Biopolymer separation using nanostructured arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016146718-A1
Application number	US-201514749202-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 24, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A technique relates sorting biopolymers. The biopolymers are introduced into a nanopillar array, and the biopolymers include a first population and a second population. The nanopillar array includes nanopillars arranged to have a gap separating one from another. The biopolymers are sorted through the nanopillar array by transporting the first population of the biopolymers less than a predetermined bumping size according to a fluid flow direction and by transporting the second population of the biopolymers at least the predetermined bumping size according to a bumped direction different from the fluid flow direction. The nanopillar array is configured to employ the gap with a gap size less than 300 nanometers in order to sort the biopolymers.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for sorting entities, the apparatus comprising:
a first stage including a first nanopillar array corresponding to a first critical bumping dimension; a second stage including a second nanopillar array and a third nanopillar array, the second nanopillar array having a second critical bumping dimension and the third nanopillar array having a third critical bumping dimension; wherein the first nanopillar array is coupled to the second nanopillar array and configured to output the entities less than the first critical bumping dimension to the second nanopillar array; and wherein the first nanopillar array is coupled to the third nanopillar array and is configured to output the entities meeting the first critical bumping dimension to the third nanopillar array.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a third stage including a fourth nanopillar array having a fourth critical bumping dimension, a fifth nanopillar array having a fifth critical bumping dimension, a sixth nanopillar array having a sixth critical bumping dimension, and a seventh nanopillar array having a seventh critical bumping dimension;
wherein the second nanopillar array is configured to output the entities less than the second critical bumping dimension to the fourth nanopillar array and is configured to output the entities meeting the second critical bumping dimension to the fifth nanopillar array; and wherein the third nanopillar array is configured to output the entities less that the third critical bumping dimension to the sixth nanopillar array and is configured to output the entities meeting the third critical bumping dimension to the seventh nanopillar array.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Astier Yann A
• Smith Joshua T
• Stolovitzky Gustavo A
• Wang Chao
• Wunsch Benjamin H

Classifications

• G01N2015/0288

  Sorting the particles · CPC title

• B01L2300/0864

  comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting · CPC title

• B01L2200/0652

  Sorting or classification of particles or molecules · CPC title

• G01N2015/0038

  Investigating nanoparticles · CPC title

• B01L2300/161

  Control and use of surface tension forces, e.g. hydrophobic, hydrophilic · CPC title