Interfacing with a digital microfluidic device

摘要

Described are techniques for use in connection with analyzing a droplet. One or more droplets of a sample are formed on a surface of a digital microfluidic device. The droplets are manipulated to perform processing using said one or more droplets generating one or more resulting droplets. The one or more resulting droplets may be transferred from the microfluidic device to another device for analysis. The one or more droplets may also be provided to the digital microfluidic device from yet another device or analysis instrument.

主权项

1. A method of analyzing a droplet comprising:
forming one or more droplets of a sample on a surface of a digital microfluidic device; manipulating said one or more droplets of the sample to perform processing using said one or more droplets of the sample generating one or more resulting droplets; and transferring said one or more resulting droplets from said digital microfluidic device to another device for analysis, wherein said another device performs mass spectrometry, wherein said digital microfluidic device interfaces with said another device using a tube coupled to the digital microfluidic device, wherein the tube is perpendicular to a plane containing said digital microfluidic device and wherein the digital microfluidic device includes a hole formed through a bottom portion of the digital microfluidic device and the tube is connected to the hole in the bottom portion, wherein said tube is electrically conductive providing electrical contact between a control electrode in said bottom portion of said microfluidic device and a tip of said tube, wherein the tip of the tube is formed at a tapered end that extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane containing the digital microfluidic device, and wherein the method further includes: creating an electrical field by applying a voltage to said control electrode in said bottom portion of said digital microfluidic device, said electrical field being sufficient to cause formation of a Taylor cone at said tip of said tube and electrospray.