ACTIVE AND PASSIVE FLOW CONTROL IN MULTILAYER CAPILLARY-DRIVEN MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES

Abstract

In devices where capillary forces are the sole mechanism for flow, and present throughout a microfluidic network, it is challenging to generate anything other than continuous flow. This study presents several new valved flow control methods that can be utilized in a multilayer capillary-driven microfluidic device to provide reliable manipulation and sequencing of liquid flow in a network of channels. The two internal valve types are referred to as push and burst, and they are activated by either deforming the flexible laminate channel material or having two or more channels converge at a junction. In addition to these two valve types, flow control strategies for Y-shaped channel junctions have been investigated, and it has been shown that the mixing rate of two merging streams can be precisely controlled.