MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES WITH POROUS MEMBRANES FOR MOLECULAR SIEVING, METERING, AND SEPARATIONS

摘要

MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE (100) WITH POROUS MEMBRANES FOR MOLECULAR SIEVING, METERING, AND SEPARATION OF ANALYTE FLUIDS. IN ONE ASPECT, A MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE INCLUDES A SUBSTRATE (106) HAVING INPUT AND OUTPUT MICROFLUIDIC CHANNEL SECTIONS (108, 112) SEPARATED BY A POROUS MEMBRANE (202) FORMED INTEGRAL TO THE SUBSTRATE. IN ANOTHER ASPECT, THE POROUS MEMBRANE MAY COMPRISE A THIN MEMBRANE THAT IS SANDWICHED BETWEEN UPPER AND LOWER SUBSTRATE MEMBERS (220, 222). THE MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE MAY INCLUDE ONE OR A PLURALITY OF POROUS MEMBRANES. IN ONE EMBODIMENT, A PLURALITY OF POROUS MEMBRANES (202) HAVING INCREASINGLY SMALLER PORES ARE DISPOSED ALONG PORTIONS OF A MICROFLUIDIC CHANNEL. IN ANOTHER EMBODIMENT, A CASCADING SERIES OF UPPER AND LOWER CHANNELS (204, 206) ARE EMPLOYED, WHEREIN EACH UPPER/LOWER CHANNEL INTERFACE IS SEPARATED BY A RESPECTIVE POROUS MEMBRANE. IN ANOTHER ASPECT, A POROUS MEMBRANE IS ROTATABLY COUPLED TO A SUBSTRATE WITHIN A MICROFLUIDIC CHANNEL VIA A MEMS ACTUATOR (642) TO ENABLE THE POROUS MEMBRANE TO BE POSITIONED IN FILTERING AND PASS-THROUGH POSITIONS. FIGURE 4