Rubik's Cube-like Intelligent Instrument With Reconfigurable Functions Based On Modular Microfluidics

Microfluidic technology plays an important role in various kinds of advanced analytical instruments,such as capillary electrophoresis analyzer,chromatograph,digital PCR,and POCT equipment,representing an important development direction in the field of instrument science.However,as the core components in analytical instruments,conventional monolithic microfluidic chips face the problem of low flexibility of use in real applications.Unable to adjust functions with the change of actual needs,it could be difficult for presently available microfluidic equipment to adapt to varying application scenarios,which set limitations for intelligent instrument design.Modular microfluidics,on the other hand,can facilitate the flexible deployment of microfluidic systems.However,at the present stage,modular microfluidic technology has complex reconstruction steps and limited performance,making it difficult to quickly switch between settings and change functions.Therefore,the development of modular microfluidic with improved reliability and ease-of-use is very necessary for intelligent instrument architecture.Based on modular microfluidic technology,this paper proposed a design of modular microfluidic instrument architecture based on the mechanics of a Rubik's Cube,and presented a method for processing functional microfluidic modules based on a basic component library,enabling multi-level modular design of microfluidic systems.A method for rapid design and fabrication of basic microfluidic structures using inkjet printing is also proposed.By integrating sensors and actuators in the microfluidic modules,an intelligent instrument with reconfigurable functions based on modular microfluidic is constructed.The specific research contents of this paper are as follows:A reconfigurable microfluidic system based on Rubik's cube structure is proposed.The structural characteristics of the Rubik's cube and its applicability in modular microfluidic systems were studied;by replacing the Rubik's cube components with microfluidic chips having independent functions,a modular microfluidic system is constructed and could be reconfigured by the rotation of the Rubik's cube.With the help of silicone O-ringassisted alignment and sealing strategy,the microfluidic cube enables rapid deployment,field reconstruction,and module reuse of the microfluidic system.A construction method of functional microfluidic module based on a microfluidic standard component library is proposed.By further dividing the microfluidic functional module into standard components,and making sacrificial layer template of the standard components in the form of stickers,highly customized microfluidic modules could be obtained by simply combining the standard sticker templates according to applications;The concept of a microfluidic chip fabrication toolbox is also proposed: containing sticker templates,silicone elastomers and other materials and reagents,the proposed toolbox enables the on-demand customization of microfluidic devices and functional modules without the requirement of external equipment and professional skills.A method for rapid designing and fabrication of basic microfluidic structures based on inkjet printing technology is proposed.With regard to the flexibility problem in the standard library-based approach,A method of rapid design and fabrication of custom microfluidic components using a desktop inkjet printer and superhydrophobic spray is presented.By inkjet printing hydrophilic microfluidic patterns on superhydrophobically coated silicone elastomer,liquid-phase microchannel templates could be defined by the liquid-solid interface characteristics.After simply casting the silicone elastomer on the liquid template,the approach enables de novo design and rapid fabrication of custom microfluidic components.A design of intelligent instrument architecture based on the Rubik's cube-like microfluidic system is presented,which includes various functionalized components such as microfluidic modules,sensing modules and actuator modules;the reconstruction method and final state accessibility of the Rubik's cube-like system are discussed;the reconfiguration of the cube-like instrument system was discussed with the help of the Rubik's cube algorithms and cube-solving programs.Finally,the system was demonstrated for practical applications including droplet-based microbial culture and water pollutants monitoring.