Systems and methods for reaction and transport engineering via cellular fluidics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021077999-A1
Application number	US-202017097480-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 13, 2020
Priority date	Aug 23, 2019
Publication date	Mar 18, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an engineered, additively manufactured, microfluidic cellular structure formed from a plurality of cells, wherein the cells are each formed from a plurality of interconnected elements. The cells have voids and each cell is open at upper ends thereof. The cells each communicate at a point below its upper end with a common channel. The cells are each configured to accept a fluid and operate to channel the fluid into the common channel and to hold the fluid received therein for later selective withdrawal from the structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus forming an engineered, additively manufactured, integrated microfluidic cellular structure, the apparatus comprising:
a plurality of cells formed from a plurality of interconnected elements; and the cells having pores and each said cell being open at upper ends thereof, and the cells each communicating at a point below its said upper end with a common channel; and the cells each configured to accept a fluid and operating to channel the fluid into the common channel and to hold the fluid received therein for later selective withdrawal from the structure.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cells comprise a plurality of tessellated cells.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the cells are arranged adjacent to one another by common wall portions.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the cells form a plurality of vertically oriented cells, and wherein the plurality of vertically oriented cells are arranged adjacent to one another in a contiguous arrangement.

5 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the common channel comprises a common, longitudinally extending channel.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the common, longitudinally extending channel extends perpendicularly to the plurality of vertically oriented cells.

7 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of vertically oriented cells are each formed form cubic shaped cells.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cells are each formed by interconnected struts and wall segments to form a cubic cell shape.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the interconnected struts have differing diameters selected to help cause a selective pressure drop across a length of the structure, to cause fluid contained in the cells of the structure to flow in a selected direction through the common channel of the structure.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the wall segments of the cells are formed with differing radiuses of curvature to help cause a selective pressure drop across a length of the structure, to thus cause fluid contained in the cells of the structure to flow through the structure in a desired direction.

11 . An apparatus forming an engineered, additively manufactured, integrated microfluidic cellular structure, the apparatus comprising:
a plurality of cells formed from a plurality of interconnected struts and wall segments; and the plurality of cells forming pores and at least a subplurality of the cells being open at upper ends thereof, and the subplurality of the cells each communicating at a point below its said upper end with a common channel; and the interconnected struts and wall segments of each one of said plurality of cells formed to cause a selective pressure drop within differing portions of the structure, to enable a fluid deposited into one or more of the plurality of cells to be selectively moved from a first portion of the structure to a second portion of the structure.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein cells are formed as cubic structures from the interconnected struts and wall segments.

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a diameter of each of the struts is selected such that at least two of the struts of each one of the plurality of cells have different diameters, to help cause the selective pressure drop within the differing portions of the structure.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a radius of each one of the wall segments of the plurality of the cells is selected to help cause the selective pressure drop throughout the differing portions of the structure.

15 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein;
the struts have differing diameters; and the wall segments having differing radiuses of curvature; and wherein both the differing diameters and the differing radiuses of curvature contribute to producing the selective pressure drop within the structure.

16 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the cubic structures provide the cells with a dimension of between 1 mm-2 mm in length and width.

17 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein each one of the plurality of cells is configured to accept a quantity of fluid therein and to hold the quantity of fluid therein until an external component is used to withdraw the quantity of fluid.

18 . A method for forming an engineered, additively manufactured, microfluidic cellular structure for selective channeling a fluid deposited in the structure, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of cells to create voids therewithin, the voids configured to receive a quantity of the fluid therein; further forming the plurality of cells with a plurality of struts and a plurality of wall segments connected to select ones of the plurality of struts, such that each cell defines one of the voids; further forming each of the plurality of cells such that at least one of:
the plurality of struts have differing diameters; or
the plurality of wall segments have differing radiuses of curvature; and
further forming the plurality of cells such that at least one of the differing diameters or the differing radiuses of curvature are arranged within the structure to cause a selective pressure drop between first and second portions of the structure.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of cells are formed such that each cell is formed by a plurality of struts having differing diameters, and a plurality of wall segments having differing radiuses of curvature.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising forming an elongated channel in communication with at least select ones of the plurality of cells, to enable the quantity of fluid to be moved therethrough from the first portion to the second portion of the structure.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Dudukovic Nikola
• Baker Sarah
• Cahill James Timothy
• Davis Jonathan Tesner
• Deotte Joshua R
• Dubbin Karen Ruth
• Duoss Eric B
• Fong Erika Jo
• Gemeda Hawi Bacha
• Qian Fang

Classifications

• B81B2201/058

  Microfluidics not provided for in B81B2201/051 - B81B2201/054 · CPC title

• B81C1/00119

  Arrangement of basic structures like cavities or channels, e.g. suitable for microfluidic systems · CPC title

• B81B2201/051

  Micromixers, microreactors · CPC title

• Y10T428/249953

  Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.] · CPC title

• B01L2400/086

  using baffles or other fixed flow obstructions · CPC title