Functional hydrogel structures for autonomous flow control inside microfluidic channels

Nature ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 404 (6778) ◽  
pp. 588-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Beebe ◽  
Jeffrey S. Moore ◽  
Joseph M. Bauer ◽  
Qing Yu ◽  
Robin H. Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Microfluidic Channels

scholarly journals Electro-actuated valves and self-vented channels enable programmable flow control and monitoring in capillary-driven microfluidics

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. eaay8305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulieth Arango ◽  
Yuksel Temiz ◽  
Onur Gökçe ◽  
Emmanuel Delamarche
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Microfluidic Channels ◽  
Electronic Feedback ◽  
Programmable Device ◽  
Assay Protocol

Microfluidics are essential for many lab-on-a-chip applications, but it is still challenging to implement a portable and programmable device that can perform an assay protocol autonomously when used by a person with minimal training. Here, we present a versatile concept toward this goal by realizing programmable liquid circuits where liquids in capillary-driven microfluidic channels can be controlled and monitored from a smartphone to perform various advanced tasks of liquid manipulation. We achieve this by combining electro-actuated valves (e-gates) with passive capillary valves and self-vented channels. We demonstrate the concept by implementing a 5-mm-diameter microfluidic clock, a chip to control four liquids using 100 e-gates with electronic feedback, and designs to deliver and merge multiple liquids sequentially or in parallel in any order and combination. This concept is scalable, compatible with high-throughput manufacturing, and can be adopted in many microfluidics-based assays that would benefit from precise and easy handling of liquids.

scholarly journals Design, Simulation, and Experiment of an LTCC-Based Xenon Micro Flow Control Device for an Electric Propulsion System

Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Bin Guan ◽  
Yan Shen ◽  
Zhao-Pu Yao ◽  
Zhao-Li Wang ◽  
Mei-Jie Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Electric Propulsion ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Control Device ◽  
Microfluidic Channels ◽  
Optimized Design ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Flow Control Device ◽  
Micro Flow

A xenon micro flow control device (XMFCD) is the key component of a xenon feeding system, which controls the required micro flow xenon (µg/s–mg/s) to electric thrusters. Traditional XMFCDs usually have large volume and weight in order to achieve ultra-high fluid resistance and have a long producing cycle and high processing cost. This paper proposes a miniaturized, easy-processing, and inexpensive XMFCD, which is fabricated by low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. The design of the proposed XMFCD based on complex three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic channels is described, and its fabrication process based on LTCC is illustrated. The microfluidic channels of the fabricated single (9 mm diameter and 1.4 mm thickness) and dual (9 mm diameter and 2.4 mm thickness) XMFCDs were both checked by X-ray, which proved the LTCC method’s feasibility. A mathematical model of flow characteristics is established with the help of finite element analysis, and the model is validated by the experimental results of the single and dual XMFCDs. Based on the mathematical model, the influence of the structure parameters (diameter of orifice and width of the groove) on flow characteristics is investigated, which can guide the optimized design of the proposed XMFCD.

Opto-Smart Systems in Microfluidics

2016 ◽  
pp. 265-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Florea ◽  
Dermot Diamond ◽  
Fernando Benito-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Flow Control ◽  
Control Flow ◽  
Microfluidic Channels ◽  
Liquid Motion ◽  
Smart Systems ◽  
Non Invasive

The possibility of using photo-stimulus to control flow in microfluidics devices is very appealing as light can provide contactless stimulation, is biocompatible and can be applied in a non-invasive and highly precise manner. One of the most popular ways to achieve photo-control flow in microfluidic channels is throughout the use of photo-responsive molecules. We review here the different principles and strategies of using photo-responsive molecules to induce or control liquid motion using light, which include the use of photo-controlled polymeric actuators, photo-sensitive coatings, or photo-sensitive surfactants. We further analyse the capability of these approaches to induce flow control throughout the photo-operation of valves, photo-control of electro-osmotic flows or photo-manipulation of discrete microliter-sized droplets.

Towards light-addressable flow control: Responsive hydrogels with incorporated graphene oxide as laser-driven actuator structures within microfluidic channels

2019 ◽  
Vol 288 ◽  
pp. 579-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Breuer ◽  
Johanna Pilas ◽  
Eric Guthmann ◽  
Michael J. Schöning ◽  
Ronald Thoelen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graphene Oxide ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Microfluidic Channels ◽  
Responsive Hydrogels

scholarly journals Predicting Dimensions in Microfluidic Paper Based Analytical Devices

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Raquel Catalan-Carrio ◽  
Tugce Akyazi ◽  
Lourdes Basabe-Desmonts ◽  
Fernando Benito-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Flow Control ◽  
Mass Production ◽  
Heating Process ◽  
Microfluidic Channels ◽  
Fabrication Method ◽  
Simple Manner ◽  
Wax Printing ◽  
Paper Microfluidic ◽  
Fluid Flow Control

The main problem for the expansion of the use of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices and, thus, their mass production is their inherent lack of fluid flow control due to its uncontrolled fabrication protocols. To address this issue, the first step is the generation of uniform and reliable microfluidic channels. The most common paper microfluidic fabrication method is wax printing, which consists of two parts, printing and heating, where heating is a critical step for the fabrication of reproducible device dimensions. In order to bring paper-based devices to success, it is essential to optimize the fabrication process in order to always get a reproducible device. Therefore, the optimization of the heating process and the analysis of the parameters that could affect the final dimensions of the device, such as its shape, the width of the wax barrier and the internal area of the device, were performed. Moreover, we present a method to predict reproducible devices with controlled working areas in a simple manner.

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