The present invention generally relates to microfluidics, and, in particular, to systems and methods for coalescing or fusing droplets. In certain aspects, two or more droplets within a microfluidic channel are brought together and caused to coalesce without using electric fields or charges. For example, in certain embodiments, droplets stabilized with a surfactant may be disrupted, e.g., by exposing the droplets to a solvent able to alter the surfactant, which may partially destabilize the droplets and allow them to coalesce. In some instances, the droplets may also be physically disrupted to facilitate coalesce. In addition, in some cases, the positions of one or more droplets may be controlled within a channel using a groove in a wall of the channel. For example, a droplet may at least partially enter the groove such that the position of the droplet is at least partially controlled by the groove.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for synthesizing a biopolymer, a method for preparing an apparatus for synthesizing a biopolymer, and a method of synthesizing a biopolymer. The apparatus comprises (a) a substrate comprising a top surface and a plurality of wells, wherein each of the plurality of wells comprises a first electrode disposed on the bottom of the well and a linker attached to the sides of the well; and (b) a fluidic chamber system disposed on the top surface of the substrate.

The invention belongs to the technical field of metal micro-forming, and in particular relates to a method for inflating micro-channels. The present invention is aimed at the problems of low process flexibility, single product type, and non-closed structure of the micro-channel when preparing metal micro-channels by micro-plastic forming of ultra-thin metal strips. The present invention uses a method combining numerical simulation and bond rolling experiment to analyze the effect of the hydrogen pressure and bond strength of the metal composite ultra-thin strip after bond rolling on the pore diameter of the micro-channel, and the corresponding relationship between the micro-channel pore diameter and the titanium hydride content, heating temperature, and bond strength of the metal composite ultra-thin strip is obtained. The present invention has no special requirements on molds, wide selection of metal materials, low requirements for equipment capabilities; closed tubular micro-channel products with different pore diameters and different distributions can be prepared according to requirements, with rich product categories and high process flexibility.

The present disclosure is directed towards improved systems and methods for large-scale production of nanoparticles used for delivery of therapeutic material. The apparatus can be used to manufacture a wide array of nanoparticles containing therapeutic material including, but not limited to, lipid nanoparticles and polymer nanoparticles. In certain embodiments, continuous flow operation and parallelization of microfluidic mixers contribute to increased nanoparticle production volume.

There is provided a master for micro flow path creation, a transfer copy, and a method for producing a master for micro flow path creation by which transfer copies having an area with high hydrophilicity can be easily mass-produced, the master for micro flow path creation including: a base material; a main concave-convex portion provided on a surface of the base material and extending in a planar direction of the base material; and a fine concave-convex portion provided on a surface of the main concave-convex portion and having a narrower pitch than the main concave-convex portion. The fine concave-convex portion has an arithmetic average roughness of 10 nm to 150 nm and has a specific surface area ratio of 1.1 to 3.0.

There is provided a master for micro flow path creation, a transfer copy, and a method for producing a master for micro flow path creation by which transfer copies having an area with high hydrophilicity can be easily mass-produced, the master for micro flow path creation including: a base material; a main concave-convex portion provided on a surface of the base material and extending in a planar direction of the base material; and a fine concave-convex portion provided on a surface of the main concave-convex portion and having a narrower pitch than the main concave-convex portion. The fine concave-convex portion has an arithmetic average roughness of 10 nm to 150 nm and has a specific surface area ratio of 1.1 to 3.0.

A flow reactor has a module having a process fluid passage with an interior surface, a portion of the passage including a cross section along the portion having a cross-sectional shape, and a cross-sectional area with multiple minima along the passage. The cross-sectional shape varies continually along the portion and the interior surface of the portion includes either no pairs of opposing flat parallel sides or only pairs of opposing flat parallel sides which extend for a length of no more than 4 times a distance between said opposing flat parallel sides along the portion and the portion contains a plurality of obstacles distributed along the portion.

The present application concerns a microfluidic cassette for synthesizing a radiotracer including a microfluidic circuit in a support card that includes at least one intake for supply by a vial, at least one isotope port, at least one reaction chamber, at least one mixing chamber, at least one formulation chamber, and at least one connection for a syringe, linked together by capillaries. Also disclosed is a method for synthesizing a radiotracer in such a cassette.

A catalytic microscale reactor with spiral reactor geometry may have a high surface area to volume ratio, high catalytic surface area, high heat transfer surface area, long residence time, and high single pass conversion. The catalytic surface may be treated with microsphere spacer particles which serve to maintain the space between them at an engineered distance without the need for precise manufacturing techniques. The design of the reactor may allow for a catalyst surface to be removed, uncoiled, refurbished, and recoiled in an automated continuous process. An automated continuous process may be suitable both for initially preparing a new catalytic surface as well as refurbishing a fouled catalytic surface and may the time and cost to prepare a new surface.

The present disclosure is directed towards improved systems and methods for large-scale production of nanoparticles used for delivery of therapeutic material. The apparatus can be used to manufacture a wide array of nanoparticles containing therapeutic material including, but not limited to, lipid nanoparticles and polymer nanoparticles. In certain embodiments, continuous flow operation and parallelization of microfluidic mixers contribute to increased nanoparticle production volume.