University of Washington

Matthew S Munson

Andrew Kamholz

Bernhard Hans Weigl

Paul Yager

Ronald L Bardell

Anson Hatch

Kenneth R Hawkins

Catherine R Cabrera

Eric Schilling

This invention provides methods for using liquid junction potentials to control the transport of charged particles in fluid streams that are in laminar flow within microfluidic channels. Applications of the methods of this invention include sample preconditioning (removal of interfering substances), electrophoretic separation (fractionation) of charged particles, enhanced or delayed mixing of charged particles across a fluid interface relative to diffusion only, focusing charged particles in a fluid stream in one or two dimensions, and concentration of charged reactants at a fluid interface.

Use of liquid junction potentials for electrophoresis without applied voltage in a microfluidic channel

Microfluidic devices and methods are provided for enhancing detection of a diffusion pattern formed by particles diffusing between at least two fluid streams in parallel laminar flow such that an interface is formed between them by increasing the dimension of the streams in the diffusion direction. This may be accomplished by flowing the streams through a transforming turn, or by flowing the streams through a channel having diverging walls. Devices and methods are also provided for enhancing diffusion between two streams comprising changing the interface between said streams from a narrow interface to a broad interface.

Microfluidic devices for rotational manipulation of the fluidic interface between multiple flow streams

Growing community of inventors

Gaithersburg, MD, United States of America

Matthew S Munson