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Single-use thermoplastic microfluidic burst valves enabling on-chip reagent storage

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Abstract

A simple and reliable method for fabricating single-use normally closed burst valves in thermoplastic microfluidic devices is presented, using a process flow that is readily integrated into established workflows for the fabrication of thermoplastic microfluidics. An experimental study of valve performance reveals the relationships between valve geometry and burst pressure. The technology is demonstrated in a device employing multiple valves engineered to actuate at different inlet pressures that can be generated using integrated screw pumps. On-chip storage and reconstitution of fluorescein salt sealed within defined reagent chambers are demonstrated. By taking advantage of the low gas and water permeability of cyclic olefin copolymer, the robust burst valves allow on-chip hermetic storage of reagents, making the technology well suited for the development of integrated and disposable assays for use at the point of care.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge support from the National Institutes of Health through NIH grant R01AI096215, and through research fellowship support from the ARCS Foundation, Metropolitan Washington Chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Omid D. Rahmanian & Don L. DeVoe

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Don L. DeVoe

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  1. Omid D. Rahmanian
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  2. Don L. DeVoe
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Correspondence to Don L. DeVoe.

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Rahmanian, O.D., DeVoe, D.L. Single-use thermoplastic microfluidic burst valves enabling on-chip reagent storage. Microfluid Nanofluid 18, 1045–1053 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-014-1494-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-014-1494-8

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