3d printing of porous liquid handling device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020016829-A1
Application number	US-201816491478-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 6, 2018
Priority date	Mar 6, 2017
Publication date	Jan 16, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for three dimensional printing of a porous object enabling the capillary transport of hydrophilic fluids, for use as liquid handling device, for example as a point of care diagnostic device. The invention also provides the porous object obtainable or obtained by such methods, and its use in liquid handling or as a point of care diagnostic device.

First claim

1 .- 25 . (canceled)

26 . A method for three dimensional printing of a porous device for liquid handling comprising hydrophobic sections delineating one or more interconnected chambers and/or channels enabling the capillary transport of hydrophilic fluids; the method, which is a method without sintering, comprising:
a) providing a printing device comprising:
means for spreading a dry powder material on a powder bed surface,
one or more depositing outlets for depositing at least one printing liquid on the powder bed,
means for repositioning the depositing outlets with respect to the surface of the powder bed,
wherein the printing device allows for selectively depositing one or more printing liquids on the powder bed and,
one or more printing liquids, wherein at least one printing liquid comprises a hydrophobizing agent, and at least one printing liquid comprises a binder agent suitable for binding powder material;
b) spreading a layer of dry powder of a particulate material over a powder plate in order to create a powder bed; c) depositing one or more of the printing liquids comprising an agent suitable for binding powder material at predetermined positions on the powder bed, thereby binding the powder particles and depositing one or more of the printing liquids comprising the hydrophobizing agent at predetermined positions on the powder bed, thereby providing hydrophobic sections on the powder particles, d) lowering the powder bed and spreading an additional layer of dry powder of the particulate material, wherein the dry powder is applied on top of both hydrophobic regions and hydrophilic regions of the underlying layer obtained in (c); e) repeating (c) and (d) until the porous device is formed, whereby at each repetition of (c) an additional layer of the porous device is formed and wherein at least part of the powder material of the powder bed is bound to bound material of the layer formed in (c),
wherein the binding of layers results from the directed depositing of the printing liquid comprising the binder agent, and wherein the successive depositing of the one or more printing liquids comprising the hydrophobizing agent results in delineating one or more interconnected chambers and/or channels within the hydrophobic sections wherein the chambers and/or channels are filled with hydrophilic particulate material enabling the capillary transport of hydrophilic fluids in between the hydrophilic particulate material.

27 . The method according to claim 26 , further comprising selectively depositing a printing liquid comprising a compound for capturing and/or detecting an analyte in a dedicated zone of the channels and/or chambers.

28 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the porous device is dried to remove solvents at a temperature of at most 40° C.

29 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the one or more printing liquids comprising the hydrophobizing agent further comprises the binder agent.

30 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the at least one printing liquid comprises a printing liquid comprising the binder agent without the hydrophobizing agent and a separate printing liquid comprising the hydrophobizing agent without the binder agent.

31 . The method according claim 26 , wherein in (c) there is no deposition of the binder agent on regions forming the channels and/or chambers.

32 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein in (c) there is no deposition of the printing liquid on regions forming the channels and/or chambers.

33 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the hydrophobizing agent is selected from the group consisting of waxes, silanes, alkyl and alkenyl ketene dimers, acid anhydrides, hydrophobic polymers, hydrophobic particles, fluorinated molecules, molecules containing apolar hydrocarbon moieties, and combinations thereof.

34 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the binder agent is selected from the group consisting of acetophenone, butanone, hexanone, propanone, methylethylketone, pentanone, toluene, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and combinations thereof.

35 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein different printing liquids are deposited on the powder bed from a different depositing outlet.

36 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the dry powder material comprises an organic and/or an inorganic particulate material having a particle size varying between 1 μm and 250 μm.

37 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the dry powder material comprises a polymer and wherein the binder agent is a solvent for the polymer.

38 . The method according to claim 37 , wherein the polymer is polymethyl methacrylate, and wherein the binder agent is selected from the group consisting of acetophenone, butanone, propanone, hexanone, and combinations thereof.

39 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein successive depositing of the one or more printing liquids further results in a section for applying a hydrophilic fluid sample which is connected with the channels and/or chambers.

40 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the channels and/or chambers have a height of about 100 μm to about 10000 μm.

41 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the channels and/or chambers have a width of about 100 μm to about 10000 μm.

42 . The method according to claim 27 , wherein the compound for capturing and/or detecting an analyte is selected from the group consisting of a pH indicator, an antibody, a DNA molecule, a RNA molecule, an enzyme, an enzyme substrate, a color indicator, an enzyme cofactor, an enzyme inhibitor, an antibody-enzyme conjugate, a labeled antibody, a chemical reactant, and a buffer.

43 . A liquid handling device with microfluidic channels comprising a layer-by-layer printed three-dimensional body of particulate material, with cavities in-between the particulate matter, wherein the particulate material is treated with a hydrophobizing agent making the cavities in between the particulate matter impermeable for an hydrophilic fluid sample, wherein in the presence one or more regions wherein the particulate material is untreated with a hydrophobizing agent, the regions of untreated particulate matter defining within the device one or more interconnected channels and/or chambers for capillary transport of a hydrophilic fluid sample via the cavities between the untreated particulate material, and wherein the device comprises a section for applying the hydrophilic fluid sample wherein the section is connected with the interconnected channels and/or chambers.

44 . The device according to claim 43 , wherein the particulate material is a heat labile compound.

45 . The device according to claim 43 , wherein the device is a point of care diagnostic device.

46 . The device according to claim 43 , wherein dedicated zones of the microfluidic channels and/or chambers comprise a compound for capturing and/or detecting an analyte.

47 . The device according to claim 46 , wherein the compound for capturing and/or detecting an analyte is a heat labile compound.

48 . The device according to claim 43 , wherein the device comprises a read-out section that is part of the interconnected chambers and/or channels and that is adapted to provide a signal depending on either the presence, absence or concentration of an analyte in the hydrophilic fluid sample.

49 . The device according to claim 43 , wherein the hydrophobizing agent is selected from the grou

Assignees

• Univ Leuven Kath

Inventors

• Ameloot Rob
• Achille Clement

Classifications

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B01L2300/027

  Digital display, e.g. LCD, LED · CPC title

• B29L2031/753

  Medical equipment; Accessories therefor (bloodbags, medical bags B29L2031/7148; artificial eyes B29L2011/0008) · CPC title

• B01L2300/12

  Specific details about materials · CPC title