다중 밸브를 이용한 디지털 희석 소자

Abstract

We present a digital dilution chip comprising a array of wells; the chip can be employed to change the dilution ratio as well as to initiate reactions among diluted samples by using the inter-well valve around the well. In previous dilution devices, streams comprising sample and dilution solutions were merged and separated by a branched microchannel. Therefore, the dilution ratio could not be changed until the structure of the branched microchannel was changed. The present device merges and splits the wells filled with sample or dilution solution by controlling inter-well valves around the wells. Thus, it is possible to change the dilution ratio by changing the sequence in which merging and splitting sequence of each well filled with sample or dilution solution. In experiments, we found that the chip could be used to change linear or exponential dilution ratios within an error of 16.7% and to initiate reactions among the samples within a reaction error of 17.7%.