an intermediate position of the insertion hole 3 above the blocking wall 27, and is shown in FIG. As described above, before the pipette 50 reaches the blocking wall 27, the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 abuts on the constricted portion 24, and the entire upper part of the tubular main body 21 is curved in the diameter expansion direction. The four tongue pieces 27a whose base ends are cantilevered and supported by the tubular body 21 by bending the upper part of the tubular body 21 in the radial direction from the central axis of the insertion hole 3 are respectively from the base end to the tip. It is inclined upward toward (free end), a gap through which the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is inserted is formed between the tips, and the slit 28 is opened.

Therefore, the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 can be inserted into the gap of the open slit 28, and the blocking wall 27 can be easily inserted. Further, at the insertion position shown in FIG. 9 in which the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is inserted below the blocking wall 27 of the adapter 20, two slits 28 orthogonal to the central axis of the insertion hole 3 and a constricted portion 24 above the two slits 28 are inserted. Since the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is supported in the vertical direction along the central axis of the insertion hole 3 at the two positions of the pipette 50, the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is above the injection port 11a of the injection hole 11. positioned.

Since the double-sided tape 7 is in close contact with the periphery where the insertion hole 3 and the injection hole 11 communicate with each other, the sample is dropped from the tip 50a of the pipette 50 to the injection port 11a, or a predetermined injection pressure is applied. By injecting the sample from the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 into the injection port 11a, the sample is injected into the microchannel 14.

After injecting the required total amount of sample, until the tip 50a of the pipette 50 is pulled upward from the constriction 27 of the insertion hole 3, there is a gap between the tips of the four tongue pieces 27a, so that the pipette is blocked. It can be easily pulled out from the wall 27, and when the tip portion 50a of the pipette 50 is completely pulled out upward from the constricted portion 27, the four tongue pieces 27a formed of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) are in the original shape in the standby state. The insertion hole 3 is blocked by the blocking wall 27 in which the gaps between the slits 28 and 28 are closed. As a result, even if the pressure inside the insertion hole 3 temporarily becomes negative compared to the internal pressure of the microchannel 14, the sample injected into the microchannel 14 does not flow back into the insertion hole 3.

According to this adapter 20, since there is a fixing portion 29 for fixing between the upper cylinder portion 25 and the lower cylinder portion 26 in the extension direction of the slits 28 and 28 formed in the blocking wall 27, a pipette to the slit 28 is provided. Even if the tip portion 50a of the 50 is repeatedly inserted and removed, the crevice in the slit 28 does not advance beyond the fixing portion 29.

In the above-described embodiment, the example of inserting the pipette 50 into the insertion holes of the adapters 1 and 20 has been described. However, the tube connected to the pressure pump or the like is inserted into the insertion holes of the adapters 1 and 20 and the tip of the tube is inserted. The sample may be injected into the microchannel 14 from the above.

Further, the barrier walls 5 and 27 can be formed of any material as long as they are elastomers, and are not necessarily made of the same material as the tubular main bodies 2 and 21 of the adapters 1 and 20.

Further, the tubular main body may be integrally formed by fixing the laminated surfaces of three or more cylindrical portions laminated in the vertical direction, and further, a flat disk having a blocking wall on the center side is blocked. A slit may be formed in a portion to be a wall, and an upper cylinder portion and a lower cylinder portion may be laminated on the upper and lower sides of the disk to fix the laminated surfaces excluding the blocking wall to form a tubular main body.

Further, the shape of the insertion hole penetrating the tubular body is not limited to a cylindrical shape, such as a square tubular shape having a rectangular cross section. For example, if the cross-sectional shape of the insertion hole is quadrangular, the tongue piece separated by the slit formed in the blocking wall is cantilevered on the inner wall surface of the insertion hole at the base end on a straight line and becomes the tongue piece. The tip of a pipette or tube can be inserted with a low insertion force without causing torsional stress.

Further, the number and shape of the slits formed in the barrier wall are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be arbitrarily selected according to the outer shape of the tip of the pipette or tube and the shape of the insertion hole.

Suitable for adapters attached to microchannel chips where samples injected from the microchannel may flow back.

1, 20 Adapter 2, 21 Cylindrical body 2a, 21a Bottom surface of tubular body 3 Insertion hole 5, 27 Blocking wall 6, 28 Slit 7 Double-sided tape 10 Micro flow path tip 10a Surface of micro flow path tip 11 Injection hole 11a Note Inlet 14 Micro flow path 24 Constriction 25 Upper cylinder 25a Laminated surface 26 Lower cylinder 26a Laminated surface 29 Fixed part

Claims (6)

Microchannel The insertion hole for inserting the tip of a pipette or tube that injects a sample into the microchannel of the tip consists of a cylindrical body that penetrates vertically.
Attach the bottom surface of the cylindrical body in close contact with the opening of the injection hole that communicates with the microchannel on the surface of the microchannel chip.
An adapter that injects a sample from a pipette or tube with the tip inserted into the insertion hole into the microchannel through the injection hole.
A blocking wall made of an elastomer that blocks the insertion hole is provided.
The barrier wall is formed by molding PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) with a mold and integrally formed with the cylindrical body.
An adapter characterized in that a slit is formed in the barrier wall so that the tip of the pipette or tube can be inserted and removed. The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the inner diameter of the insertion hole above the blocking wall is smaller than the outer diameter of the tip of the pipette or tube to be inserted into the insertion hole. The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of slits intersecting at the central axis of the insertion hole are formed in the barrier wall. The tubular main body is integrally formed by fixing between the opposing laminated surfaces of a plurality of tubular portions that are laminated in the vertical direction.
The adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the blocking wall is integrally formed along the laminated surface of any of the tubular portions. The adapter according to claim 4 , wherein the laminated surface facing the laminated surface of the tubular portion integrally formed with the blocking wall is fixed at least at a portion in the extension direction of the slit. Any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the bottom surface of the tubular body is attached to the surface of the microchannel chip in close contact with the surface of the microchannel chip via a double-sided tape having adhesive layers formed on both sides. The adapter described in the section.

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