The present invention provides microfabricated substrates and methods of conducting reactions within these substrates. The reactions occur in plugs transported in the flow of a carrier-fluid.

The present invention provides microfabricated substrates and methods of conducting reactions within these substrates. The reactions occur in plugs transported in the flow of a carrier-fluid.

Parallel uses of microfluidic methods and devices for focusing and/or forming discontinuous sections of similar or dissimilar size in a fluid are described. In some aspects, the present invention relates generally to flow-focusing-type technology, and also to microfluidics, and more particularly parallel use of microfluidic systems arranged to control a dispersed phase within a dispersant, and the size, and size distribution, of a dispersed phase in a multi-phase fluid system, and systems for delivery of fluid components to multiple such devices.

A method of crystallization is disclosed, the method comprises the steps of providing a microfluidic system comprising at least three channels having at least one junction; providing within the at least three channels a continuously flowing water-immiscible carrier-fluid, a continuously flowing first aqueous fluid comprising a crystallization target, and a continuously flowing second aqueous fluid comprising a precipitant; forming at least one plug comprising the first and second aqueous fluids by partitioning the aqueous fluids with the flowing carrier-fluid at the junction of the at least three channels, flowing the at least one plug through an outlet port into a tubing, and stopping the flow of the at least one plug in the tubing, wherein the crystallization target forms a crystal in the tubing.

The present invention provides microfabricated substrates and methods of conducting reactions within these substrates. The reactions occur in plugs transported in the flow of a carrier-fluid.