Intellectual Property Office
Non-Confidential Disclosures
“Active Nanofluidic Flow Control Through Microfluidic Flow”
PSU Inv. Disc. No 3264
Download a PDF of this description n
Keywords
Nanotechnology, Fluidics, Fabrication, Biocompatible
Inventors:
Stephen Fonash, Wook Jun Nam, Huinan Liang
Links:
Inventor Website
Background:
Many biological processes can be simultaneously analyzed in microscale and nanoscale "total analysis systems." Such systems are of use in pharmaceutical development and rapid diagnosis of ailments since the precise control of a nanoscale volume of fluid enables the manipulation of nanoscale biomolecules. To achieve such control there is a need to integrate microscale channels with nanofluidic systems. The interfacing of these two elements is an ongoing area of research since diffusive flow drives biomolecules in "state of the art" total analysis systems, but such flow is readily disrupted by air bubbles.
Invention description:
The disclosed invention entails microscale channels that are fabricated parallel to nanoscale channels, allowing for fine control of the nanoscale flow. The flow is controlled with an inexpensive syringe pump. The flow rate can be controlled by adjusting the cross-section of microchannel. The channel templates are fabricated by standard deposition/lift-off techniques, while the channels are duplicated by inexpensive soft lithography. Additionally, the fabrication is compatible with low-temperature processes for fabricating CMOS devices, allowing interfacing with integrated circuits.
Advantages:
- Flow rates from 1 mL/hr to 1 L/hr (difference of three orders of magnitude)
- Fabricate channels from many materials (e.g., silicon, plastics, or glasses)
- Inexpensive, standard apparatus
- Standard techniques to fabricate
Contact:
Richard M. Weyer
Sr. Technology Licensing Officer
Intellectual Property Office
113 Technology Center
The Pennsylvania State Univ.
University Park, PA 16802-7000
Phone: (814) 865-6279
Fax: (814) 865-3591
E-mail:mw4@psu.edu |
