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With 20+ years of experience in the broader microfluidics field, Micronit is a steady development partner. And our experience is available to you!
We offer our customers a full design-to-manufacturing service. Delivering high-end innovative products is our core business. Our ambitions are primarily in the field of life sciences and health applications and our facilities are ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified.
We team up with our clients in an 'idea-to-manufacturing' process. We not only design ground-breaking chip layouts, but also keep a sharp eye on the manufacturability of the product. Making the right design choices from the very beginning, prevents delays in later stages of the process.
Interested in a partnership in the development of your product? Go to Product Development.
If you already have a clear view on the product you need, you can fill in the Product Request Form below. Please give us a comprehensive view on the type of use and layout of the product, preferably with your initial drawings.
We'll get back to you asap to further discuss your request!
Customer Questions
How do I clean my chips?
One simple but very effective way to clean a microchip is to flush an alkaline solution through the channels. A solution of 1 M sodium hydroxide in water works well, but a lower concentration might also be sufficient. If traces of the cleaning solution remain inside the chip after cleaning, rinse with water or ammonia. Note that caustic solutions can cause damage to e.g. the polyimide coating of fused silica capillaries. Further, plastic parts should not be exposed to alkaline solutions.
To remove particulate matter from your chip, a water bath with ultrasonic agitation can be used, preferably while flushing a watery solution through the channels using a Fluidic connection kit.
Glass microchips can be heated (e.g. >400° C) causing any organic material on the glass surface to degrade. Try to use lower temperatures first because burning the content could make it stick. Make sure you only heat the glass chip and not the plastic parts around it.
Concentrated sulfuric acid works well ...
I need a pumping system for my setup. Which one do you recommend?
We recommend using a high precision pumping system. Regular syringe pumps often don't work very well for droplet generators. There are several high precision pumping systems on the market that work with different pumping principles.
To name one, we'd like to mention that we have had positive experiences with the equipment Fluigent offers: https://www.fluigent.com/
Which flowrates should I use?
This depends on many things. For example on the type of fluid that you are using. Check our flowrate instructions to find out how to start.
I only see streaks of fluids but no droplets. How do I get the droplets?
Decrease your flowrate. Check our flowrate instructions for a more acurate explanation.
Which surfactants should I use?
Use our surfactant guide for advice on surfactants.
Should I use coated or uncoated droplet generators?
Have a look at our article about surface wetting properties.
Is it possible to monitor oxygen levels?
It is possible to couple Micronit OOC devices to commercial optical readers for dissolved gases in the culture medium. This option allows for applications such as the monitoring of oxygen in the culture chamber.
Is my OOC system compatible with my imaging systems?
Have a look at this document about imaging systems.
The membrane is moving and flow is switching between top and bottom flow path. What is happening?
Always check that there’s no blockage in one of the flow paths, this can be verified by checking the amount of collected liquid in a specific time frame and compare it with the expected amount for the flow rate used.
If this isn't the case, droplet formation on the end of the tubing is the problem. Each falling droplet affects the flow a bit, resulting in changes in flow rates. Resolve this by keeping the end of the tubing in the collection reservoir submerged in liquid.
Publication: Controlled and tunable polymer particles' production using a single microfluidic device
Amoyav, Benzion, and Ofra Benny "Controlled and tunable polymer particles’ production using a single microfluidic device." Applied Nanoscience (2018): 1-10.
Abstract
Microfluidics technology offers a new platform to control liquids under flow in small volumes. The advantage of using smallscale reactions for droplet generation along with the capacity to control the preparation parameters, making microfluidic chips an attractive technology for optimizing encapsulation formulations.
However, one of the drawbacks in this methodology is the ability to obtain a wide range of droplet sizes, from sub-micron to microns using a single chip design. In fact, typically, droplet chips are used for micron-dimension particles, while nanoparticles’ synthesis requires complex chips design (i.e., microreactors and staggered herringbone micromixer).
Here, we introduce the development of a highly...
Publication: Spatiotemporal variation of endogenous cell-generated stresses within 3D multicellular spheroids
Lucio, Adam A., et al. "Spatiotemporal variation of endogenous cell-generated stresses within 3D multicellular spheroids." Scientific reports 7.1 (2017): 12022.
Abstract
Multicellular spheroids serve as an excellent platform to study tissue behavior and tumor growth in a controlled, three-dimensional (3D) environment. While molecular and cellular studies have long used this platform to study cell behavior in 3D, only recently have studies using multicellular spheroids shown an important role for the mechanics of the microenvironment in a wide range of cellular processes, including during tumor progression.
Despite the well-established relevance of mechanical cues to cell behavior and the numerous studies on mechanics using 2D cell culture systems, the spatial and temporal variations in endogenous cellular forces within growing multicellular aggregates remain unknown. Using cell-sized...
Can this flow cell be customized?
Absolutely! Micronit is a key supplier for flow cells in the Next Generation Sequencing market and can manufacture flow cells competely according to your specific requirements.
What can be customized?
The channel shape. The channel height and width.
For wet etching its important to consider that channel height and minimal channel width are related.
{minimal channel width} = 2 * {etch depth} + {initial mask opening, typcial 5-10µm}
Larger aspect ratios (relation between channel depth and width) are possible using dry etching. For this, a glass/silicon combination is most common. Choice of material. For instance, fused silica is a good option when UV light is used. Schott D263 bio can be a good alternative for some specific fluorescent labels. Surface flatness. We can provide ultra flat surfaces.
The channel shape. The channel height and width.
For wet etching its important to consider that channel height and minimal channel width are related.
{minimal channel width} = 2 * {etch depth} + {initial mask opening, typcial 5-10µm}
Larger aspect ratios (relation between channel depth and width) are possible using dry etching. For this, a glass/silicon combination is most common. Choice of material. For instance, fused silica is a good option when UV light is used. Schott D263 bio can be a good alternative for some specific fluorescent labels. Surface flatness. We can provide ultra flat surfaces.
How do I clean my resealable flow cell's / OOC top and bottom layers?
Cleaning
Resealable flowcells are produced in cleanroom facilities and clean areas to prevent physical impurities. After use, cleaning might be required to remove organic residues. Please use distinguished cleaning processes for glass slides with and without a gasket.
Glass slides with gasket:
Can be cleaned with ethanol, isopropanol and acetone. The glass slides could be either immersed in the solvents or rinsed with them. Immersion might lead to diffusion of solvents into the gasket. Therefore, it is recommended to rinse the glass slide with the gasket thoroughly with water or buffer to remove residues.
Only wipe with lint free tissue, otherwise the sealing might be affected negatively or completely lost.
It is advised to not wipe the gasket as this might damage it and reduce its sealing abilities.
Physical cleaning of the surface by either heat (with a maximum temperature of 140 °C) or oxygen plasma is possible.
Cleaning with acids or bases has not been fully tested.
Glass...
How do I sterilize my resealable flow cell's / OOC top and bottom layers?
Sterilization
Resealable flowcells are not sterilized when delivered. Please use distinguished sterilization processes for glass slides with and without a gasket.
Glass slides with gasket:
Can be sterilized with ethanol.
Dry heat of up to 140 °C can be applied.
Can be autoclaved.
Glass slides without gasket:
Can be sterilized with ethanol.
Can be autoclaved.
Which pressure and temperature can the EOR chip hold?
The EOR chip itself is manufactured from glass an can easily withstand up to 300⁰C. The chips are supplied in a black fluidic cartridge however. This cartridge can widthstand up to 80⁰C.
No sealant is used, the two layers of glass are fusion bonded together.
The chip can withstand easily up to 100 bar. The external interfacing is more critical however. Our Fluidic Connect holder offers the largest pressure, up to 80 bars (maybe less at elevated temperatures). Please note that it might be helpful to practice a little with the Fluidic Connect holder first. You need to get the feeling to apply not too much force, which might break the chip, but enough to obtain sufficient sealing. It might be necessary to tighten a bit more when pressure and temperature are increased. Please remove the pressure before additional tightening.
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