A vacuum manifold for filtration microscopy includes a manifold top having multiple openings, and a capture membrane positioned above and spaced apart from the manifold top, where the capture membrane is configured to deflect into contact with a surface of the manifold top when a negative pressure is applied to the multiple openings. A method for filtration microscopy includes the steps of providing a vacuum manifold including a manifold top having a plurality of openings, and a capture membrane positioned above and spaced apart from the manifold top; applying sample drops to sample spots on the membrane, the sample spots positioned above the plurality of openings; applying a negative pressure to the openings such that the capture membrane contacts a surface of the manifold top; and optically imaging particulates on the capture membrane.

This disclosure concerns a method of providing a hydrophobic coating on a microfluidic chip that promotes the discrete flow of at least one liquid. It includes applying the hydrophobic coating onto an area of the microfluidic chip. The disclosure further includes a microfluidic chip that provides discrete flow of at least one liquid.

Disclosed herein is a method and system for concentrating analyte from large sample solutions using a combination of magnetic microparticles on a digital microfluidic device using virtual channels. Virtual channels are produced by applying voltages to a series of driving electrodes of the DMF that connect a reservoir of solution situated just outside of the DMF device to a fluid exit location. The magnetic microparticles are first exposed to a liquid sample containing the analyte whereupon analytes are bound by analyte specific receptors on the microparticles. By flowing these solutions of magnetic particles through virtual channels in DMF device, large volumes can be processed, regardless of the total capacity of the DMF. Engaging a magnet underneath the DMF device while a suspension of magnetic microparticles is flowed through the virtual channel causes the microparticles to become immobilized and the supernatant solution is removed. The isolated magnetic microparticles can then be resuspended in a much smaller volume and further processed on the DMF device for whatever application, thereby significantly increasing the concentration of the analytes in the small droplets compared to the original liquid solution.

An EWOD device includes a first substrate assembly and a second substrate assembly; wherein one of said substrate assemblies includes electrowetting electrodes, and the first substrate assembly and the second substrate assembly are spaced apart to define a channel between the substrate assemblies; and a housing for receiving the first substrate assembly and the second substrate assembly, the housing comprising an alignment feature for locating at least one of the first and second substrate assemblies within the housing. The device further includes a fixing feature for fixing the first and second substrate assemblies within the housing. The second substrate assembly is located within the housing such that the second substrate assembly is an outer component of the EWOD device. The device further may include a spacer that spaces apart the first substrate assembly from the second substrate assembly to define the channel between the first and second substrate assemblies.

An open microfluidic system is provided. The open microfluidic system including the extreme wettability of exclusive liquid repellency (ELR), open microchannels with high lateral resolution and low profile, various valve arrangements, capable of a broad range flow rates, and capable of spatially and temporally trapping particles in open fluid.

An AM-EWOD device includes a plurality of array elements arranged in an array of rows and columns; each column including a column addressing line that applies control signals to a corresponding column of array elements, and each row including a row addressing line that applies control signals to a corresponding row of array elements; each array element including an element electrode for receiving an actuation voltage and a switch transistor, wherein the switch transistor is electrically connected between the column addressing line and the element electrode and is switched by the row addressing line; and a column detection circuit comprising an addressing circuit that applies an electrical perturbation during a sensing operation to the column addressing line of an array element being sensed, and a measuring circuit that measures an output signal from one of the column addressing lines, wherein the output signal varies based upon a capacitance present at the element electrode.

Microfluidic probe head for processing a sequence of separate liquid volumes separated by spacers. The microfluidic probe head includes: an inlet, an outlet, a first fluid channel and a second fluid channel and a fluid bypass connecting the first fluid channel and the second fluid channel. The first fluid channel delivers the sequence of separate liquid volumes from the inlet toward a deposition area, the fluid bypass allows the spacers to be removed from the first fluid channel obtaining a free sequence of separate liquid volumes without spacers, the first fluid channel delivers the free sequence of separate liquid volumes to the deposition area, and the second fluid channel delivers the removed spacers from the fluid bypass to the outlet. The present invention also provides a microfluidic probe and method for processing a sequence of separate liquid volumes.

A microfluidic device includes a chamber, on two sides of which lying opposite each other in a first direction, a respective first distributor is provided in order to produce a laminar flow in the first direction. Each of the first distributors has at least one branching point, at which a channel is divided into at least two channels. The at least one branching point of the first distributor is arranged in such a way that a first connection channel is connected to a plurality of first connection points of the chamber by means of the first distributor.

The present disclosure discloses a multi-droplet sensing and actuation system, for use in a digital microfluidic chip operation wherein a linearly independent alternating current signal is applied to each discrete actuation electrode thus encoding the electrode's identity. The combined measured impedance signal from multiple channels is then processed to decode an impedance measurement for the volume between each discrete actuation electrode and its corresponding conductive counter electrode region, where the sensed impedance is inversely proportional to an amount of liquid within the volume.

Compositions, devices, and methods are disclosed for the modification of polymer surfaces with coatings having a dispersion of silicone polymer and hydrophobic silica. The surface coatings provide the polymer surface with high hydrophobicity, as well as increased resistance to biofouling with proteinaceous material. The polymer surfaces can be particularly useful in microfluidic devices and methods that involve the contacting of the covalently modified polymer surfaces with emulsions of aqueous droplets containing biological macromolecules within an oil carrier phase.