A microfluidic device including a microwell array having microwells, and a cover member facing the microwell array with a gap between the cover member and the microwell array, and having a flow path formed in the gap. The cover member has a surface facing the microwell array, and the surface has an arithmetic average roughness Ra of 70 nm or less.

Provided is a liquid droplet collection device including: a substrate having a hydrophobic surface; and a hydrophilic channel arranged in the hydrophobic surface, wherein the hydrophilic channel includes: a first-generation channel including a plurality of tapered channel portions radially extending from an origin point and monotonically tapering with increasing distance from the origin point; and a second-generation channel that includes a plurality of tapered channel portions radially extending from an origin point and monotonically tapering with increasing distance from the origin point, and is scaled down in size as compared to the first-generation channel, wherein the second-generation channel is joined to the first-generation channel to face the same direction as the first-generation channel, and wherein one of the tapered channel portions of the second-generation channel overlaps a distal end portion of one of the tapered channel portions of the first-generation channel, and the hydrophilic channel monotonically tapers from a proximal end of one of the tapered channel portions of the first-generation channel to a distal end of one of the tapered channel portions of the second-generation channel.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods, systems and devices, for precise and reduced spot-size capabilities using a laser to alter surfaces without chemical treatment, chemical waste, or chemical residues is provided for microfluidic systems (e.g., lab-on-a-disk, for example). In some embodiments, hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic areas can be created on surfaces in the same material at different areas and positions merely by using different laser settings (e.g., spot size, wavelength, spacing, and/or pulse duration). Accordingly, capillary forces that are a recurrent issue in a microfluidic devices (e.g., a centrifugal microfluidic disk) can be controlled for practical applications, including, for example when users handle the disks and insert a sample, the moment the substrate/device (e.g., disk) is placed in a system (e.g., a centrifugal system), capillary forces can take place and move the fluids, which becomes a problem for sequential bioassays taking place in substrate/device (e.g., disk). Thus, in some embodiments, the systems, devices and methods increase fluid control in microfluidic devices.

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.

Example implementations include a sensor device with a superhydrophobic sensor panel having an abraded first planar surface and a second planar surface opposite to the first planar surface, and a metallic heating element adjacent to the second planar surface of the superhydrophobic sensor panel. Example implementations also include a method of detecting a concentration of heavy metal ions in a solution, by separating a target solute of a target microdroplet from the target micropdroplet, identifying a distribution area of at least one heavy metal ion in an image of the target solute, generating a heavy metal ion concentration quantity based on the distribution area, generating a composite image including an indication of the distribution area, and presenting an indication of at least one of the heavy metal ion concentration quantity and the composite heavy metal ion image. Example implementations also include a method of manufacturing a heavy metal ion sensor device, by abrading a first planar surface of a superhydrophobic sensor panel, depositing a metallic layer on a nonconductive substrate, and contacting the metallic layer to a second planar surface of the sensor panel opposite to the first planar surface.

The present disclosure provides an electrode plate, a microfluidic chip, and a method of manufacturing the electrode plate. In one embodiment, an electrode plate includes: a substrate, an electrode and a surface contact layer stacked in sequence, and a droplet inlet hole passing through the substrate, the electrode and the surface contact layer. The surface contact layer comprises a super-hydrophobic region and a hydrophilic region, and the droplet inlet hole is disposed in the hydrophilic region. The microfluidic chip includes: a first electrode plate formed by the abovementioned electrode plate, and a second electrode plate provided on a side of the first electrode plate close to the surface contact layer. The first electrode plate is provided opposite to the second electrode plate and a liquid channel is formed between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate.

A device for manipulating a droplet comprising water is provided, the device including: (i) a surface configured to support the droplet, the surface including a hydrophobic region; and (ii) an ultrasound transducer array, the ultrasound transducer array being arranged above the surface and separated from the surface; wherein the ultrasound transducer array is configured to emit ultrasound for actuating a motion of the droplet along the surface by subjecting the droplet to an acoustic radiation force by the emitted ultrasound.

A microfluidic synthesis platform includes a microfluidic chip holder that has a computer controlled heating element and cooling element therein. A microfluidic chip is mountable in the microfluidic chip holder. The microfluidic chip is formed by a hydrophobic substrate having patterned thereon a hydrophilic reaction site and a plurality of hydrophilic channels or pathways extending outward from the hydrophilic reaction site and terminating at respective loading sites on the substrate, wherein the hydrophilic channels or pathways are tapered with an increasing width in an inward direction toward the hydrophilic reaction site. A fixture is provided for holding a plurality of non-contact reagent dispensing devices above the microfluidic chip at locations corresponding to the loading sites of the plurality of hydrophilic channels or pathways, the fixture further holding a moveable collection tube disposed above the hydrophilic reaction site of the microfluidic chip for removing droplets containing reaction products.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods, systems and devices, for precise and reduced spot-size capabilities using a laser to alter surfaces without chemical treatment, chemical waste, or chemical residues is provided for microfluidic systems (e.g., lab-on-a-disk, for example). In some embodiments, hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic areas can be created on surfaces in the same material at different areas and positions merely by using different laser settings (e.g., spot size, wavelength, spacing, and/or pulse duration). Accordingly, capillary forces that are a recurrent issue in a microfluidic devices (e.g., a centrifugal microfluidic disk) can be controlled for practical applications, including, for example when users handle the disks and insert a sample, the moment the substrate/device (e.g., disk) is placed in a system (e.g., a centrifugal system), capillary forces can take place and move the fluids, which becomes a problem for sequential bioassays taking place in substrate/device (e.g., disk). Thus, in some embodiments, the systems, devices and methods increase fluid control in microfluidic devices.

A digital microfluidics (DMF) device can be used to extract plasma from whole blood and manipulate the extracted plasma. The device can have a plasma separation membrane disposed between a sample inlet and sample outlet that leads into the DMF device. Once the plasma contacts the actuation electrodes of the DMF device, the plasma can be actively extracted from the whole blood sample by actuating the actuation electrodes to pull the plasma through plasma separation membrane.