KR20110122626A - Micro-valve structure including polymer actuator and lab-on-a-chip module - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A micro valve structure including a polymer actuator and a lab-on-a-chip module are provided to improve the durability and the reliability of the micro valve structure and the lab-on-a-chip module by prevent the direction contact of fluid and the polymer actuator. CONSTITUTION: A micro valve structure includes a substrate(10), a flexible structure(20), and a polymer actuator(40). The flexible structure is arranged on the substrate. The polymer actuator is inserted into the flexible structure. The flexible structure includes a valve part which defines a micro channel(30). The polymer actuator is separated from the micro channel by the flexible structure. The width of the micro channel is capable of being changed by directly controlling the displacement of the valve part using the polymer actuator.

Description

Micro-Valve Structure Including Polymer Actuator And Lab-On-A-Chip Module

The present invention relates to a fine flow path control technology, and more particularly to a fine valve structure and a wrap-on-a-chip module including a polymer actuator.

Recently, with the development of biosensor technology and semiconductor technology, the development and application of microfluidic control technology for controlling the flow rate or direction of the microfluid is accelerated. By such microfluidic control techniques, trace amounts of certain components contained in biological fluids such as blood can be detected quantitatively or qualitatively. As such, this technology is becoming a core technology in the field of biochip or lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology.

In order to control the microfluid, a patterning technique capable of forming the microchannels in a desired shape and a switching technique capable of controlling the opening and closing of the microchannel should be secured. The microchannel patterning technology has been made possible by the development of semiconductor manufacturing technology or microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. The microchannel switching technology may be implemented through a microactuator using a piezoelectric element. Such micro-drivers using piezoelectric elements are not only suitable for mass production but also provide high reliability, but due to the large power consumption and the limitation in miniaturization, such micro-drivers are used in point-of-care testing (POCT) devices or portable devices. Difficult to use

One technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a fine valve structure that can provide small power consumption, small volume and enhanced durability.

One technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a wrap-on-a-chip including a fine valve structure that can provide a small power consumption, small volume and enhanced durability.

There is provided a fine valve structure in which opening and closing of the valve is directly controlled by the polymer actuator. The fine valve structure may include a substrate, a flexible structure disposed on the substrate, and a polymer actuator inserted into the flexible structure. In this case, the flexible structure may have a valve portion defining a microchannel, and the polymer actuator may be separated from the microchannel by the flexible structure. In addition, the polymer actuator may be configured to change the width of the fine flow path by directly controlling the displacement of the valve unit.

According to some embodiments, the polymer driver may include a pair of electrodes and an ionic polymer metal composite interposed therebetween. The ion conductive polymer composite may be one of sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymers.

According to some embodiments, the micro-channel may include a first channel and a second channel spaced apart from each other, the valve portion of the flexible structure is interposed between the first and second channel, the polymer actuator It may have a portion inserted into the valve portion. In addition, the polymer actuator may have a width greater than the sum of the widths of the first and second flow paths and the valve portion, and may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape having upper and lower surfaces of a rectangle.

According to some embodiments, the microchannel may have an inlet through which fluid is supplied from the outside and an outlet through which the fluid is discharged. In addition, the substrate may have a recessed area used as the fine flow path, and the valve portion of the flexible structure may be inserted into the recessed area.

According to some embodiments, the polymer driver may be arranged such that its widest surface is substantially parallel to the top surface of the substrate. According to other embodiments, the polymer driver may be arranged such that its widest surface is substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate.

There is provided a fine valve structure having a polymer actuator. The microvalve structure includes a flexible structure disposed on a substrate, including a valve portion interposed between the first and second flow paths spaced apart from each other, and a polymer actuator inserted into the flexible structure and configured to control displacement of the valve portion. It may include.

According to some embodiments, the polymer actuator may be spaced apart from the first and second flow paths by the flexible structure. The polymer driver may include a pair of electrodes and an ionic polymer metal composite interposed therebetween. In this case, the polymer driver is surrounded by the flexible structure, so that the electrodes of the polymer driver may not be exposed to the external atmosphere or the first and second flow paths. The ion conductive polymer composite may be one of sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymers.

A lab-on-a-chip module having a polymer actuator is provided. The module may have a flexible structure, a plurality of polymer drivers inserted into the flexible structure, and a controller for independently controlling each of the polymer drivers. In this case, the flexible structure may include a first flow path, a plurality of second flow paths, and a plurality of valve parts that spatially separate the second flow paths from the first flow path, and each of the polymer actuators may include the valve parts. It can be configured to control each displacement.

According to some embodiments, the controller may be configured to drive at least two of the polymer drivers at different times with a predetermined time interval.

According to some embodiments, the first flow passage may be configured to allow a fluid including biomolecules to pass through, and each of the second flow passages may be formed with a reactant that reacts with the biomolecule. The reactants formed in the second flow paths may be the same, and all of the polymer actuators may be configured to be driven at different times.

In addition, at least one reaction detection device may be further disposed on the second flow paths to monitor a reaction between the fluid and the reactant.

According to embodiments of the invention, a polymer actuator is used for the microvalve structure or the wrap-on-a-chip, which produces a mechanical displacement corresponding to the applied voltage. Accordingly, compared to the method using a piezoelectric element, the microvalve structure or the lab-on-a-chip can not only be miniaturized but also can realize a small power consumption characteristic. Accordingly, the lab-on-a-chip according to the present invention can be commercialized as a point-of-care testing (POCT) device or a portable device.

In addition, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the polymer actuator is spaced apart from the microchannel by the flexible structure. That is, the polymer actuator is configured not to be in direct contact with the fluid in the microchannel. Accordingly, technical difficulties in which the polymer actuator is degraded by direct contact with the fluid can be prevented. That is, the microvalve structure or wrap-on-a-chip according to the present invention may have improved durability and reliability.

On the other hand, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the valve portion for controlling the opening and closing operation (eg, the width control of the flow path) of the fine valve is mechanically directly connected to the polymer actuator. Accordingly, the driving force of the polymer actuator for the opening and closing operation may be directly transmitted to the valve unit. By direct transfer of such driving force, the microvalve structure or wrap-on-a-chip according to the present invention can realize an increased operating speed.

1 and 2 are diagrams for exemplarily describing a fine valve structure and a method of operating the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing an exemplary wrap-on-a-chip according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 to 8 are perspective views for illustratively explaining a fine valve structure and its operation method according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.
9 and 10 are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view for illustratively explaining a fine valve structure and its operation method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 and 12 are perspective views illustrating an exemplary microvalve structure and a method of operating the same according to other modified embodiments of the present invention.
13 and 14 are cross-sectional views illustrating exemplary wrap-on-a-chips according to other embodiments of the present invention.
15 is a diagram for exemplarily explaining the use of a lab-on-a-chip according to the present invention.

Objects, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood through the following preferred embodiments associated with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that the disclosure can be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, when it is mentioned that a film is on another film or substrate, it means that it may be formed directly on another film or substrate, or a third film may be interposed therebetween. Further, in the drawings, the thicknesses of the films and regions are exaggerated for an effective explanation of the technical content. Also, while the terms first, second, third, etc. in various embodiments of the present disclosure are used to describe various regions, films, etc., these regions and films should not be limited by these terms . These terms are only used to distinguish any given region or film from another region or film. Thus, the membrane referred to as the first membrane in one embodiment may be referred to as the second membrane in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and exemplified herein also includes its complementary embodiment.

1 and 2 are diagrams for exemplarily describing a fine valve structure and a method of operating the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the flexible structure 20 is disposed on the substrate 10, and the polymer actuator 40 is inserted into the flexible structure 20.

The substrate 10 and the flexible structure 20 may be arranged to define at least one flow path 30. For example, the flow path 30 may be formed between the bottom surface of the flexible structure 20 and the top surface of the substrate 10. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, sidewalls of the flow path 30 may be defined by the flexible structure 20. That is, the bottom surface of the flexible structure 20 may be recessed upwards to define sidewalls of the flow path 30. However, according to other embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the top surface of the substrate 10 may be recessed downward to define sidewalls of the flow path 30.

The substrate 10 may be glass. However, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the substrate 10 may be formed of at least one selected from a fluid flowing through the flow path 30 or materials that do not react with materials included in the fluid.

The flexible structure 20 may be one of polymer compounds having elasticity. More specifically, the flexible structure 20 may be a material that does not react with a fluid flowing through the flow path 30 or materials included in the fluid among polymer compounds known as elastomers. For example, the flexible structure 20 may be formed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

The flexible structure 20 having the flow path 30 may be formed using soft lithography techniques. For example, the flow path 30 may include a micro contact printing (μCP), a replica molding (REM), a microtransfer molding (μTM), a micro molding-in-capillary ( It may be formed on one surface of the flexible structure 20 using one of micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) or solvent-assisted micromolding (SAMIM) techniques. The flexible structure 20 may be attached onto the substrate 10 through an adhesion process such as an oxygen plasma treatment.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the flexible structure 20 may include a valve portion 25 interposed between the flow paths 30, the side wall of the flow path 30 is the valve portion 25 Can be defined by The bottom surface of the valve portion 25 may substantially contact the top surface of the substrate 10, but they may not be bonded. Accordingly, the distance between the valve portion 25 and the substrate 10 may be adjusted by the polymer driver 40, as shown in FIG. 2.

The polymer driver 40 may be a pair of electrically separated electrodes 41 and 42 and an electroactive polymer 45 interposed between the electrodes 41 and 42. The electrodes 41 and 42 may include at least one of metallic materials. For example, the electrodes 41 and 42 may be platinum or gold coated on two opposite sides of the electroactive polymer 45. Meanwhile, according to an aspect of the present invention, the electrodes 41 and 42 of the polymer driver 40 may not be exposed to the external atmosphere or the flow paths 30. To this end, a thin protective film (not shown) may be further formed on the surface of the polymer driver 40. The passivation layer may have a flexible characteristic.

The electroactive polymer 45 may be a material that may exhibit bending actuation under an applied voltage. For example, the electroactive polymer 45 may be an ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC). When the ion conductive polymer composite is used as the electroactive polymer 45, the potential difference between the electrodes 41 and 42 is ion migration occurring inside the ion conductive polymer composite. And electrostatic repulsion, which may result in the above-described bending drive phenomenon and thereby displacement of the polymer actuator 40 and the valve portion 25. According to some embodiments, the ion conductive polymer composite may be one of sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene based fluoropolymer-copolymers, but the technical spirit of the present invention is illustrated herein. It is not limited to materials. According to modified embodiments, the ion conductive polymer composite may further include graphene oxide or graphene.

The polymer actuator 40 may be formed adjacent to the valve portion 25 in the flexible structure 20. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, when a potential difference is generated between the electrodes 41 and 42, the valve unit 25 may be caused by the bending driving phenomenon of the polymer actuator 40. It may be spaced apart from the substrate 10. As a result, a fine passage 35 connecting the flow paths 30 may be formed between the valve portion 25 and the substrate 10.

According to some embodiments of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the valve portion 25 may be mechanically connected directly to the polymer actuator 40, whereby the valve portion 25 May be directly driven by the polymer driver 40. As a result, the mechanical displacement of the valve portion 25 can be controlled directly by the polymer actuator 40. This configuration of the present invention, the valve portion 25 can provide significantly superior characteristics in the reaction rate and driving force, etc., compared to the modified embodiments in which the polymer actuator 40 is spaced apart. Meanwhile, in such embodiments, the polymer actuator 40 may be formed to have a width greater than the sum of the widths of the pair of flow paths 30 and the valve portion 25.

3 and 4 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing an exemplary wrap-on-a-chip according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 shows a cross section taken along the dashed line I-I of FIG. 3. For brevity of description, descriptions of technical features that overlap with those of the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3, a flexible structure 20 defining a first flow path 301 and a second flow path 302 spaced apart from each other is formed on the substrate 10. In addition, the flexible structure 20 may be formed to define a third flow path 303 spaced therebetween between the first and second flow paths 301 and 302. Each of the first and second flow paths 301 and 302 may have an inlet 36 configured to supply fluid from the outside. In addition, each of the first to third flow paths 301, 302, and 303 may further have an outlet 37 configured to discharge the supplied fluid.

As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible structure 20 includes a first valve part 251 and the second and third flow paths 302 formed between the first and third flow paths 301 and 303. , 303 may have a second valve portion 252 formed therebetween. In addition, in the flexible structure 20, first and second polymer actuators 401 and 402 disposed on the first and second valve parts 251 and 252 may be inserted. In the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1, the valve portion 25 and the polymer actuator 40 may include the first valve portion 251, the first polymer actuator 401, and the second valve portion 252. ) And the second polymer driver 402.

At least one of the first and second flow paths 301 and 302 may be supplied with a fluid including a biomolecule, and the other may be supplied with a reactant that reacts with the biomolecule. Accordingly, when the first and second valve parts 251 and 252 are separated from the substrate 10 by the driving of the first and second polymer drivers 401 and 402, the biomolecule and the reaction are performed. The material may react after being introduced into the third flow path 303. According to embodiments of the present invention, the fluid including the biomolecule may be blood, but is not limited thereto, and the type of the biomolecule is also not limited.

5 to 8 are perspective views for illustratively explaining a fine valve structure and its operation method according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. For brevity of description, descriptions of technical features that overlap with those of the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 may be omitted.

5 to 8, a recess region 15 having an upper surface lower than the periphery may be formed in a predetermined region of the substrate 10. The recess region 15 may be formed in various shapes. For example, the width of the recess region 15 may be tapered upwards as shown in FIG. 5, substantially the same as shown in FIG. 6, or tapered downward as shown in FIG. 7.

The flexible structure 20 may have a valve portion 25 inserted into the recess region 15, and the polymer actuator 40 adjacent to the valve portion 25 may be inserted into the flexible structure 20. Can be. The valve part 25 may be formed to have an engaged shape with the recessed area 15. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the recess region 15 is tapered upward, the valve portion 25 may also be upward tapered. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the recess region 15 and the valve portion 25 are formed to have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, or as shown in FIG. 7, the recess region 15 and the valve portion 25. May be tapered downward.

As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the microvalve structures according to these embodiments may be a normally open structure. That is, when no voltage is applied, the flow path defined by the substrate 10 and the flexible structure 20 may be in an open state. To this end, when no voltage is applied, the recess region 15 and the valve portion 25 are spaced apart from each other, and the flow path may be in an open state. In addition, the width of the valve portion 25 may be smaller than the width of the recess region 15.

Meanwhile, when a voltage is applied to both electrodes of the polymer driver 40, the polymer driver 40 may be bent upwardly convexly, thereby lifting the valve portion 25 upward. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the flow path may be closed by contacting the side wall of the recess region 15. According to other embodiments, when the voltage is applied, the polymer actuator 40 is convexly curved downward, so that the valve portion 25 may reach the bottom of the recess region 15. In this case, the flow paths in the embodiments shown in Figs. 6 and 7 can be closed.

Spacers (not shown) for determining the thickness of the flow path 30 may be further disposed between the flexible structure 20 and the substrate 10 so that the microvalve structure may be an open structure in a normal state. . According to some embodiments, the spacer may be provided as part of the flexible structure 20 or the substrate 10.

9 and 10 are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view for illustratively illustrating a fine valve structure and its operation method according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figures 11 and 12 are according to other modified embodiments of the present invention These are perspective views for exemplarily describing the fine valve structure and its operation method. For brevity of description, descriptions of technical features that overlap with those of the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 may be omitted.

9 and 10, the flexible structure 20 defining the flow paths 30 spaced apart from each other is disposed on the substrate 10. The flexible structure 20 may have a valve portion 25 interposed between the flow paths 30, and at least one polymer actuator inserted into the valve portion 25 in the flexible structure 20 ( 40) is arranged.

According to some embodiments, the polymer driver 40 may be arranged such that its major axis MA lies substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the polymer driver 40 may be a thin, rectangular cuboid having a rectangular top and bottom surfaces, the surface having the largest area in the polymer driver 40. For example, the upper surface and the lower surface may be perpendicular to the upper surface of the substrate 10. Accordingly, the displacement of the polymer driver 40 may occur in a direction crossing the flow paths 30, and the transverse displacement of the polymer driver 40 may occur in the flow paths ( Causing a lateral displacement of the valve portion 25 that changes the width of 30.

According to some embodiments, the flexible structure 20 may include a gap region 29 disposed above the flow path 30. The gap region 29 may be filled with a gas of atmospheric pressure. The polymer actuator 40 may be inserted into the valve portion 25 of the flexible structure 20 through the gap region 29. Since the gap region 29 reduces the reaction or resistance to the driving force of the polymer driver 40, the driving force of the polymer driver 40 can be better transmitted to the valve portion 25. According to this configuration, the voltage applied to the polymer driver 40 can be lowered.

The bottom surface of the flow paths 30 may be defined by the top surface of the substrate 10 as shown in FIG. 9, but may be defined by the flexible structure 20 as shown in FIG. 10. That is, according to the embodiment of FIG. 10, the flow paths 30 may be spaced apart from the upper surface of the substrate 10 to be formed in the flexible structure 20.

10 and 11, a plurality of polymer actuators 40 may be inserted into the flexible structure 20. In this case, some of the polymer drivers 40 may be configured to generate a driving force directed to one of the flow paths 30, and others may be configured to generate a driving force directed to the other of the flow paths 30. For example, when the flow paths 30 are formed parallel to the xy plane and their long axes are substantially in the y direction, some polymer actuators 40 generate displacement in the x direction and the remaining polymer actuators 40 ) May be configured to produce a displacement in the -x direction. In this case, not only an operation of selectively closing one of the flow paths 30 but also an operation of closing all of the flow paths 30 may be possible.

Meanwhile, the shapes of the flow paths 30 may be variously modified as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the flow path 30 is formed in a zigzag shape, or as shown in FIG. 12, at least one narrow region 30n and at least one large region ( 30w). In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, in the flow path 30, as in the valve of the heart, the boundary area between the narrow area 30n and the wide area 30w tapers toward the wide area 30w. It may be formed to have a true shape.

13 and 14 are cross-sectional views illustrating exemplary wrap-on-a-chips according to other embodiments of the present invention. 15 is a diagram for exemplarily explaining the use of a lab-on-a-chip according to the present invention. For brevity of description, descriptions of technical features that overlap with those of the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 12 may be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the wrap-on-a-chip may include a flexible structure 20 disposed on the substrate 10 to define flow paths 31 and 32. The flow passages 31 and 32 may include a first flow passage 31 connecting the inlet 36 and the outlet 37 and a plurality of second flow passages 32 spaced apart from the first flow passage 31. It may include.

The flexible structure 20 may include valve parts that separate the second flow paths 32 from the first flow path 31. In addition, a plurality of polymer actuators 40 may be inserted into the flexible structure 20, and each of the polymer actuators 40 may be disposed adjacent to each of the valve units. According to some embodiments, the shape and arrangement of the valve portion and the polymer actuator 40 may be the same as in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1. However, according to other embodiments, the shape and arrangement of the valve portion and the polymer actuator 40 may be the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 12 or variations thereof.

In addition, the lab-on-a-chip further includes a controller 90 for driving the polymer drivers 40 and a control wiring structure 71 for electrically connecting the controller 90 and the polymer drivers 40. can do. According to some embodiments, the controller 90 may be provided as an internal component of the lab-on-a-chip. For example, the controller 90 may be attached to one surface of the substrate 10. However, in other embodiments, the controller 90 may be provided as an external component of the lab-on-a-chip. For example, since the control wiring structure 71 is composed of flexible wirings, the relative position and distance between the controller 90 and the substrate 10 may be variable.

The control wiring structure 71 may include a first control wiring 71a which is commonly connected to the polymer drivers 40, and second control wirings 71b which are connected to each of the polymer drivers 40. Can be. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the polymer driver 40 may include a first electrode 41, a second electrode 42, and the electroactive polymer 45 interposed therebetween. In this case, the first control wiring 71a is connected to the first electrodes 41 of the polymer drivers 40, and each of the second control wirings 71b is connected to the polymer drivers 40. It may be connected to each of the second electrodes 42. That is, the number of the second control lines 71b may be equal to the number of the polymer drivers 40.

The first flow path 31 may be configured such that a fluid containing a biomolecule passes through it. For example, the fluid may be blood, and the first flow path 31 may be provided as a bypass of the blood vessel. More specifically, the lab-on-a-chip (LOC) according to the present invention may be attached to a human body (for example, a forearm) as shown in FIG. 15, and the inlet 36 and the outlet port of the first flow path 31 may be 37 may be connected to one of the blood vessels of the human body.

Reactive materials reacting with the biomolecule may be formed in the second flow paths 32. In this case, when the fluid including the biomolecule flows into the second flow path 32 through the driving of the polymer actuators 40, the reaction product 99 between the biomolecule and the reactant is It may be formed in the second flow path (32).

The lab-on-a-chip may further include reaction detectors 80 for monitoring whether the reaction output 99 is produced. For example, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, each of the reaction detectors 80 may be disposed above each of the second flow paths 32. The technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to the method of detecting the reaction product 99, but according to some embodiments, the reaction detector 80 may generate the reaction product 99 using an optical or electrical method. It can be configured to measure whether or not. Operation control of the reaction detector 80 or transmission of measurement data may be implemented through a detection wiring structure 72 connecting the reaction detectors 80 and the controller 90, as shown in FIG. 13. Can be. However, according to other embodiments, the control wiring structure 71 may also function as a detection wiring structure connecting the reaction detectors 80 and the controller 90 as shown in FIG. 14.

Meanwhile, when the second control wires 71b different from each other are connected to the polymer drivers 40, the polymer drivers 40 may be driven independently. For example, the polymer drivers 40 may be sequentially driven in response to a control signal from the controller 90. In this case, the second flow paths 32 may sequentially drive the first flow path ( 31, and the fluid F1 of the first flow path 31 may flow into the open second flow path 32. That is, the controller 90 may be configured to drive the polymer drivers 40 at different times at predetermined time intervals. Since this sequential drive makes it possible to periodically monitor the biochemical state of life, fatal problems such as heart attack or stroke can be prevented. According to these embodiments, the same reactants may be formed in the second flow paths 32.

However, according to modified embodiments, at least two reactant materials may be formed in the second flow paths 32. In this case, two different risk factors or diseases can be monitored through the lab-on-a-chip.

Claims (20)

Board;
A flexible structure disposed on the substrate; And
It includes a polymer actuator (polymer actuator) is inserted into the flexible structure,
The flexible structure has a valve portion defining a microchannel, and the polymer actuator is separated from the microchannel by the flexible structure,
The polymer actuator is fine valve structure is configured to change the width of the micro-path by mechanically controlling the displacement of the valve portion. The method according to claim 1,
The polymer actuator includes a pair of electrodes and an ionic polymer metal composite interposed therebetween. The method according to claim 2,
The ion conductive polymer composite is one of sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymers (sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene based fluoropolymer-copolymers). The method according to claim 1,
The micro channel includes a first channel and a second channel spaced apart from each other,
The valve portion of the flexible structure is interposed between the first and second flow paths,
Wherein said polymer actuator has a portion inserted into said valve portion. The method of claim 4,
And the polymer actuator has a width greater than a sum of the widths of the first and second flow paths and the valve portion. The method of claim 4,
The polymer actuator is a fine valve structure having a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a top surface and a bottom surface of the rectangle. The method according to claim 1,
The micro flow path has a fine valve structure having an inlet through which fluid is supplied from the outside and an outlet through which the fluid is discharged. The method according to claim 1,
And the substrate has a recessed region used as the microchannel, and the valve portion of the flexible structure is inserted into the recessed region. The method according to claim 1,
The polymer actuator is disposed such that its widest surface is substantially parallel to the top surface of the substrate. The method according to claim 1,
The polymer actuator is disposed such that its widest surface is substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate. Board;
A flexible structure disposed on the substrate, including a valve portion between the first and second flow paths spaced apart from each other; And
And a polymer actuator inserted into the flexible structure and configured to control displacement of the valve portion. The method of claim 11,
And the polymer actuator is spaced apart from the first and second flow paths by the flexible structure. The method of claim 11,
The polymer actuator includes a pair of electrodes and an ionic polymer metal composite interposed therebetween. The method according to claim 13,
The polymer actuator is surrounded by the flexible structure, such that the electrodes of the polymer driver are not exposed to the outside atmosphere or the first and second flow paths. The method according to claim 13,
The ion conductive polymer composite is one of sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer-copolymers (sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene based fluoropolymer-copolymers). Board;
A flexible structure including a first flow passage, a plurality of second flow passages, and a plurality of valve portions that spatially separate the second flow passages from the first flow passage;
A plurality of polymer actuators inserted into the flexible structure, each of which is configured to control displacement of each of the valve portions; And
Lab-on-a-chip module having a controller for independently controlling each of the polymer actuators. The method according to claim 16,
And the controller is configured to drive at least two of the polymer drivers at different times with a predetermined time interval. The method according to claim 16,
The first flow path is configured to allow a fluid including biomolecules to pass therethrough,
Each of the second flow paths, the lab-on-a-chip module is formed a reaction material, which reacts with the biomolecule. The method according to claim 18,
The reactant materials formed in the second flow paths are the same, and all of the polymer drivers are driven at different times. The method according to claim 16,
And at least one reaction detection device, disposed on the second flow paths, for monitoring a reaction between the fluid and the reactant.

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