We present passive flow-rate regulators using an autonomous deflection of parallel membrane valves, capable to maintain a constant flow-rate at varying inlet pressure supplied from micropumps. The previous passive flow-rate regulators are difficult to integrate with micropumps, not only because of the complex multi-layer structures, but also because of the high threshold inlet pressure required for flow-rate regulation. In this study, we present passive flow-rate regulators using parallel membrane valves, capable of achieving flow-rate regulation function at the minimum threshold inlet pressure as low as 15 kPa with simple structure formed by a single mask process. The parallel membranes in a flow-rate regulator are designed to deflect and adjust flow resistance autonomously according to the inlet pressure, thus maintaining a constant flow-rate independent of the inlet pressure variation. We designed the four different prototypes of W20, W30, W40, and W50, having parallel membrane widths of 20, 30, 40 and 50 microm, respectively. We estimated the flow-rate based on both analytical and numerical models. In an experimental study, we observed the deformation of parallel membranes and the flow-rate depending on the inlet pressure. The fabricated prototypes achieved the constant flow-rate of 6.09 +/- 0.32 microl s(-1) (W20 fabricated by 10 : 1 PDMS (PolyDiMethylSiloxane)) over an inlet pressure of 20 kPa. We also observed that prototypes fabricated by 20 : 1 PDMS, having lower Young's modulus than normal 10 : 1 PDMS, showed a lower threshold pressure and higher regulated flow-rate than prototypes fabricated by 10 : 1 PDMS. W40 fabricated by 20 : 1 PDMS showed a constant flow-rate of 14.53 +/- 0.51 microl s(-1) over inlet pressure of 15 kPa. The present passive flow-rate regulators have strong potential for applications in integrated microfluidic systems.
We present a three-dimensional (3D) particle focusing channel using the positive dielectrophoresis (pDEP) guided by a dielectric structure between two planar electrodes. The dielectric structure between two planar electrodes induces the maximum electric field at the center of the microchannel and particles are focused to the center of the microchannel by pDEP as they flow from the single sample injection port. Compared to the previous 3D particle focusing methods using standing surface acoustic wave (SSAW), hydrodynamic force, and negative dielectrophoresis (nDEP), the present device achieves the simple and effective particle focusing function without any additional fluidic ports and top electrodes. The present focusing channel is also fabricated by PDMS and glass substrate with electrodes, compatible for the integrated microbiochemical analysis system. We designed and fabricated the particle focusing channel based on the numerical estimation of particle position and focusing efficiency. In the experimental study, approximately 90% focusing efficiency was achieved within the focusing length of 2 mm, on both the x-z plane (top-view) and y-z plane (side-view) for 2 microm-diameter polystyrene (PS) beads at the applied voltage over 15 V(p-p) (square wave) and at a flow rate below 0.01 microl/min. Focusing experiments using 4.5 microm-diameter PS beads and yeast cells also verified that the present focusing channel can be applied to bio-particles having different sizes and properties. The present simple 3D particle focusing channel is suitable for use in integrated microbiochemical analysis systems.
We analyze the deformability of individual red blood cells (RBCs) using SiCMA technology. Our approach is adequate to quickly measure large numbers of individual cells in heterogeneous populations. Individual cells are trapped in a large-scale array of micro-wells, and dielectrophoretic (DEP) force is applied to deform the cells. The simple structures of micro-wells and DEP electrodes facilitate the analysis of thousands of RBCs in parallel. This unique method allows the correlation of red cell deformation with cell surface and cytosolic characteristics to define the distribution of individual cellular characteristics in heterogeneous populations.
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