"
Team:EPF-Lausanne/Tools/Microfluidics/HowTo2
From 2011.igem.org
Microfluidics how-to
To be done: describe how to design and make a chip. Or how to order one.
Microfludics chips are basically a piece of moulded rubber. To actually get anything out of them, an external setup of tubing, compressed air, and valves is needed to flow in fluids and actuate the on-chip valves. To see what's happening, you'll also need some form of microscope.
Making a chip
A basic microfluidics control setup
Injecting fluids: mains pressure and tubing, pressure regulators
A microfluidic chip is a network of small channels for fluids. To inject fluid in, a small (.02" inner diameter) tube is filled, then plugged into the chip through one of the punched holes (connecting them with a tubular metal pin). On the other end, the tubes are plugged into a manifold, in turn supplied with air at about 0.2 bar (3 psi), as set by a pressure regulator. The fluid is thus forced into the channels by the compressed air. A syringe can also be used to fill the chip, but it is hard to keep an even pressure (plus you quickly run out of hands).
