Multichannel manufacturing device for mass production of microspheres
Inventors
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12023645-B2
Publication Date
2024-07-02
Expiration Date
Abstract
In the present invention, two adjacent supply lines for supplying two immiscible fluids are spirally disposed on a substrate where microchannels for microsphere production based on a droplet-based highly controlled method for mass-production of microspheres (HCMMM) are formed, and microsphere forming parts each comprising microchannels are arranged between and along the two supply lines, whereby a much larger amount of microspheres can be produced. Further, the two supply lines are disposed in a spiral configuration, and the microsphere forming parts can be disposed by branching microchannels from the two supply lines on inner and outer sides of the spiral configuration, whereby the limited space on a wafer normally having a circular shape can be maximally used to form multiple microsphere forming parts.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a droplet-based highly controlled method for mass-production of microspheres (HCMMM) and to a multichannel microsphere producing unit configured for that method. The unit includes a central plate with a microsphere formation part, and upper and lower plates disposed above and below the central plate. A first supply line, a second supply line, and an inlet of a discharge line are disposed between the central plate and the upper plate, and separately supply first, second, and third raw materials as solutions toward droplet formation and microsphere formation.
The microsphere formation part includes one or more first microchannels and one or more second microchannels that respectively have end portions in fluid communication with the first supply line and the second supply line. One or more merge points are provided so that the other end portions of the first microchannel and the second microchannel are connected to be in fluid communication with each other, thereby forming separate droplets. One or more third microchannels then include end portions in fluid communication with the merge points, and in these third microchannels the formed separated droplets are converted into microspheres.
The discharge line collects the microspheres and discharges the microspheres through an outlet disposed between the central plate and the lower plate. The discharge line includes a first discharge line, a second discharge line, and a plurality of microholes passing through the central plate to be in fluid communication with the other end portions of the one or more third microchannels. The plan-view shapes of the first supply line, first discharge line, second supply line, and second discharge line are rolled-up shapes sequentially disposed in parallel and wound in a plurality of turns, and a plurality of microsphere formation parts are disposed along the first discharge line and the second discharge line.
Claims Coverage
The provided claim content includes one independent claim and several dependent claims. The claims emphasize a multichannel microsphere producing unit with microchannel merge points for forming separate droplets into microspheres, and a rolled-up planar layout for parallel, turn-wound supply and discharge paths; dependent claims refine discharge-line structure, raw-material phase definitions, microchannel-to-microsphere cross-sectional area relationships, and merge-point angle constraints.
Multiplate multichannel microsphere producing unit with microchannel merge points
A multichannel microsphere producing unit with a central plate, an upper plate disposed above the central plate, and a lower plate disposed below the central plate; first and second supply lines and an inlet of a discharge line disposed between the central plate and the upper plate; a microsphere formation part disposed in the central plate including first and second microchannels with end portions respectively in fluid communication with the first and second supply lines, merge points connecting the other end portions of the first and second microchannels to form separate droplets, and third microchannels in which the separated droplets formed at the merge points are formed into microspheres; and an outlet of the discharge line disposed between the central plate and the lower plate that discharges the microspheres.
Discharge line with microholes through the central plate to collect microspheres
The discharge line includes a first discharge line, a second discharge line, and a plurality of microholes passing through the central plate that are in fluid communication with the other end portions of the one or more third microchannels, and the discharge line is formed to collect the microspheres and discharge the microspheres through the outlet.
Rolled-up parallel turn-wound supply and discharge shapes in plan view
The shapes of the first supply line, the first discharge line, the second supply line, and the second discharge line in plan view are rolled-up shapes sequentially disposed in parallel and wound in a plurality of turns, with microsphere formation parts disposed along the first discharge line and the second discharge line.
Water-phase and polymer-phase raw material solutions
The first raw material and the second raw material are respectively a water-phase solution and a polymer-phase solution.
Recess structures at the discharge-line inlet
The inlet of the discharge line has recess structures formed by dividing a lower surface of the central plate and an upper surface of the lower plate.
Merged fluid communication of first and second discharge line inlets and outlets
The inlets and outlets of a first discharge line and a second discharge line are merged to be in fluid communication with each other.
Cross-sectional area relationship between microchannels and microspheres
In the microsphere formation part, each of the first, second, and third microchannels has a cross-sectional area between 100% and 200% of the cross-sectional area of each corresponding microsphere.
Merge-point angle constraint for droplet merging
A merge-point angle between the first microchannel and the second microchannel is between 30° and 90°.
The independent claim defines a multichannel microsphere producing unit that uses first and second microchannels with merge points to form separated droplets into microspheres in third microchannels, and then discharges the microspheres via a discharge line with microholes through the central plate. The dependent claims further specify raw-material phases, discharge-line inlet recess structures, merged fluid communication between discharge-line sections, quantitative channel-to-microsphere cross-sectional area relationships, and a merge-point angle range.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Mass-production of microspheres using a droplet-based highly controlled method for mass-production of microspheres (HCMMM).
Production of biodegradable polymer-based microspheres using biodegradable polymers such as PLA, PLGA, and PCL.
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