Microfluidic device for production and collection of droplets of a fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10563246-B2
Application number	US-201113876960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2011
Priority date	Oct 1, 2010
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

A microfluidic device and method for producing and collecting single droplets of a first fluid, the device including a microfluidic platform having at least a droplet microchannel wherein is produced a flow of single droplets of the first fluid dispersed in a second fluid immiscible with the first fluid, the droplet microchannel having at least one inlet extremity and at least one outlet extremity for distributing the flow of droplets, the device further including:
a collection device including a plurality of receiving areas adapted to collect at least one of the droplets, elements for changing the relative position of the collection device and the outlet of the microfluidic platform, elements for controlling the flow of droplets, and elements for synchronizing the flow of droplets at the outlet of the droplet microchannel and the relative movement of the collection device with regards to the microfluidic platform.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Microfluidic device for the production and collection of droplets of a first fluid, said device comprising:
a microfluidic platform comprising:
a first fluid microchannel fed with said first fluid, and a first fluid inlet in fluid communication with the first fluid microchannel;
a second fluid microchannel fed with a second fluid immiscible with said first fluid, and a second fluid inlet in fluid communication with the second fluid microchannel, wherein the second fluid microchannel splits into two fluid microchannels, and then said two fluid microchannels converge and intersect with the first fluid microchannel; and
a droplet microchannel,
said first fluid microchannel and second fluid microchannel intersecting at an inlet extremity of said droplet microchannel and communicating with said droplet microchannel in order to merge said first and second fluids,
wherein is produced within said droplet microchannel of the microfluidic platform a flow of single droplets of said first fluid dispersed in said second fluid immiscible with the first fluid,
said droplet microchannel also comprising an outlet extremity for the distribution of said flow of droplets exiting the droplet microchannel,

a collection device positioned separate and outside of the microfluidic platform, comprising a plurality of receiving areas adapted to collect at least one of said droplets exiting the droplet microchannel through the outlet extremity,
means for moving the collection device and all of its plurality of receiving areas and the outlet of the microfluidic platform relative to each other, in order to place said outlet in front of one of said plurality of receiving areas,
means for controlling the flow of droplets by controlling the time elapsed between the production of a given single droplet and the arrival of this droplet at the outlet extremity of the droplet microchannel and/or by controlling the distance between two successive single droplets in said flow of droplets, and
means for synchronizing the flow of droplets at the outlet extremity of said droplet microchannel and the relative movement of the collection device with regards to the microfluidic platform in order for a controlled number of droplets exiting the outlet extremity of the microfluidic platform placed in front of one of said receiving areas by said means for moving the collection device and the outlet of the microfluidic platform relative to each other to be collected in this receiving area.

2. The microfluidic device according to claim 1 , wherein said flow control means control at least the speed of said flow of droplets.

3. The microfluidic device according to claim 1 , wherein said synchronization means synchronize the flow of droplets at the outlet extremity of said droplet microchannel and the movements of the collection device depending on the positions of the receiving areas on said collection device.

4. The microfluidic device according to claim 1 , wherein said flow control means comprise means for controlling the pressure of said first fluid in said first fluid microchannel and means for controlling the pressure of said second fluid in said second fluid microchannel.

5. The microfluidic device according to claim 1 , wherein said microfluidic platform further comprises a reagent microchannel fed with a chemical or biological reagent, the reagent microchannel leading into said first fluid microchannel, upstream from the intersection between this first fluid microchannel and said second fluid microchannel,
and wherein said flow control means comprise means for controlling the pressure of said reagent in said reagent microchannel.

6. The microfluidic device according to claim 1 , wherein said droplet microchannel is fluidly connected to a capillary and the end of which forms the outlet extremity of the droplet microchannel for the distribution of the flow of droplets.

7. The microfluidic device according to claim 1 , wherein said first fluid comprises a plurality of particles, each droplet encapsulating one or zero of these particles.

8. The microfluidic device according to claim 1 , wherein each droplet of said flow of single droplets is produced by a transient variation of pressure of at least one of said first and second fluids in said first or second microchannel.

9. The microfluidic device according to claim 5 , wherein each droplet of said flow of single droplets is produced by a transient variation of pressure of at least said reagent in said reagent microchannel.

10. Device for the collection and study of living cells, multicellular organisms, or microorganisms from a suspension of said cells, multicellular organisms, or microorganisms in a first fluid, said device comprising at least one microfluidic device according to claim 1 , and wherein said microfluidic device is located within a controlled atmosphere enclosure.

11. Method for producing and collecting isolated droplets of a first fluid using a microfluidic device for the production and collection of droplets of a first fluid, said device comprising:
a microfluidic platform comprising:
a first fluid microchannel fed with said first fluid, and a first fluid inlet in fluid communication with the first fluid microchannel;
a second fluid microchannel fed with a second fluid immiscible with said first fluid, and a second fluid inlet in fluid communication with the second fluid microchannel, wherein the second fluid microchannel splits into two fluid microchannels, and then said two fluid microchannels converge and intersect with the first fluid microchannel; and
a droplet microchannel,
said first fluid microchannel and second fluid microchannel intersecting at an inlet extremity of said droplet microchannel and communicating with said droplet microchannel in order to merge said first and second fluids,
wherein is produced within said droplet microchannel of the microfluidic platform a flow of single droplets of said first fluid dispersed in said second fluid immiscible with the first fluid,
said droplet microchannel also comprising an outlet extremity for the distribution of said flow of droplets exiting the droplet microchannel,

a collection device positioned separate and outside of the microfluidic platform, comprising a plurality of receiving areas adapted to collect at least one of said droplets exiting the droplet microchannel through the outlet extremity,
means for moving the collection device and all of its plurality of receiving areas and the outlet of the microfluidic platform relative to each other, in order to place said outlet in front of one of said plurality of receiving areas,
means for controlling the flow of droplets by controlling the time elapsed between the production of a given single droplet and the arrival of this droplet at the outlet extremity of the droplet microchannel and/or by controlling the distance between two successive single droplets in said flow of droplets, and
means for synchronizing the flow of droplets at the outlet extremity of said droplet microchannel and the relative movement of the collection device with regards to the microfluidic platform in order for a controlled number of droplets exiting the outlet extremity of the microfluidic platform placed in front of one of said receiving areas by said means for moving the collection device and the outlet of the microfluidic platform relative to each other to be collected in this receiving area,
said method comprising the steps of:
a) feeding a first microchannel of a microfluidic platform of said microfluidic device with said first fluid,
b) feeding a second microchannel of said microfluidic platform with a second fluid immiscible with the first fl

Assignees

• Potier Marie Claude
• Tabeling Patrick
• Dauphinot Luce
• Bois Nadege
• Monti Fabrice
• Mary Pascaline
• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Potier Marie-Claude
• Tabeling Patrick
• Dauphinot Luce
• Bois Nadege
• Monti Fabrice
• Mary Pascaline

Classifications

• B01L2200/0647

  Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles · CPC title

• B01L2400/0433

  vibrational forces · CPC title

• B01L2200/025

  Align devices or objects to ensure defined positions relative to each other · CPC title

• G01N35/028

  having reaction cells in the form of microtitration plates · CPC title

• B01L2400/0487

  fluid pressure, pneumatics · CPC title