Microfluidic Device Control System Based on Segmented Temperature Sensor

Abstract

Microfluidic technology refers to the technique of controlling the flow, mass transfer, and heat transfer of a fluid with a volume of picoliter to nanoliter in a low-dimensional channel structure with at least one dimension of micron or even nanometer scale. It is widely used in biochemical analysis, immunity, minimally invasive surgery, and environmental monitoring. This paper proposes a microfluidic device based on a segmented temperature sensor. This device can be used for segmental temperature measurement and controlling the temperature of the solution in the microchannel of a glass microfluidic chip. The device is based on a transparent indium tin oxide film glass as a heating element. It adopts a temperature control platform of a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm. The system uses a charged coupled device camera, a fluorescence microscope, and an image acquisition card to form a noncontact fluorescent indicator temperature measuring device. The device measures the temperature distribution of the microfluid space with time and controls the microfluidics. Moreover, the device has the advantages of simple structure, low cost, and convenient operation.