Cryopreservation is a key technology in biology and clinical practice. This paper presents a digital microfluidic device that automates sample preparation for mammalian embryo vitrification. Individual micro droplets manipulated on the microfluidic device were used as micro-vessels to transport a single mouse embryo through a complete vitrification procedure. Advantages of this approach, compar...

We propose a fabrication method of vertical and high-aspect-ratio microfluidic device which is made of borosilicate glass. Glass microfluidic devices have high demand because of its chemical stability, good bio compatibility, and high optical transparency. We realized vertical glass microwells of 25 μm in diameter and 50 μm in depth(aspect ratio: 2), and micropillars of 3 μm in diameter and 25 ...

This paper reports the feasibility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology for inspection of bonding quality of microfluidic devices in manufacturing environments. A compact optical-fiber-based OCT is developed and its measurement performance is characterized. A series of microfluidic devices respectively bonded by adhesive tape, thermal method, and oxygen plasma, are inspected. The de...

A facile nonlithographic method for expedient fabrication of microfluidic devices of poly(dimethylsiloxane) is described. Positive-relief masters for the molds are directly printed on smooth substrates. For the formation of connecting channels and chambers inside the polymer components of the microfluidic devices, cavity-forming elements are adhered to the surfaces of the masters. Using this no...

We have developed microfluidic chips for automating molecular biology processes such as gene ligation and gene transformation from nanolitre sample volumes with parallel architecture. Unlike conventional tube methods with cumbersome pipetting procedures, all processes, including metering of samples, ligation and transformation, were carried out in the microfluidic chips through pneumatic contro...

The detection and sorting of aqueous drops is central to microfluidic workflows for high-throughput biology applications, including directed evolution, digital PCR, and antibody screening. However, high-throughput detection and sorting of drops require optical systems and microfluidic components that are complex, difficult to build, and often yield inadequate sensitivity and throughput. Here, w...

This paper researches the design and control method of a microrobot in a microfluidic system by electromagnetic field. The microrobot can move along the microchannel to a required position, and by changing the magnetic torque, the microrobot can also rotate in the microfluidic chip. As an application of the microrobot, it is used as a mobile micromixer to mix two solutions in the microfluidic c...

We develop a simple method to determine the microdroplet features in a microfluidic chip fabricated by conventional soft lithography. Different sizes of microdroplets are generated through a typical microfluidic T-junction by adjusting the flow rates of the two immiscible liquids. Droplet size and content can be determined by monitoring the optofluidic signals reflected at the fluid-polydimethy...

We present an optical, noninvasive and label-free approach to characterize flow profiles in microfluidic devices. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering signals were used to map the mass transport in a microfluidic device that was then related back to the local flow rate of dilute solutes having constant fluid properties. Flow characterization was demonstrated in two common types of microfluidic...