Patent ID: 6821485
Filing Date: 2004-11-23
Classification: B01L,B82Y,Y10T

Abstract:
A microfluidic flow guiding structure comprising:(a) a base having a surface; (b) a cover having a surface facing the base surface and spaced from the base surface by 1000 &mgr;m or less; (c) adjacent facing regions on the base surface and cover surface defining a flow path from a source position to a destination position on the base surface and cover surface, at least a region on each of the base surface and cover surface being wettable by and having a wetting angle of less than 90Â° with respect to a selected liquid, the wettable region on at least one of the base surface and cover surface formed as a flow guiding stripe and a region adjacent to the guiding stripe on the at least one of the base surface and cover surface being non-wettable by and having a wetting angle of greater than 90Â° with respect to the selected liquid wherein the base and cover are formed of a material which has a wetting angle less than 90Â° with respect to the selected liquid, and wherein each guiding stripe is defined on an exposed surface of the material forming the base or cover, and wherein the regions adjacent to each guiding stripe is formed of a layer of material differing from the material of the base or cover and that has a wetting angle with respect to the selected liquid of greater than 90Â°, wherein the layer of material is a self-assembled monolayer of a trichlorosilane and the material of the base and cover is silicate glass, and the trichlorosilane is selected from the group consisting of octadecyltrichlorosilane and heptadecaflouro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrodecyltrichlorosilane.