Development of A New Device for Controlling Infinitesimal Flows inside a Lab-On-A-Chip and Its Practical Application

랩온어칩 내부 미세유동 제어를 위한 새로운 장치의 개발 및 적용

For controlling micro-flows inside a LOC (lab-on-a-chip) a syringe pump or an electronic device for EOF(electro-osmotic flow) have been used in general. However, these devices are so large and heavy that they are burdensome in the development of a portable micro-TAS (total analysis system). In this study, a new flow control system employing pressure chambers, digital switches and speed controllers was developed. This system could effectively control the micro-scale flows inside a LOC without any mechanical actuators or electronic devices We also checked the feasibility of this new control system by applying it to a LOC of micro-mixer type. Performance tests show that the developed control system has very good performance. Because the flow rate in LOC is controlled easily by throttling the speed controller, the flows in complicate microchannels network can be also controlled precisely.