2026-09-23T09:35:10Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1563212024-08-22T03:00:51Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Voldman, Joel
Xue, Fan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
2024-08-21T18:56:38Z
2024-08-21T18:56:38Z
2024-05
2024-07-10T13:00:03.995Z
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156321
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4172-7954
Gravity-driven flow is a simple microfluidic flow initiation and maintenance mechanism that requires no external power sources and low expertise to use. However, the driving forces created by hydraulic head differences gradually decrease during operation, resulting in unwanted decreased flow rates in many microfluidic applications. The existing methods to maintain a constant flow for gravity-driven mechanisms either require additional bulky control equipment, involve complex fabrication or operation, or introduce interfaces that lack robustness. To solve those problems, a compact hydraulic head auto-regulating module (CHARM) was designed and tested in this thesis. The module was able to maintain the liquid level at the microfluidic inlet port within a small fluctuation range without human intervention for a long operation time. The design’s compactness and its compatibility with the standard 96 well plates enable high-throughput operations, and the chosen material’s bio-compatibility allows the devices’ use on cell culture related applications.
S.M.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
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https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/
A Compact Hydraulic Head Auto-Regulating Module (CHARM) for Long-Term Constant Gravity-Driven Flow Microfluidics
Thesis
application/pdf
Master
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Publication
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unknown
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<Abstract>Gravity-driven flow is a simple microfluidic flow initiation and maintenance mechanism that requires no external power sources and low expertise to use. However, the driving forces created by hydraulic head differences gradually decrease during operation, resulting in unwanted decreased flow rates in many microfluidic applications. The existing methods to maintain a constant flow for gravity-driven mechanisms either require additional bulky control equipment, involve complex fabrication or operation, or introduce interfaces that lack robustness. To solve those problems, a compact hydraulic head auto-regulating module (CHARM) was designed and tested in this thesis. The module was able to maintain the liquid level at the microfluidic inlet port within a small fluctuation range without human intervention for a long operation time. The design’s compactness and its compatibility with the standard 96 well plates enable high-throughput operations, and the chosen material’s bio-compatibility allows the devices’ use on cell culture related applications.</Abstract>
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