Electrowetting dispensing devices and related methods
View Patent ↗A method for dispensing liquid for use in biological analysis may comprise positioning liquid to be dispensed via electrowetting. The positioning may comprise aligning the liquid with a plurality of predetermined locations. The method may further comprise dispensing the aligned liquid from the plurality of predetermined locations through a plurality of openings respectively aligned with the predetermined locations. The dispensing may be via electrowetting.
1. An electrowetting system, comprising:
an electrowetting loader including
a substantially planar array of independently addressable electrodes embedded in a first substrate,
a conducting electrode embedded in a second substrate proximate to the first substrate, the second substrate and first substrate defining a volume, the second substrate defining a plurality of holes, and
a first insulating layer separating the addressable electrodes from the volume;
a device having a controller programmed to provide electrical signals to the independently addressable electrodes;
a support adjacent the second substrate, the support securing a plurality of capillary tubes, each capillary tube of the plurality of capillary tubes in fluid communication with a hole of the plurality of holes defined in the second substrate.
2. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the volume is in fluid communication with a droplet reservoir.
3. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to cause the addressable electrodes to draw discrete droplets into the volume from the droplet reservoir.
4. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to cause the addressable electrodes to be independently charged positive or negative relative to a power source in the controller.
5. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the addressable electrodes embedded in the first substrate comprises a network of pathways comprising the addressable electrodes arranged in an array having rows and columns.
6. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the addressable electrodes embedded in the first substrate comprise discrete electrodes arranged to provide a fluidic path.
7. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises a hydrophobic surface.
8. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first insulating layer comprises a hydrophilic surface.
9. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the addressable electrodes are configured to alter a wettability of a surface portion of the first insulating layer at a liquid/insulator interface within the volume.
10. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to convert the first insulating layer proximate to a given addressable electrode from hydrophilic to hydrophobic.
11. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , further comprising a second insulating layer separating the conducting electrode from the volume.
12. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of capillary tubes are filled with a matrix material.
13. The electrowetting system of claim 12 , wherein the matrix material includes a porous polymer.
14. The electrowetting system of claim 13 , wherein the porous polymer permits movement of nucleic acids.
15. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , further comprising an electrode at a distal end of the each capillary tube.
16. The electrowetting system of claim 1 , further comprising a workstation.
17. The electrowetting system of claim 16 , wherein the workstation includes a thermocycling station.
18. The electrowetting system of claim 16 , wherein the workstation includes a sample storage station.
19. The electrowetting system of claim 16 , wherein the workstation includes a reagent storage.
20. The electrowetting system of claim 16 , wherein the workstation includes a wash station.