A microfluidic chip configuration wherein injection occurs in an upwards vertical direction, and fluid vessels are located below the chip in order to minimize particle settling before and at the analysis portion of the chip's channels. The input and fluid flow up through the bottom of the chip, in one aspect using a manifold, which avoids orthogonal re-orientation of fluid dynamics. The contents of the vial are located below the chip and pumped upwards and vertically directly into the first channel of the chip. A long channel extends from the bottom of the chip to near the top of the chip. Then the channel takes a short horizontal turn that nearly negates any influence of cell settling due to gravity and zero flow velocity at the walls. The fluid is pumped up to a horizontal analysis portion that is the highest channel/fluidic point in the chip and thus close to the top of the chip, which results in clearer imaging. A laser may also suspend cells or particles in this channel during analysis which prevents them from settling.

A test device is configured for diagnostic testing and includes an optical readable medium, in turn including a pattern of spots of material arranged on a surface of the device. Several patterns may be provided. The patterns accordingly formed may be human and/or machine readable. They may notably encode security information, e.g., indicating whether the device has already been used. The spots may notably be inkjet spotted. In addition, a method is provided for decoding information encoded in a pattern of such a test device. In embodiments, liquid is introduced in the device, which comprises additional spots having a substantially different solubility than spots forming the actual pattern. Thus, the additional spots get solubilized in and flushed by the liquid as the latter wets them, and an initially hidden pattern may be read, which is formed of the remaining spots (not solubilized). Encoding methods are also provided.

Methods of increasing the capture efficiency of a microfluidic device for a target reagent, without additional complications to the design of existing microfluidic devices, and more particularly methods of increasing the capture efficiency of a microfluidic device for magnetic microbeads within a microfluidic channel using sequentially switched electroosmotic flows.

A fluid pumping system may include an electroosmotic pump; and a separation member provided at least one end of the electroosmotic pump, and configured to separate the fluid and a transfer target fluid. The electroosmotic pump may include: a membrane that allows a fluid to move therethrough; and a first electrode and a second electrode which are respectively provided at two opposite sides of the membrane, and each of which is formed of a porous material or has a porous structure to allow a fluid to move therethrough; each of the first electrode and the second electrode may be made of porous carbon only; and an electrochemical reaction of the first electrode and the second electrode may take place as a cation is moved in a direction whereby a charge balance is established.

The present invention relates to a microfluidic analysis device (1) including: a substrate (20) wherein a separation channel (10) is arranged, in which an electrolyte flows, a portion of the separation channel (10) being covered with a polarisable surface (11); two longitudinal field electrodes (8a, 8b) arranged on either side of the separation channel (10); at least one control electrode (6a, 6b) positioned in the separation channel (10), the control electrode (6a, 6b) being suitable for polarising the polarisable surface (11) so as to control the speed of the electro-osmotic flow in the separation channel (10); the microfluidic analysis device (1) being characterised in that the polarisable surface (11) includes an insulating sub-layer (12) made of amorphous silicon carbide (SiC) and an upper polarisable layer (13) in direct contact with the electrolyte, the control electrodes (6a, 6b) being positioned between the insulating sub-layer (12) and the upper polarisable layer (13).

A fluid pumping system may include an electroosmotic pump; and a separation member provided at least one end of the electroosmotic pump, and configured to separate the fluid and a transfer target fluid. The electroosmotic pump may include: a membrane that allows a fluid to move therethrough; and a first electrode and a second electrode which are respectively provided at two opposite sides of the membrane, and each of which is formed of a porous material or has a porous structure to allow a fluid to move therethrough; each of the first electrode and the second electrode may contain a conductive polymer in which an anionic polymer is included or may be made of porous carbon only; and an electrochemical reaction of the first electrode and the second electrode may take place as a cation is moved in a direction whereby a charge balance is established.

A droplet actuator for manipulating a fluid using an electrical field includes a droplet arranged on or over an electrode. The droplet includes a set of beads arranged substantially in a monolayer on or over a surface of the droplet actuator.

The combined value of integrating optical forces and electrokinetics allows for the pooled separation vectors of each to be applied, providing for separation based on combinations of features such as size, shape, refractive index, charge, charge distribution, charge mobility, permittivity, and deformability. The interplay of these separation vectors allow for the selective manipulation of analytes with a finer degree of variation. Embodiments include methods of method of separating particles in a microfluidic channel using a device comprising a microfluidic channel, a source of laser light focused by an optic into the microfluidic channel, and a source of electrical field operationally connected to the microfluidic channel via electrodes so that the laser light and the electrical field to act jointly on the particles in the microfluidic channel. Other devices and methods are disclosed.

Embodiments of the invention comprise microfluidic devices, instrumentation interfacing with those devices, processes for fabricating that device, and methods of employing that device to perform PCR amplification. Embodiments of the invention are also compatible with quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (“qPCR”) processes. Microfluidic devices in accordance with the invention may contain a plurality of parallel processing channels. Fully independent reactions can take place in each of the plurality of parallel processing channels. The availability of independent processing channels allows a microfluidic device in accordance with the invention to be used in a number of ways. For example, separate samples could be processed in each of the independent processing channels. Alternatively, different loci on a single sample could be processed in multiple processing channels.

Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward apparatus and methods method for filtering water fluid by screening ionic minerals including sodium chloride from the water fluid. In one embodiment, the water fluid is passed into a work zone defined at least in part by oppositely-arranged first and second porous structures, each of which have a plurality of gated channels. The water fluid is processed in the work zone by applying respective electric voltages to electrically bias the first porous structure and the second porous structure. The respective electric voltages deplete sodium chloride ions in the water fluid in the work zone due to ion-flux continuity. In response to processing of the water fluid, ion-filtered water is collected from the work zone.