Microfluidics: Accelerated Biofluid Filling in Complex Microfluidic Networks by Vacuum‐Pressure Accelerated Movement (V‐PAM) (Small 33/2016)

Rapid fluid transport and exchange are critical operations involved in many microfluidic applications. However, conventional mechanisms used for driving fluid transport in microfluidics, such as micropumping and high pressure, can be inaccurate and difficult for implementation for integrated microfluidics containing control components and closed compartments. Here, a technology has been developed termed Vacuum–Pressure Accelerated Movement (V‐PAM) capable of significantly enhancing biofluid transport in complex microfluidic environments containing dead‐end channels and closed chambers. Operation of the V‐PAM entails a pressurized fluid loading into microfluidic channels where gas confined inside can rapidly be dissipated through permeation through a thin, gas‐permeable membrane sandwiched between microfluidic channels and a network of vacuum channels. Effects of different structural and operational parameters of the V‐PAM for promoting fluid filling in microfluidic environments have been studied systematically. This work further demonstrates the applicability of V‐PAM for rapid filling of temperature‐sensitive hydrogels and unprocessed whole blood into complex irregular microfluidic networks such as microfluidic leaf venation patterns and blood circulatory systems. Together, the V‐PAM technology provides a promising generic microfluidic tool for advanced fluid control and transport in integrated microfluidics for different microfluidic diagnosis, organs‐on‐chips, and biomimetic studies.