Abstract
Microfluidics is a rapidly growing area that provides innovations in biotechnology, medical diagnostics, and life science. Along with the commercial solutions, there are open-source projects aimed to make such technologies more affordable and flexible for end users. In this article, we developed an open-source, low-cost, and easy-to-use microfluidic pressure controller with a modular design based on electropneumatic regulators to introduce liquids into microfluidic devices under constant pressures. For implementation of complex experimental protocols, the controller contains a vacuum pump, relay outputs, analog inputs, and digital inputs/outputs to connect external equipment. It can be operated using five displays and an encoder or from a personal computer in a manual or automatic regime through the custom open-source software. In this study, we applied this pressure controller for the generation of water-in-oil droplets in microfluidic flow-focusing droplet generators. Droplets’ diameters linearly depended on the dispersed and continuous phases’ ratio in the range 5–<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$65 \mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. In all the cases, the generation regimes were stable for at least 4 h. Direct comparison of the droplet generation obtained with the developed pressure controller and precise syringe pumps showed that it will suit the needs of the microfluidic community for different flow-based lab-on-a-chip applications, as a more affordable and flexible solution for introducing liquids and controlling flow sensors, heaters, valves, light sources, and so on during experiments.
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More From: IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement
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