A chemical reactor is implemented on a substrate and has an inlet for receiving a fluid and/or a gas; a filter element for reducing or preventing that materials cause a blockage in the fluid supplied and/or the gas supplied in a part of the chemical reactor located further away; and a part located further away for transporting and/or processing the fluid and/or the gas. The part located further away has a depth dlow smaller than the depth dhigh of the inlet. The filter element has a first duct part and a second duct part; the first duct part is positioned closer up against the inlet than the second duct part, the first duct part is deeper than the second duct part, the first duct part has a diverging width and is free from pillar structures, and the second duct part is filled with filter pillars.

A distributor is described for distributing a fluid flow from a smaller to a more broad fluid flow. It comprises a fluid input and a plurality of fluid outputs, and a channel structure in between the fluid input and the plurality of fluid outputs. The channel structure comprises alternatingly bifurcating channel substructures and common channel substructures wherein the substructures are arranged so that fluid exiting different channels from a bifurcating channel substructure mixes in a subsequent common channel substructure, and whereby fluid channels of the bifurcating channel substructure are arranged such that these do not contact the subsequent common channel substructure at the edges thereof.

A fluid flow controller for introducing fluids into a microfluidic device is provided. The fluid flow controller comprising, at least one high resistance fluid pathway provided between an inlet port and a connection port; at least one low resistance fluid pathway between the inlet and connection port; and at least one valve configured to enable fluid flow through the high resistance fluid pathway, the low resistance fluid pathway or both.

The present invention provides a micro-reactor (1) adapted to host chemical reactions having at least one microfluidic layer, said micro-reactor (1) comprising a fluid inlet (2) and a fluid outlet (3); a plurality of micro-reaction chambers (10) arranged in rows (7) and columns (6), each micro-reaction chamber comprising a chamber inlet (10a) and a chamber outlet (10b); a plurality of supply channels (4) for supplying fluid to from said fluid inlet (2) to said micro-reaction chambers (10) and further arranged for draining said micro-reaction chambers (10) to said fluid outlet (3), said supply channels (10) extending in a first direction (D1) along the columns (6) of micro-reaction chambers (10) and arranged such that there is one supply channel (4) between adjacent columns (6). The micro-reaction chambers (10) in the columns (6) are arranged such that the chamber inlets (10a) of a column are in fluid contact with the same supply channel (4) and the chamber outlets (10b) are in fluid contact with the supply channel (4) adjacent to the supply channel (4) arranged in fluidic contact with the chamber inlets (10a). Further, the plurality of supply channels (4) comprises a first end supply channel (4a) arranged for supplying fluid to a first end column (6a) of the micro-reaction chambers (10) and a second end supply channel (4b) arranged for draining fluid from the second, opposite, end column (6b) of said micro-reaction chambers (10); and wherein the micro-reactor (1) further comprises at least one reagent inlet (8) in fluid contact with the first end supply channel 4a and a reagent outlet (9) in fluid contact with the second end supply channel such that reagents introduced to the at least one reagent inlet (8) fill the plurality of micro-reaction chambers (10) in a second direction (D2) along the rows (7) of micro-reaction chambers (10) to the reagent outlet (9).

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.

A distributor is described for distributing a fluid flow from a smaller to a more broad fluid flow. It comprises a fluid input and a plurality of fluid outputs, and a channel structure in between the fluid input and the plurality of fluid outputs. The channel structure comprises alternatingly bifurcating channel substructures and common channel substructures wherein the substructures are arranged so that fluid exiting different channels from a bifurcating channel substructure mixes in a subsequent common channel substructure, and whereby fluid channels of the bifurcating channel substructure are arranged such that these do not contact the subsequent common channel substructure at the edges thereof.

A reactor system for high throughput applications includes a plurality of reactor assemblies, each reactor assembly including: a fluid source, which fluid source is adapted to provide a pressurized fluid to the flow-through reactors, a flow splitter which flow splitter includes a planar microfluidic chip, which microfluidic chip has a chip inlet channel and a plurality of chip outlet channels, which microfluidic chip further includes a plurality of flow restrictor channels, where each flow restrictor channel extends from said chip inlet channel to an associated chip outlet channel, where the chip inlet channel and the chip outlet channels each have a diameter, where the diameter of the chip inlet channel is the same or less than the length of said chip inlet channel and where the diameter of each chip outlet channel is the same or less than the length of said chip outlet channel.

In mixing of raw materials having different flow rate ratios (volume ratios) (different flow rates), in order to achieve a good mixing effect, the present invention includes: for raw materials having different flow rates, a high-flow-rate side flow path (102) through which a raw material on a high-flow-rate side flows; a low-flow-rate side flow path (103) through which a raw material on a low-flow-rate side flows; branch flow paths (102a, 102b) which are branched from the high-flow-rate side flow path; and a residence flow path (104) which is a flow path after the branch flow paths (102a, 102b) and the low-flow-rate side flow path (103) merge. The branch flow path (102a) and the branch flow path (102b) merge in a way of sandwiching the low-flow-rate side flow path (103).

A fluid flow controller for introducing fluids into a microfluidic device is provided. The fluid flow controller comprising, at least one high resistance fluid pathway provided between an inlet port and a connection port; at least one low resistance fluid pathway between the inlet and connection port; and at least one valve configured to enable fluid flow through the high resistance fluid pathway, the low resistance fluid pathway or both.

In mixing of raw materials having different flow rate ratios (volume ratios) (different flow rates), in order to achieve a good mixing effect, the present invention includes: for raw materials having different flow rates, a high-flow-rate side flow path (102) through which a raw material on a high-flow-rate side flows; a low-flow-rate side flow path (103) through which a raw material on a low-flow-rate side flows; branch flow paths (102a, 102b) which are branched from the high-flow-rate side flow path; and a residence flow path (104) which is a flow path after the branch flow paths (102a, 102b) and the low-flow-rate side flow path (103) merge. The branch flow path (102a) and the branch flow path (102b) merge in a way of sandwiching the low-flow-rate side flow path (103).