Configurable micro flowguide device

• Main Authors: Shia, Tim K, Wu, Jhy-Wen, Yao, Nan-Kuang, Kuo, Yuan-Fong, Pang, Shaw-Hwa
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.04.2004

The present invention relates to a micro flowguide device, especially to a configurable/programmable micro flowguide device provided with electrolytic bubble actuator. The micro flowguide device of this invention may be used in a variety of medical, chemical, environmental, electronic, pharmaceutical, agricultural or military microfluidic applications. Disclosed is a micro flowguide device comprising: a micro channel comprising at least one bubble trap to retard bubbles positioned in said bubble trap; an electrolytic bubble generating device to generate bubbles in said fluid by an electrolytic reaction; and a pressure source to supply a suited pressure to said fluid to pass through said micro channel; wherein said electrolytic bubble generating device causes bubbles to be generated at areas adjacent to said at least one bubble trap.Electrolytic bubbles are generated through a, localized electrolytic reaction enabled by the exposure of a set of DC-source-connected electrodes inside a conduit branch. Accumulated bubbles will be trapped and kept at several traps of the invented flowguide. When the backward pressure of trapped bubbles is rising to the level of forward pressure head, flow speed reduces to zero and channel branch is shut down.