Chromatography apparatus and methods using multiple microfluidic substrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9804135-B2
Application number	US-201514594644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2015
Priority date	May 29, 2009
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for chemical separations includes a first substantially rigid microfluidic substrate defining a first fluidic port; a second substantially rigid microfluidic substrate defining a second fluidic port; and a coupler disposed between the first and second substrates, the coupler defining a fluidic path in fluidic alignment with the ports of the first and second substrates. The coupler includes a material that is deformable relative to a material of the first substrate and a material of the second substrate. The substrates are clamped together to compress the coupler between the substrates and form a fluid-tight seal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for chemical separations, comprising:
a first substantially rigid microfluidic substrate comprising a plurality of layers, a first channel formed between the layers, and a first fluidic port in fluid communication with the first channel;
a second substantially rigid microfluidic substrate comprising a plurality of layers, a second channel formed between the layers, and a second fluidic port in fluid communication with the second channel,
the layers of the first substantially rigid microfluidic substrate comprising a different material from the layers of the second substantially rigid microfluidic substrate; and
a coupler disposed between the first and second substrates, the coupler defining a fluidic path in fluidic alignment with the ports of the first and second substrates.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first channel and the second channel defines a separation column in fluidic communication with the respective fluidic port.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first channel and the second channel defines a trap column in fluidic communication with the respective fluidic port.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an alignment fitting attached to the first substrate, to position the fluidic path of the coupler in fluidic alignment with the first fluidic port.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the coupler is fixedly attached to the first substrate.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a housing that mechanically supports the first and second substrates.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the second substrate is removably disposed in the housing, permitting exchange of the second substrate.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the housing supports the first and second substrates in a free-floating manner.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature control unit configured to independently control a temperature of the first substrate and a temperature of the second substrate.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a least one of the first and second channels include a first packing material.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the other of the first and second channels include a second packing material different from the first packing material.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a deformable material, wherein the deformable material is deformable relative to a material of at least one of the first and second microfluidic substrates.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein an elastic modulus of the deformable material is substantially lower than an elastic modulus of at least one of the first and second microfluidic substrates.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first and second microfluidic substrates comprise sintered inorganic particles and the deformable material comprises a polymer.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of layers of the first substrate include at least a first layer disposed above a second layer,
wherein the plurality of layers of the second substrate include at least a third layer disposed above a fourth layer, and
wherein the first and second layers are disposed above the coupler, and the coupler is disposed above the third and fourth layers.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic path of the coupler is perpendicular to both the first and second channels.

17. A method for performing chromatography, comprising:
providing a first substantially rigid microfluidic substrate comprising a plurality of layers, a first channel formed between the layers, and a first fluidic port;
providing a second substantially rigid microfluidic substrate comprising a plurality of layers and a second channel formed between the layers, and a second fluidic port in fluid communication with the second channel;
providing a coupler defining a fluidic path;
disposing the coupler between the first and second substrates, in fluidic alignment with the second fluidic port of the second substrate and the first fluidic port of the first substrate;
urging the first and second substrates towards each other to compress the coupler between the first and second substrates and form a fluid-tight seal; and
pressurizing the first channel of the first substrate, the second channel of the second substrate, and the fluidic path of the coupler.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein an outlet from one of the first and second substrates is in fluid communication with a mass spectrometer.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising separating a sample in a separation column of the first microfluidic substrate.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising cooling or heating one of the first and the second substrates relative to the other first substrate to provide a temperature differential between the first and second substrates.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the layers of the first microfluidic substrate comprise a different material from the layers of the second microfluidic substrate.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the other of the first and second channels include a second packing material different from the first packing material.

23. The method of claim 17 , wherein a least one of the first and second channels include a first packing material.

24. The method of claim 17 , wherein the coupler comprises a material deformable relative to a material of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate.

25. The method of claim 17 ,
wherein the plurality of layers of the first substrate include at least a first layer disposed above a second layer,
wherein the plurality of layers of the second substrate include at least a third layer disposed above a fourth layer, and
wherein the first and second layers are disposed above the coupler, and the coupler is disposed above the third and fourth layers.

26. The method of claim 17 , wherein the fluidic path of the coupler is perpendicular to both the first and second channels.

27. A method for fabricating a chromatographic apparatus, comprising:
providing a first microfluidic substrate comprising a plurality of layers, a first channel between the layers, and having fluidic ports in respective fluidic communication with the first channel;
providing a second microfluidic substrate comprising a plurality of layers, a second channel between the layers, and having fluidic ports in respective fluidic communication with the second channel;
providing a coupler defining a fluidic path;
disposing the coupler between the first and second substrates, in fluidic alignment with a fluidic port of the first substrate and a respective fluidic port of the first substrate; and
providing a housing to mechanically support the first and second substrates.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising, packing at least one of the first and second channels with a first packing material.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising, packing the other of the first and second channels with a second packing material different from the first packing material.

30. The method of claim 27 , wherein the layers of the first microfluidic substrate comprise a different material from the layers of the second microfluidic substrate.

31. The method of c

Assignees

• Waters Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Michienzi Joseph D
• Murphy James P
• Dellarovere Dennis

Classifications

• G01N30/7233

  interfaced to liquid or supercritical fluid chromatograph (interfaces in general for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed with specially adapted mass spectrometer, see H01J49/04) · CPC title

• G01N30/606

  with fluid access or exit ports · CPC title

• G01N30/6091

  Cartridges · CPC title

• B01L2200/027

  for microfluidic devices · CPC title

• B01L2200/025

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