Rapid prototyping of pneumatically actuated hydrocarbon gel valves for centrifugal microfluidic devices

Laura Swayne; Alexei Kazarine; Erin J Templeton; Eric D Salin

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2014.11.029

Rapid prototyping of pneumatically actuated hydrocarbon gel valves for centrifugal microfluidic devices

Talanta. 2015 Mar:134:443-447. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2014.11.029. Epub 2014 Nov 24.

Authors

Laura Swayne¹, Alexei Kazarine¹, Erin J Templeton¹, Eric D Salin²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 0B8.
² Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 0B8. Electronic address: eric.salin@mcgill.ca.

PMID: 25618691
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2014.11.029

Abstract

A novel, easy to prototype hydrocarbon gel-based active valve was developed for use in centrifugal microfluidic devices. The valve has been demonstrated to restrict flow by an additional 1000 revolutions per minute (RPM) when compared to a passive capillary valve of the same size located at the same radius. Opening of the valve is accomplished in a contactless manner using a stream of focused compressed air. The ease of fabrication, low cost and small dimensions of the gel valve offer the potential for integration of multiple valves of this type into multi-process centrifugal microfluidic systems.

Keywords: Active valve; Centrifugal; Flow control; Hydrocarbon gel; Liquid sample processing; Microfluidics.