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Using a multijunction microfluidic device to inject substrate into an array of preformed plugs without cross-contamination: comparing theory and experiments.

ABSTRACT: In this paper we describe a multijunction microfluidic device for the injection of a substrate into an array of preformed plugs carried by an immiscible fluid in a microchannel. The device uses multiple junctions to inject substrate into preformed plugs without synchronization of the flow of substrate and the array of preformed plugs of reagent, which reduces cross-contamination of the plugs, eliminates formation of small droplets of substrate, and allows a greater range of injection ratios compared to that of a single T-junction. The device was based on a previously developed physical model for transport that was here adapted to describe injection and experimentally verified. After characterization, the device was applied to two biochemical assays, including evaluation of the enzymatic activity of thrombin and determination of the coagulation time of human blood plasma, which both provided reliable results. The reduction of cross-contamination and greater range of injection ratios achieved by this device may improve the processes that involve addition and titration of reagents into plugs, such as high-throughput screening of protein crystallization conditions.

SUBMITTER: Li L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2080796 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Using a multijunction microfluidic device to inject substrate into an array of preformed plugs without cross-contamination: comparing theory and experiments.

Li Liang L Boedicker James Q JQ Ismagilov Rustem F RF

Analytical chemistry 20070306 7

In this paper we describe a multijunction microfluidic device for the injection of a substrate into an array of preformed plugs carried by an immiscible fluid in a microchannel. The device uses multiple junctions to inject substrate into preformed plugs without synchronization of the flow of substrate and the array of preformed plugs of reagent, which reduces cross-contamination of the plugs, eliminates formation of small droplets of substrate, and allows a greater range of injection ratios comp ...[more]

PMID: 17338503

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Project description:Particle concentration is a key unit operation in biochemical assays. Although there are many techniques for particle concentration in continuous-phase microfluidics, relatively few are available in multiphase (plug-based) microfluidics. Existing approaches generally require external electric or magnetic fields together with charged or magnetized particles. This paper reports a passive technique for particle concentration in water-in-oil plugs which relies on the interaction between particle sedimentation and the recirculating vortices inherent to plug flow in a cylindrical capillary. This interaction can be quantified using the Shields parameter ([Formula: see text]), a dimensionless ratio of a particle's drag force to its gravitational force, which scales with plug velocity. Three regimes of particle behavior are identified. When [Formula: see text] is less than the movement threshold (region I), particles sediment to the bottom of the plug where the internal vortices subsequently concentrate the particles at the rear of the plug. We demonstrate highly efficient concentration (∼100%) of 38 μm glass beads in 500 μm diameter plugs traveling at velocities up to 5 mm/s. As [Formula: see text] is increased beyond the movement threshold (region II), particles are suspended in well-defined circulation zones which begin at the rear of the plug. The length of the zone scales linearly with plug velocity, and at sufficiently large [Formula: see text], it spans the length of the plug (region III). A second effect, attributed to the co-rotating vortices at the rear cap, causes particle aggregation in the cap, regardless of flow velocity. Region I is useful for concentrating/collecting particles, while the latter two are useful for mixing the beads with the solution. Therefore, the two key steps of a bead-based assay, concentration and resuspension, can be achieved simply by changing the plug velocity. By exploiting an interaction of sedimentation and recirculation unique to multiphase flow, this simple technique achieves particle concentration without on-chip components, and could therefore be applied to a range of heterogeneous screening assays in discrete nl plugs.

Dataset Information

Using a multijunction microfluidic device to inject substrate into an array of preformed plugs without cross-contamination: comparing theory and experiments.

Publications

Using a multijunction microfluidic device to inject substrate into an array of preformed plugs without cross-contamination: comparing theory and experiments.

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