Microfluidic devices with porous membranes for molecular sieving, metering, and separations
US7279134B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 17, 2002 |
| Grant date | Oct 9, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 26, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T436/2575
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Microfluidic devices with porous membranes for molecular sieving, metering, and separation of analyte fluids. In one aspect, a microfluidic device includes a substrate having input and output microfluidic channel sections separated by a porous membrane 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. The microfluidic device may include one or a plurality of porous membranes. In one embodiment, a plurality of porous membranes having increasingly smaller pores are disposed along portions of a microfluidic channel. In another embodiment, a cascading series of upper and lower channels 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 to enable the porous membrane to be positioned in filtering and pass-through positions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.