KR20150134562A

KR20150134562A - Microfluidic apparatus

Info

Publication number: KR20150134562A
Application number: KR1020140061409A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 홍정화; 김훈희
Original assignee: 고려대학교 산학협력단
Priority date: 2014-05-22
Filing date: 2014-05-22
Publication date: 2015-12-02

Abstract

The present invention relates to a microfluidic device, and more particularly, to a microfluidic device having a manual valve or an active valve for controlling the flow of fluid flowing in a platform.
To this end, the present invention comprises a platform consisting of two substrates facing each other; A plurality of mixing chambers provided between the substrates; At least one flow path formed between the mixing chambers and formed to flow the fluid; A first valve disposed in a part of the flow path and opening / closing the flow of the fluid; The flow of the fluid flowing in the platform can be controlled.

Description

[0001] MICROFLUIDIC APPARATUS [0002]

The present invention relates to a microfluidic device, and more particularly, to a microfluidic device having a manual valve or an active valve for controlling the flow of fluid flowing in a platform.

Generally, an apparatus that performs biological or chemical reactions by manipulating a small volume of fluid is called a microfluidic device. The microfluidic device includes a microfluidic structure disposed in a platform of various shapes such as a chip, a disk, and the microfluidic structure includes a chamber in which a fluid can be confined, and a flow path through which the fluid can flow, Lt; / RTI >

In order to carry out experiments including biochemical reactions in a small chip, a device designed to arrange a microfluidic structure on a chip-type platform and to perform fluid processing and manipulation in various stages is called a lab-on-a- (lab-on-a-chip). In order to transfer the fluid in the microfluidic structure, a driving pressure is required. Capillary pressure is used as a driving pressure, and pressure by a separate pump is used. In recent years, disk type microfluidic devices have been proposed in which a microfluidic structure is disposed on a disk-shaped platform, a fluid is moved by centrifugal force, and a series of operations are performed. It is also called Lab CD or Lab-on a disk.

On the other hand, the patent documents described in the following prior art documents disclose a method and apparatus for interfacing a microchip to various kinds of modules, and the disclosed technology is useful for various applications such as DNA sequencing, genotyping, It can be used as a sample preparation and analysis system for pathogen detection, diagnosis and biological defense.

However, the above prior art documents do not disclose a valve for controlling the flow of fluid flowing in the platform of the microfluidic device, nor disclose a technical configuration for applying a manual valve or an active valve to the valve.

In addition, the above prior art documents do not disclose a means for increasing the stirring efficiency of the fluid that is stirred in the chamber of the microfluidic device.

Therefore, a technique for controlling the flow of the fluid in the platform of the microfluidic device and a technique for enhancing the efficiency of stirring the fluid are required.

Patent No.: Korean Patent Publication No. 2007-0063542

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a valve for controlling the flow of fluid in a platform of a microfluidic device, To provide a means for agitating which is carried out with a microfluidic device.

To this end, a microfluidic device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a platform composed of two substrates which are bonded to each other; A plurality of mixing chambers provided between the substrates; At least one flow path formed between the mixing chambers and formed to flow the fluid; A first valve disposed in a part of the flow path and opening / closing the flow of the fluid; And the first valve opens and closes the flow of the fluid by centrifugal force.

The chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided at the center of the chamber and includes a propeller for mixing the fluid; And propulsion means for starting the propeller; Respectively.

Further, the starting means according to the embodiment of the present invention may be self-generating means, or the starting means may be a motor for starting the propeller; And a battery for supplying power to the motor; .

Meanwhile, the first valve according to the embodiment of the present invention has one end attached to one side of the flow path, and the other end contacting the other side of the flow path.

The first valve according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed of a polymer material including any one or combination of a polychlorinated resin, a hydrocarbon resin, a vinyl resin, an acrylic resin, and a formalin resin.

To this end, a microfluidic device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a platform composed of two substrates which are bonded to each other; A plurality of mixing chambers provided between the substrates; At least one flow path formed between the mixing chambers and formed to flow the fluid; A second solenoid-type valve disposed in a part of the flow path and opening / closing the flow of the flow path; And the second valve opens and closes the flow of the fluid by application of an electric current.

The chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided at the center of the chamber and includes a propeller for mixing the fluid; And propulsion means for starting the propeller; .

Further, the starting means according to the embodiment of the present invention may be self-generating means, or the starting means may include a motor for starting the propeller; And a DC power supply for supplying power to the motor; .

The second valve according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first block attached to a bottom surface of the flow path, A second block provided on the first block and extending from an upper surface of the flow path to an upper surface of the flow path; A shaft provided between the first block and the second block; A containment chamber built in one side of the flow path and accommodating a part of the shaft; A spring having one end abutting one end of the shaft and the other end abutting the inner end of the storage chamber; And a coil formed by winding the outside of the storage room in the longitudinal direction; And the shaft opens and closes a flow path between the first block and the second block by application of an operation signal.

The operation signal according to an embodiment of the present invention is a current applied to the coil.

To this end, a platform comprising two substrates facing each other according to an embodiment of the present invention; A plurality of mixing chambers provided between the substrates; At least one flow path formed between the mixing chambers and formed at a predetermined depth to allow fluid to flow; A first valve disposed in a part of the flow path and interrupting the flow of the fluid; And a second solenoid-type valve disposed in a part of the flow path and interrupting the flow of the flow path; Wherein the first valve opens and closes the flow of the fluid by centrifugal force, and the second valve opens and closes the flow of the fluid by application of an electric current.

Further, the starting means according to the embodiment of the present invention may be self-generating means, or the starting means may include a motor for starting the propeller; And a battery for supplying power to the motor; .

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description based on the accompanying drawings.

Prior to that, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed in a conventional and dictionary sense, and the inventor may properly define the concept of the term in order to best explain its invention It should be construed in the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

The microfluidic device according to various embodiments of the present invention has an effect of easily controlling the flow of fluid by providing a valve for controlling the flow of the fluid flowing in the platform.

The microfluidic device according to various embodiments of the present invention also has an effect of more easily controlling the fluid flow by selectively applying a manual valve or an active valve to the valve.

Further, the microfluidic device according to various embodiments of the present invention has an effect of facilitating mixing and separation of fluids and cleaning of a mixing chamber by providing an agitator inside the mixing chamber.

1 is an exemplary view showing an example of a microfluidic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a stirrer according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a perspective view showing a manual valve in detail according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a side cross-sectional view of the manual valve shown in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is an exemplary view showing an operation in which the manual valve shown in Fig. 4 is opened by centrifugal force; Fig.
6 is a perspective view illustrating an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 (a) is a side sectional view of the active valve shown in Fig. 6; Fig.
7 (b) is a front view of the active valve shown in Fig. 6; Fig.
FIG. 8 is an exemplary view showing an opening operation of a flow path of an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 9 is an exemplary view showing an operation of shutting off the flow of an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
10 (a) and an example showing a state in which an operation signal is not activated in an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 (b) is an exemplary view showing a state in which an operation signal is applied to an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is an exemplary view showing an example of a microfluidic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
12 is an exemplary view showing an example of a microfluidic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objectives, specific advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. It should be noted that, in the present specification, the reference numerals are added to the constituent elements of the drawings, and the same constituent elements are assigned the same number as much as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. Also, the terms " first ", " second ", and the like are used to distinguish one element from another element, and the element is not limited thereto.

Also, the singular forms as used below include plural forms unless the phrases expressly have the opposite meaning. Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "including" an element, it means that it can include other elements as well, without departing from the other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

The same reference numerals are used for the same members as in Figs. 1 to 12. Fig.

The basic principle of the present invention is to provide a manual valve or an active valve for controlling the flow fluid in the platform of the microfluidic device while providing an agitator suitable for mixing and separating the fluid.

In the following description of the present invention, detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exemplary view showing an example of a microfluidic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a microfluidic device 100 according to the present invention includes a platform 110, a mixing chamber 120, a flow path 130, a manual valve 140, an active valve 150, and a stirrer 160 ).

The microfluidic device 100 constructed as shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail.

First, referring to FIG. 1, a platform 110 is disclosed.

The platform 110 may be composed of an upper substrate 111 and a lower substrate 112 which are bonded to each other. The upper substrate 111 and the lower substrate 112 are preferably formed of a plastic material such as acrylic (PMMA), PDMS, or PC which is easy to mold and has a biologically inactive surface. However, Any material suitable for biological stability, optical transparency and mechanical processing is acceptable. The three-dimensional structure corresponding to the mixing chamber 120 or the flow path 130 is formed on the surface of the upper substrate 111 and the lower substrate 112 facing each other and the fluid is stored or flowed into the platform 110 It is possible to provide a space that can be used. It is preferable that the three-dimensional structure has a structure formed at a negative angle. Referring to FIG. 3, the two substrates 111 and 112 are bonded by an adhesive means B, and the bonding may be performed using an adhesive, a double-sided adhesive tape, solvent bonding, ultrasonic welding, It can be done in various ways.

1, the platform 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention is assumed to be in the form of a disk, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the platform 110 may have various shapes such as a rectangular chip shape, a fan shape or a trapezoid shape. Can be provided.

Meanwhile, first to third chambers 131 to 134 are formed between the first chamber 121 and the fifth chamber 125, respectively. The first to fourth flow paths 131 to 134 are preferably formed at a predetermined depth so that the sample fluid can flow from the chamber to the chamber. In addition, various valves for controlling the flow of the fluid are provided in some sections of the first to third flow paths 131 to 134.

The valve is preferably a manual valve 140 and an active valve 150, and a detailed description thereof will be described later.

A first agitator 161 and a second agitator 162 are provided in the first chamber 121 and the second chamber 122, respectively. Referring to FIG. 2, an agitator 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

2 is an exemplary view showing an example of an agitator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2, the stirrer 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be in the form of a propeller having a plurality of blades a, and a pitch angle between the blades a may be arbitrarily set . The propeller type agitator 160 may be used for various purposes such as rapid cleaning inside the chamber, mixing of the sample fluid, separation of the mixed sample fluid, and the like.

On the other hand, the stirrer 160 can be controlled, for example, by the following two methods.

One is a method of controlling the stirring direction and the stirring intensity of the stirrer 160 using a magnetic field as a method according to Fleming's law and the other is a method of controlling a stirrer 160 by mounting a small motor And controlling the stirring direction and the stirring intensity by the control of the small motor. Here, it is preferable that the small motor is supplied with power from a DC power source (battery). Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, either or both of the above-described methods may be applied to control the agitator 160.

Next, the manual valve 140 and the active valve 150 will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a manual valve in detail according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the manual valve shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 is a cross- Fig.

Referring to FIG. 3, it is preferable that the manual valve 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed in a part of the flow path 130.

The manual valve 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a normally closed valve. Normally, the flow of the fluid is shut off. However, when centrifugal force is applied, a bending phenomenon occurs on the other side of the manual valve 140, Some are open.

For this, one side of the manual valve 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention is adhered to one side of the flow path 130 and the other side of the manual valve 140 is provided against the other side of the flow path 130 . Therefore, when the centrifugal force is applied to the manual valve 140, a centrifugal force is applied to the other side of the manual valve 140, thereby causing a warping phenomenon as shown in FIG. By this deflection, a part of the flow path 130 is opened, through which the fluid can flow to the opposite side of the manual valve 140.

Here, it is preferable that the manual valve 140 is formed of a polymer compound having softness such that warpage occurs when a predetermined force is applied, and examples thereof include polychlorinated, hydrocarbon, vinyl, acrylic, Any material may be used as long as it is a material having ductility in which warpage is generated by a predetermined force.

Next, the active valve 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 (a) is a side sectional view of the active valve shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is an exemplary view showing an operation of opening the flow path of an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is an exemplary view showing an operation of closing an opening of an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 to 9, an active valve 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first block 151, a second block 152, a shaft 153, a coil 154, a spring 155 And a storage room 156.

The active valve 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 6, the active valve 150 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a normally closed valve as in the case of the manual valve 140, and normally blocks the flow of the fluid. However, Some are open.

That is, the active valve 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention is preferably a solenoid-type valve that opens or closes the flow path 130 according to an operation signal, and its specific configuration and operation will be described.

7A, the first block 151, the shaft 153, and the second block 152 are sequentially stacked, and the side end faces sequentially stacked as shown in Fig. 130).

8, a spring 155 is provided inside the containment chamber 156 so as to abut against the other end of the shaft 153, (130) in the horizontal direction. Therefore, one end of the shaft 153 is in contact with one side of the oil passage 130.

Referring to FIG. 9, in the state of FIG. 8, an operation signal is applied to the active valve 150 to open the flow path 130. The operation signal is preferably applied by control means (not shown), and when the operation signal is applied by the control means, the shaft 153 is partially housed inside the containment chamber 156 by attraction.

More specifically, the solenoid-type active valve 150 is wound around a coil 154 outside the containment chamber 156, and a magnetic force is generated when an operation signal (current) is applied to the coil 154. Therefore, the shaft 153 formed of steel is housed in the storage chamber 156 by the magnetic force.

At this time, it is preferable that the operation signal is a signal for generating attraction force stronger than the repulsive force (elastic force) by the spring 155, and the coil 154 of the coil 154 may be increased to increase the attractive force.

As described above, the passage 130 is partially opened by application of the operation signal, so that the fluid can flow to the opposite side of the active valve 150.

Here, the operation signal is preferably a current, and the shaft 153 is housed in the housing 156 in proportion to the magnitude of the operation signal. Accordingly, it is also possible to adjust the opening length of the oil passage 130 by adjusting the length of the shaft 153 to be used.

A specific example in which an operation signal is applied to an active valve according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b).

10 (a), the active valve 150 according to the embodiment of the present invention is electrically opened with the operation signal input line A in the non-operation state. Referring to FIG. 10 (b), when the control means inputs an operation signal to the active valve 150, the operation signal input line A is switched to the upper side to be connected to the active valve 150. Accordingly, the active valve 150 can open the flow path 130 by the operation signal.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary view showing an example of a microfluidic device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is an exemplary view illustrating an example of a microfluidic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Comparing FIG. 11 with FIG. 1, the microfluidic device 200 shown in FIG. 11 is distinguished from FIG. 1 in that all the valves provided are the manual valve 140. Comparing FIG. 12 with FIG. 1, The microfluidic device 200 shown in FIG. 12 is distinguished from FIG. 1 in that all of the valves provided therein are the active valves 150.

That is, the microfluidic device 100 of FIG. 1 has a structure in which the manual valve 140 and the active valve 150 are mixed, and the microfluidic device 200 of FIG. 11 includes only the manual valve 140 , And the microfluidic device 300 of FIG. 12 includes only the active valve 150.

Although the microfluidic devices 100, 200, and 300 have two stirrers 120, the number and position of the stirrers 120 may be arbitrarily selected.

Accordingly, the microfluidic devices 100, 200, and 300 according to various embodiments of the present invention are capable of controlling the flow of fluid within the platform 110 while facilitating fluid agitation in the chamber 120 can do.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

100, 200, 300: microfluidic device 110: platform
120: mixing chamber 130:
140: Manual valve 150: Active valve
160: stirrer 111: upper substrate
112: lower substrate 121 to 125: first to fifth chambers
131 to 134: first to fourth flow paths 151: first block
152: second block 153: shaft
154: coil 155: spring
156: Storage room A: Operation signal input line
B: Adhesion means a: wing

Claims

A platform composed of two substrates facing each other;
A plurality of mixing chambers provided between the substrates;
At least one flow path formed between the mixing chambers and formed to flow the fluid; And
A first valve disposed in a part of the flow path to open and close the flow of the fluid; Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the first valve opens / closes the flow of the fluid by centrifugal force.

The apparatus of claim 1,
A propeller disposed at the center of the chamber for mixing the fluid; And
Starting means for starting the propeller; Further comprising: a microfluidic device.

[3] The apparatus according to claim 2,
Wherein the microfluidic device is a self-generating means.

[3] The apparatus according to claim 2,
A motor for starting the propeller; And
A battery for supplying power to the motor; Wherein the microfluidic device is a microfluidic device.

[2] The apparatus of claim 1,
Wherein one end is attached to one side of the flow path and the other end is adjacent to the other side of the flow path.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first valve
Wherein the microfluidic device is formed of a polymer material including any one or combination of polychlorinated, hydrocarbon, vinyl, acrylic, and formalin resins.

A platform composed of two substrates facing each other;
A plurality of mixing chambers provided between the substrates;
At least one flow path formed between the mixing chambers and formed to flow the fluid; And
A second solenoid-type valve disposed in a part of the flow path and opening / closing the flow of the flow path; Lt; / RTI >
And the second valve opens and closes the flow of the fluid by application of an electric current.

8. The apparatus of claim 7,
A propeller disposed at the center of the chamber for mixing the fluid; And
Starting means for starting the propeller; Wherein the microfluidic device is a microfluidic device.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8,
Wherein the microfluidic device is a self-generating means.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8,
A motor for starting the propeller; And
A battery for supplying power to the motor; Wherein the microfluidic device is a microfluidic device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second valve
A first block attached to a bottom surface of the flow path;
A second block provided on the first block and extending from an upper surface of the flow path to an upper surface of the flow path;
A shaft provided between the first block and the second block;
A containment chamber built in one side of the flow path and accommodating a part of the shaft;
A spring having one end abutting one end of the shaft and the other end abutting the inner end of the storage chamber; And
A coil formed by winding the outside of the storage room in the longitudinal direction; / RTI >
Wherein the shaft opens and closes a flow path between the first block and the second block by application of an operation signal.

12. The method of claim 11,
And the current is applied to the coil.

A platform composed of two substrates facing each other;
A plurality of mixing chambers provided between the substrates;
At least one flow path formed between the mixing chambers and formed to flow the fluid;
A first valve disposed in a part of the flow path to open and close the flow of the fluid; And
A second solenoid-type valve disposed in a part of the flow path and opening and closing the flow of the fluid; Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the first valve opens and closes the flow of the fluid by centrifugal force, and the second valve opens and closes the flow of the fluid by application of an electric current.

14. The apparatus of claim 13,
A propeller disposed at the center of the chamber for mixing the fluid; And
Starting means for starting the propeller; Further comprising: a microfluidic device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14,
Wherein the microfluidic device is a self-generating means.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14,
A motor for starting the propeller; And
A battery for supplying power to the motor; Wherein the microfluidic device is a microfluidic device.