Patent ID: 11872559
Assignee: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  C  G | IPC B  C  G

Claim 0:
1. A microfluidic device or chip including:
a first inlet for introducing a first object into the device and a second inlet for introducing a second object into the device;
an oil inlet for introducing an oil that supports droplet formation into the device or a droplet forming substance inlet for introducing a droplet forming substance into the device;
a co-encapsulation area or structure where the first and second objects are encapsulated by the droplet, the co-encapsulation area or structure being in fluid communication with the oil inlet or the droplet forming substance inlet;
a first microfluidic tubing or channel in fluid communication with the first inlet and with the co-encapsulation area or structure, the first microfluidic tubing or channel being configured to receive the first object from the first inlet and to transport the first object to an entrance of the co-encapsulation area or structure; and a second microfluidic tubing or channel in fluid communication with the second inlet and with the co-encapsulation area or structure, the first microfluidic tubing or channel being configured to receive the second object from the second inlet and to transport the second object to the entrance of the co-encapsulation area or structure;
an oil supporting droplet formation microchannel or droplet forming substance microchannel in fluid communication with the oil inlet or the droplet forming substance inlet, and connected to both the first microfluidic tubing or channel and to the second microfluidic tubing or channel to place a liquid of the first and second microfluidic tubings or channels in direct contact with the oil that supports droplet formation or the droplet forming substance; the oil supporting droplet formation microchannel or the droplet forming substance microchannel including the co-encapsulation area or structure;
a droplet microchannel or tubing for transporting the droplet for collection, the droplet microchannel or tubing being in fluid communication with the oil supporting droplet formation microchannel or droplet forming substance microchannel;, wherein the microfluidic device or chip further includes:
a first object stopping valve connected to the first microfluidic tubing or channel and located upstream of the co-encapsulation area or structure, the first object stopping valve being configured to stop the first object and position the first object in a stop position or stop region located upstream of the co-encapsulation area or structure; and a second object stopping valve connected to the second microfluidic tubing or channel and located upstream of the co-encapsulation area or structure, the second object stopping valve being configured to stop the second object and position the second object in a stop position or stop region located upstream of the co-encapsulation area or structure; and
an ejection valve connected to both the first microfluidic tubing or channel and the second microfluidic tubing or channel, the ejection valve being configured to simultaneous dispense liquid of the first microfluidic tubing or channel and liquid of the second microfluidic tubing or channel to displace both the first and second objects simultaneously to the co-encapsulation area or structure for encapsulation of both the first and second objects inside the same droplet.