Digital Microfluidic Chip Development Service

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As one of the most promising microfluidic application platforms, Creative Biolabs provides our clients with digital microfluidic (DMF) platform design and construction services to achieve flexible experiments with higher quality.

Why Choose DMF System?

In traditional microfluidic experiments, microchannels are etched into substrate materials in specific shapes and connection sequences, which means that once fabricated, channels and flow paths are fixed. The continuous microchannel can only satisfy the preset function, and the channel structure must be redesigned and configured if the operation needs to be modified. Unlike the continuous channel system, the DMF system has no traditional entrance, exit, or pre-designed and fixed channel structure. In the DMF system, droplets are not limited to preset flow paths, but can be reprogrammed with different paths to control their movement and realize the reconfiguration of experimental procedures. In addition to this, the DMF system is also with some benefits that traditional experiments or common microfluidic chips do not have, including

Individual droplets instead of traditional liquid streams to further reduce sample volumes to nanoliters/picoliters
Minimized reagents tend to have faster reactions with better results and significantly reduce waste
Scaled size further reduces device size, opening up opportunities for portable devices
Create and manipulate multiple test circuits and modular components in parallel on the same device, allowing simultaneous processing of multiple droplets or running of multiple processes
Implement droplet metering, routing algorithms or kinetic studies
Highly customizable with different functions and algorithms according to specific research needs

Open DMF System

In the open DMF system, the droplets are arranged in a single plate with activation motors, and grounding is achieved by a wire passing through the droplets or a ground electrode located next to the high-voltage electrode. In such systems, the droplets cannot be split or cut by the hydrodynamic force generated by the electrode plate manipulation, but can be directly contacted from the open window topside. Direct contact facilitates rapid delivery and detection of droplets to downstream systems. The absence of the top plate also greatly reduces the friction in the droplet running, thereby achieving a high droplet velocity that cannot be achieved by other systems.

Fig 1. Droplet exchange via DMF system. (Alphonsus, et al., 2015)

Closed DMF System

Within a closed system, the droplet is arranged between two substrates, with the bottom plate providing the electrode and the top plate for grounding. Due to the visualization needs of experiments, the most commonly used grounded top plate metal is usually indium tin oxide. The closed system does not produce droplet evaporation during use, and a combination of multiple dielectric layers can be used to control the start-up voltage compared with open DMF. When the electrodes are activated by a high-voltage signal, charged droplets are also transferred from one electrode to the other. In a similar manner and with a variety of electrode configurations, transport, mixing, splitting, cutting, merging or distribution of droplets can be performed. In DMF actuation, the most commonly used driving forces include dielectric electrowetting and dielectrophoresis of non-conductive droplets.

Fig 2. Top and cross-sectional views of a closed DMF system. (Shukla, et al., 2017)

Application of DMF

Proteomics is one of the most important application fields of DMF technology. With the help of microfluidic technology, multiple samples can be processed and analyzed in parallel on the same chip, which greatly simplifies the lengthy proteomics research process. DMF technology also classifies, localizes, manipulates and analyzes by electrically manipulating individual cells, providing an unparalleled tool for next-generation sequencing and single-cell detection. Furthermore, DMF chips offer high-throughput, automated prospects for research in biology, chemistry, engineering, and more.

Fig. 3 Digital microfluidic for immunocytochemistry. (Alphonsus, et al., 2015)

Our Services

The multi-functionality and customizability of the DMF system ensure that one single structure cannot be used for all experiments and research. With the combination of cutting-edge rapid prototyping technology and optimized precision machining technology, Creative Biolabs assists our clients with facilitating the manufacturing process of DMF chips. Optimized manufacturing technology and sophisticated equipment allow us to manufacture electrodes or droplet tracks on different substrate materials, and construct electrodes with different shapes and materials through different printing processes. Simplified manufacturing protocols will help you further reduce the time and cost of chip development. Our DMF processing technology will serve as an excellent research tool to effectively advance your electrical, biological or biomedical research, so don't hesitate to contact us for more information.

References

Alphonsus, Chamberlain, et al. " Digital microfluidic immunocytochemistry in single cells " Nature Communications 6 (2015): 7513.
Shukla, Hussin, et al. " Advances in testing techniques for digital microfluidic biochips. " Sensors 17 (2017): 1719.

For Research Use Only. Not For Clinical Use.