A high efficiency DNA extraction microchip was designed to extract DNA from lysed cells using immobilized beads and the solution flowing back and forth. This chip was able to increase the extraction efficiency by 2-fold when there was no serum. When serum existed in the solution, the extraction efficiency of immobilized beads was 88-fold higher than that of free beads. The extraction efficiency of the microchip was tested under different conditions and numbers of E. coli cells. When the number of E. coli cells was between 10(6) and 10(8) in 25 microl of whole blood, the extraction efficiency using immobilized beads was only slightly higher than that using free beads (10(0) to 10(1) fold). When the number of E. coli cells was in the range 10(4) to 10(6) in 25 microl of whole blood, the extraction efficiency of immobilized beads was greater than that of the free beads (10(1) to 10(2) fold). When the number of E. coli cells was lower, in the range 10(3) to 10(4) in 25 microl of whole blood, the extraction efficiency of immobilized beads was much higher than that of the free beads (10(2) to 10(3) fold). This study indicated that DNA could be efficiently extracted even when the number of bacterial cells was smaller (10(5) to 10(3)). This microfluidic extraction chip could find potential applications in rare sample genomic study.

This paper proposes the design of a passive micromixer that utilizes the self-circulation of the fluid in the mixing chamber for applications in the Micro Total Analysis Systems (microTAS). The micromixer with a total volume of about 20 microL and consisting of an inlet port, a circular mixing chamber and an outlet port was designed. The device was actuated by a pneumatic pump to induce self-circulation of the fluid. The self-circulation phenomenon in the micromixer was predicted by the computational simulation of the microfluidic dynamics. Flow visualization with fluorescence tracer was used to verify the numerical simulations and indicated that the simulated and the experimental results were in good agreement. Besides, an index for quantifying the mixing performance was employed to compare different situations and to demonstrate the advantages of the self-circulation mixer. The mixing efficiencies in the mixer under different Reynolds numbers (Re) were evaluated numerically. The numerical results revealed that the mixing efficiency of the mixer with self-circulation was 1.7 to 2 times higher than that of the straight channel without a mixing chamber at Re= 150. When Re was as low as 50, the mixing efficiency of the mixer with self-circulation in the mixing chamber was improved approximately 30% higher than that in the straight channel. The results indicated that the self-circulation in the mixer could enhance the mixing even at low Re. The features of simple mixing method and fabrication process make this micromixer ideally suitable for microTAS applications.

This study proposed a new design of a passive micromixer employing several J-shaped baffles in the tee channel to enhance mixing. The mixing performance of the device was investigated experimentally and by numerical simulation. The in-plane structured micromixer was fabricated using micromolding of SU-8 photoresist and PDMS. The mixing performance was demonstrated using image analysis to quantify the concentration distribution in the microchannel. The percentage of mixing increased as the number of baffles increased. The simulated and experimental results showed that the mixer with J-shaped baffles exhibited better mixing performance, and the percentage of mixing was about 1.2 to 2.2 times higher when compared to those without baffles, in the range of Reynolds number (Re) 5 to 350. The improvement in mixing performance was especially apparent at the short axial distance and at the lower Reynolds numbers. The results revealed that the J-shaped baffles could result in lateral convection in the main channel, resulting in improved mixing.

No abstract

A recursively-structured apparatus based on a pneumatic pumping structure has been investigated numerically and experimentally in the present study. For the T-connected channels, this apparatus demonstrated the ability to manipulate the liquid drop from a first channel to a second channel, while simultaneously preventing flow into the third channel. The microTAS research aimed at biochemical analysis miniaturization and integration has recently made explosive progress. However, there is still a considerable technical challenge in integrating these procedures into a multiple-step system. An important issue for this integration is microfluid management techniques. The microTAS method must be designed considering special transport mechanisms to move samples and reagents through the microchannels. The structure of this apparatus was simple and easily fabricated. Moreover, because there is a continuous airflow at the "outlet" during fluid manipulation, it is possible to avoid contamination of the air source similar to the "laminar flow hook" in biological experiments. Utilizing the concept of a recursive structure, one can easily design a device wherein more than three channels are included in the flow network, either intersecting in a single junction or in multiple junctions.