Microfluidic particle and manufacturing method thereof, microfluidic system, manufacturing method and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11278899-B2
Application number	US-201916384227-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2019
Priority date	Aug 28, 2018
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of digital microfluidics, and provides a microfluidic particle comprising a charged droplet, an intermediate cladding layer, and a dielectric surface layer. The intermediate cladding layer is hydrophobic and coated outside the charged liquid droplet. The dielectric surface layer is hydrophilic and is coated outside the intermediate cladding layer. A microfluidic system is also provided, where the microfluidic system comprises a digital microfluidic chip and the microfluidic particle is disposed above the digital microfluidic chip.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microfluidic particle provided on a digital microfluidic chip, comprising:
a charged liquid droplet being a hydrophilic substance containing active substances of cells, DNAs, or proteins;
an intermediate cladding layer having hydrophobicity and continuously coated outside of the charged liquid droplet, wherein the intermediate cladding layer comprises: carboxymethylcellulose or soy protein isolate; and
dielectric surface layer having hydrophilicity and continuously coated outside the intermediate cladding layer, wherein the intermediate cladding layer and the dielectric surface layer form a neutral microcapsule structure with a hydrophilic outer surface and a hydrophobic inner surface.

2. The microfluidic particle according to claim 1 , wherein the charged liquid droplet has positive charges.

3. The microfluidic particle according to claim 1 , wherein the dielectric surface layer comprises a silica nanoparticle.

4. The microfluidic particle according to claim 1 , wherein the charged liquid droplet has a volume larger than or equal to 0.1 mm3 and smaller than or equal to 10 mm3, the intermediate cladding layer has a thickness larger than or equal to 1 nm and smaller than or equal to 10 nm, and the dielectric surface layer has a thickness larger than or equal to 1 nm and smaller than or equal to 10 nm.

5. The microfluidic particle according to claim 1 , wherein the digital microfluidic chip comprises:
a substrate; and
an electrode haying a hydrophobic surface disposed over the substrate, wherein the electrode is in direct contact with a flow channel, and the microfluidic particle is contained the flow channel.

6. The microfluidic particle according to claim 5 , wherein the electrode is made of graphene.

7. A method, comprising:
manufacturing a microfluidic particle by:
forming a charged liquid droplet being a hydrophilic substance containing active substances of cells, DNAs, or proteins;
continuously coating a hydrophobic intermediate cladding layer outside of the charged liquid droplet; and continuously coating a hydrophilic dielectric surface layer outside the intermediate cladding layer, wherein the intermediate cladding layer comprises: carboxymethylcellulose or soy protein isolate,
wherein the intermediate cladding layer and the dielectric surface layer form a neutral microcapsule structure with a hydrophilic outer surface and a hydrophobic inner surface; and
providing the microfluidic particle on a digital microfluidic chip.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
forming the digital microfluidic chip having a hydrophobic surface; and
dropping the microfluidic particle onto the hydrophobic surface of the digital microfluidic chip.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein forming the digital microfluidic chip having the hydrophobic surface comprises: forming an electrode on a substrate, the electrode having the hydrophobic surface.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising forming a flow channel, wherein the electrode is in direct contact with the flow channel, and the microfluidic particle is contained in the flow channel.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein a material of the electrode is graphene.

12. A method for driving a microfluidic system, comprising changing a voltage of electrodes to drive a microfluidic particle according to claim 1 to move.

13. A method, comprising:
providing a microfluidic particle on a digital microfluidic chip, the microfluidic particle comprising:
a charged liquid droplet being a hydrophilic substance containing active substances of cells, DNAs, or proteins;
an intermediate cladding layer having hydrophobicity and continuously coated outside of the charged liquid droplet, wherein the intermediate cladding layer comprises: carboxymethylcellulose or soy protein isolate; and
a dielectric surface layer having hydrophilicity and continuously coated outside the intermediate cladding layer, wherein the intermediate cladding layer and the dielectric surface layer form a neutral microcapsule structure with a hydrophilic outer surface and a hydrophobic inner surface.

Assignees

• Beijing Boe Optoelectronics Tech Co Ltd
• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhao Wei
• Wang Chunlei

Classifications

• B01L2300/165

  Specific details about hydrophobic, oleophobic surfaces · CPC title

• B01L3/502707

  characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components · CPC title

• B01L2400/0424

  Dielectrophoretic forces · CPC title

• B01L2300/12

  Specific details about materials · CPC title

• B01L2400/0415

  electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic · CPC title